Penn Postdocs in the News: Christoph Etling, Walter Benjamin Fellow, advancing photopharmacology research at Penn with support from the German Research Foundation (DFG)

Christoph Etling, Ph.D., Walter Benjamin Fellow, investigates light-activated molecular tools in the Department of Chemistry at Penn.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dr. Christoph Etling, a postdoctoral researcher from Leibniz Universität Hannover, joined the University of Pennsylvania as part of the prestigious Walter Benjamin Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG). He is currently hosted by Professor Dirk Trauner in Penn’s Department of Chemistry, where his research lies at the cutting edge of photopharmacology—an emerging field that uses light to control biological processes with exceptional precision.

Dr. Etling earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry at the University of Hannover, Germany, before pursuing a master’s degree in Medicinal and Natural Product Chemistry. He completed both his master’s and doctoral research in the laboratory of Professor Markus Kalesse, where he focused on sesquiterpenoid total synthesis and natural product-inspired method development.

In 2023, Dr. Etling moved to Penn to extend his research at the intersection of organic synthesis and chemical biology. His current project explores light-controlled molecular tools that could open new directions in pharmacology and therapeutic development.

The Walter Benjamin Programme provides early-career researchers with the opportunity to conduct independent projects in Germany or abroad, supporting their academic independence and fostering international collaboration. Dr. Etling was awarded the fellowship in September 2024 to support his postdoctoral work at Penn.

We are proud to host Dr. Etling at Penn and celebrate this recognition of his impactful research through one of Germany’s most distinguished postdoctoral fellowships.