Tamara Weiss is a PI at the Medical University of Vienna, where she explores the temporal dynamics and functional diversity of human Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury, wound healing and tumor development.

Tamara studied Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna and gained international research experience as a visiting scientist in Mark Kotter’s lab at the University of Cambridge. She earned her PhD at the Medical University of Vienna, carrying out her doctoral research at the Children’s Cancer Research Institute. Her work centered on culturing and characterizing human Schwann cells and comparing them with stromal Schwann cells in peripheral neuroblastic tumors. Following her PhD, Tamara continued her research as a postdoctoral fellow in Christine Radtke’s lab at the Medical University of Vienna, further investigating the molecular mechanisms driving human Schwann cell plasticity in regeneration and disease. A key contribution from this period was the identification of a repair-like state of stromal Schwann cells in peripheral neuroblastic tumors, which contribute to benign tumor development.

Tamara’s fascination and expertise in human Schwann cell biology continue to guide her research on Schwann cell functions in health and disease. Her team now investigates how neuroblastic tumor-derived factors sustain the repair Schwann cell phenotype and develops advanced models to study the regenerative functions of human repair Schwann cells.

Beyond her research, Tamara is actively engaged in teaching and mentoring medical and PhD students at the Medical University of Vienna and serves as board member of the Austrian Society for Surgical Research and the Alumni Club of the Medical University of Vienna. Tamara has been recognized as Researcher of the Month by her institution (2022), selected for the High Potential Program for scientists at the Medical University of Vienna (2024), and elected to the Scientific Committee of the Euroglia 2025 meeting.