Dr. Fabienne Benz is an Ambizione Group Leader at the University of Zurich, where her lab studies plasmid interactions, focusing on antagonistic dynamics between plasmids and their consequences for plasmid evolution. Her work investigates how plasmid-plasmid but also plasmid-host interactions shape eplasmid volution and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance.
She completed her PhD at ETH Zurich under Alex Hall and Martin Ackermann, studying the evolutionary and genetic drivers of plasmid dissemination. She then conducted postdoctoral research at the Institut Pasteur in Paris with David Bikard and Eduardo Rocha, focusing on molecular mechanisms of plasmid competition, in particular type IV CRISPR-Cas systems. Her research integrates experimental approaches with quantitative and computational tools to dissect mechanisms governing plasmid success and competition.