Mathis Funk

Mathis Funk (1990) is a post-doctoral researcher at the Viroscience department of Erasmus MC with a focus on hypothesis-driven fundamental research and viral evolution. He obtained his PhD in 2018 under the supervision of Thierry Heidmann for his work on syncytins, genes of viral origin that are necessary for placentation in animals. His results demonstrated for the first time that non-mammalian placentas also rely on genes of viral origin, suggesting that ancestral retroviral infections are a prerequisite for the emergence of placentation. Dr. Funk joined the Viroscience department in 2019 to work on the evolution of influenza viruses, focusing on the molecular events leading to insertions and deletions in the influenza genome. Currently he is investigating the origin and mechanism of insertions leading to the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses as well as new antigenically distinct human influenza B virus lineages. His work shifts the focus from traditional set ups to virus-free approaches focused on the molecular interplay of viral polymerase and genome.