Ann Katrin has a MSc degree in Biology from University Ulm, Germany. She is a third year PhD student working in the Bio Materials group at the Bernal Institute of University of Limerick with Dr. Andreas Grabrucker. In her PhD project, she investigates gut-brain interaction in neurodevelopmental disorders with a focus on autism. She aims at understanding the molecular basis responsible for the development of autism and gastrointestinal co-morbidities to inform the future development of therapeutic approaches.