Michael Lukesch, MSc

CEO & Founder

Michael studied Chemistry, followed by a PhD in Biotechnology. He is a motivated, optimistic self-starter person and likes to innovate and bring new ideas and concepts to reality.

Through various activities he aquired education and experience in project management, communications, team leadership and business. He likes to spend his free time in nature, exploring and meeting new people.

Georg Altenbacher, PhD

Chief Business Officer

Georg studied Biochemistry, followed by a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. After his time in the wet-lab, he joined the in-house consultancy of Siemens AG in Germany where he contributed to multiple projects within the corporation. In August 2021 he returned to his roots in life sciences to take over the role of Chief Business Officer at VALANX.

Georg spends his free time with home-automation projects, sports, and loves cooking and BBQ.

David Alejandro Peña, PhD

Head of Upstream

David is passionate about the huge potential of biotechnology and synthetic biology to solve real-world problems. He got interested in engineering microbes to make all kinds of products. He focussed on Biotechnology for his master degree (TU Munich) and PhD (BOKU Vienna). At VALANX, he is excited to develop technologies for efficient cell engineering. Besides his passion for sciences and technology, he also loves hanging out with friends, travelling, and movies.

Andrés Magán García, PhD

Principal Scientist

Andrés is a gifted scientist with a PhD in RNA biology from the renowned lab of Renée Schroeder. He is an exceptionally motivated and curious person, who likes to expresses his joy over a successful experiment quite noticeably. He is able to convince colleagues of implementing new ideas and likes to discuss results in detail to grasp causes completely. He is an extremely athletic guy, who is climbing all over the world and also a great cook, who loves to try new dishes, and of course, taste them!

Marta Deneha, MSc

Associate Strategy and Operations Manager

Marta has joined VALANX in November 2021 and has herself proven as a valuable backbone in all backoffice tasks. She is an extremely motivated person and has boosted and improved our backoffice processes since her first day. With her background studies in banking and international business, she provides great additional expertise.
Marta loves traveling and photography which led to an extensive collection of pictures from all over the world.

Katarina Belačić, PhD

Project Lead R&D

Katarina is a motivated and reliable researcher with an extensive background in protein biochemistry. Katarina obtained her Master’s degree in molecular biology at the University of Zagreb and did her PhD in the field of biochemistry and structural biology at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna. She is admired by the intricate molecular details which bring about the living world and how sometimes the smallest change can greatly impact the system as a whole.

Apart from professional endeavours, Katarina is also passionate hiker and yoga practitioner. She enjoys spending time with her dog and reading about human psychology and behaviour.

Maximilian Winkler, MSc

Scientist

Max has already collaborated with VALANX for his master’s thesis at TU Wien and later joined the team as a scientist. After a research stay in Norway working on Nanoparticles and their biomedical applications at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, he is back again at VALANX and excited to further explore the possibilities of synthetic biology.

Besides science, Max is passionate about making music. In his spare time, he is working on his indie-rock project. He also enjoys doing sport, especially running and bouldering.

Lea Leitner, MSc

Scientist

Lea studied Biotechnology at BOKU University in Vienna and already collaborated with VALANX Biotech for her master’s thesis in the field of mammalian cell culture. She is fascinated by the complexity of biological networks and how all these processes are perfectly intertwined within a cell or a whole organism.

In her spare time, Lea is keen on doing outdoor sport such as running, hiking or skiing in winter. She is a devoted traveller, who is inspired by learning about other countries and cultures.

Adriana Fink, BSc

Lab Support

Adriana is currently pursuing a Master's degree after completing a Bachelor's in Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna. Fascinated by the intricate workings of biological networks, Adriana marvels at the seamless collaboration of processes within living organisms and cells. She sees science as the intersection of curiosity and discovery. Adriana finds joy in unravelling the complexity of systems, viewing it as a thrilling puzzle.

When not immersed in the world of science, Adriana loves doing sport, cooking and traveling the globe, exploring new cultures.

Ursula Toth, MSc

Research Technician Downstream

Ursula holds a degree in Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Applied Sciences Campus Vienna and spent a decade researching tRNA biology and the enzymes involved in tRNA processing at the Medical University of Vienna.

Ursula's passion for basic research is matched by her enthusiasm for applied science at VALANX, where she now contributes to the development of targeted cancer therapies. "Working on antibody treatments for targeted cancer therapies that can benefit patients soon is truly exciting," she shares. In her free time, Ursula enjoys sports, hiking, drawing, and practicing healing massage therapy.

Nikolaus Kienzl, PhD

Scientist Downstream

Nikolaus, a biochemist fascinated by protein complexities, earned his Master’s in Biotechnology at BOKU Vienna. After gaining experience in microbiological testing for the food industry, he was eager for new challenges and returned to BOKU for a PhD to explore human proteases.

At VALANX, Nikolaus works as a Downstream Scientist, applying the company’s innovative protein conjugation technology. His focus lies in unlocking the potential of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to drive advancements in cancer therapy. Outside the lab, Nikolaus enjoys improvising on the piano, while running and biking help him clear his mind and keep new ideas flowing.