Computational and Single-Cell Epigenomics

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Dr. Michael Scherer

Group Leader Computational and Single-Cell Epigenomics

We work on computational solutions for investigating alterations in the epigenomic pattern related to cancer, with a special focus on changes to the DNA methylation pattern. Additionally, we leverage single-cell DNA methylation technologies to investigate methylation changes in rare cell populations.

Illustration depicting cellular structures and epigenomic patterns. On the left, there are clusters of cells represented with colored circles. Below, lines in blue and purple symbolize molecular data. Logos for RnBeads and additional visual content are present at the bottom, indicating data analysis tools.

People

  • A young man with short dark hair and a friendly smile is looking directly at the camera. He is wearing a light gray T-shirt with a red and black patterned pocket. The background is plain white, emphasizing his expression.

    Dr. Michael Scherer

    Group Leader Computational and Single-Cell Epigenomics

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    Dr. Belen Otero Carrasco

    Postdoctoral Researcher

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  • A young man wearing a black jacket stands smiling in a lush garden setting with trees and greenery in the background. The image captures a moment of happiness and tranquility, emphasizing the natural surroundings.

    Sergio Manzano Sanchez

    Technician

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    Maxime de Vrieze

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    Nima Esmaeelpour

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    Marielouise Griebl

Running Projects

Open Projects

We are continuously looking for new people to join our team. At the moment, we have the following open positions:

Bachelor/Master thesis projects in Computational and Single-Cell Epigenomics

We offer a variety of projects ranging from computational tool development, over data analysis, until projects involving wet-lab work. At the moment, we offer the following projects:

  • Data analysis tasks around various cancer types using of the RnBeads (rnbeads.org/) toolsuite
  • Development of a software tool for the analysis of scTAM-seq data
  • Characterizing epigenome heterogeneity in lung cancer
  • Predicting chromothripsis from DNA methylation data

Being embedded in the Division of Cancer Epigenomics, we offer a welcoming work atmosphere with a mix of computational and experimental students.


What we are looking for: We are looking for students that are pursuing their Bachelor's and Master's degree at Heidelberg University and that want to do their Bachelor/Master thesis or lab rotation in Computational Epigenomics. Previous experience with programming in R and with epigenomics are advantages.

Selected Publications

2025 - Nature

Scherer M*, Singh I*, Braun M*, Szu-Tu C*, et al. 

2022 - Genome Biology

Bianchi, A.*, Scherer, M.*, Zaurin, R., Quililan, K., Velten, L., & Beekman, R. 

2020 - Nucleic Acids Research

Scherer, M., Nebel, A., Franke, A., Walter, J., Lengauer, T., Bock, C., Müller, F., & List, M. 

2020 - Nature Protocols

Scherer, M.,* Nazarov, P. V., Toth, R., Sahay, S., Kaoma, T., Maurer, V., Vedeneev, N., Plass, C., Lengauer, T., Walter, J., & Lutsik, P. 

2019 - Genome Biology

Müller, F.*, Scherer, M.*, Assenov, Y., Lutsik, P., Walter, J., Lengauer, T., & Bock, C

Additional Publications

Google scholar

ORCID

Get in touch with us

A young man with short dark hair and a friendly smile is looking directly at the camera. He is wearing a light gray T-shirt with a red and black patterned pocket. The background is plain white, emphasizing his expression.

Dr. Michael Scherer

Group Leader Computational and Single-Cell Epigenomics
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