Dr. Daniel Rickert
Bioinformatician | Pipeline Developer | Podcast Host
Selected Publications
Circular RNA profiling distinguishes medulloblastoma groups and shows aberrant RMST overexpression in WNT medulloblastoma
Rickert D, Bartl J, Picard D, et al. Acta Neuropathologica. 2021 Jun;141(6):975-978.
This work characterized circular RNA expression patterns across medulloblastoma molecular subgroups, identifying distinct circRNA signatures that define tumor classification. The study revealed aberrant overexpression of circRMST specifically in WNT medulloblastoma, providing new insights into the molecular landscape of this pediatric brain tumor.
PubMed: 33866410Genomic and fitness consequences of a near-extinction event in the northern elephant seal
Hoffman JI, Vendrami DLJ, Hench K, Chen RS, Stoffel MA, Kardos M, Amos W, Kalinowski J, Rickert D, Köhrer K, et al. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2024 Dec;8(12):2309-2324.
This comprehensive study combined population genomics, demographic modeling, and whole-genome resequencing to investigate how a severe population bottleneck affected genetic diversity and fitness in northern elephant seals. The work demonstrates the complex interplay between demographic history, genetic load, and population viability in conservation contexts.
PubMed: 39333394A secretome atlas of cardiac fibroblasts from healthy and infarcted mouse hearts
Bahr J, Poschmann G, Jungmann A, Busch M, Ding Z, Vogt J, Zalfen R, Steinhausen J, Martínez AAE, Wachtmeister T, Rickert D, et al. Communications Biology. 2025 Apr;8(1):675.
This study created the first comprehensive secretome atlas of cardiac fibroblasts in control and post-myocardial infarction conditions, combining rapid cell isolation with SILAC and click chemistry approaches. The work revealed dynamic protein secretion patterns and identified novel paracrine factors involved in cardiac immune homeostasis and post-infarction remodeling, including SLIT2, FN1, and CRLF1.
PubMed: 40301568Explain Podcast
Co-host of the DFG-funded podcast exploring the fascinating world of sequencing technologies. The podcast aims to make complex genomic concepts accessible to a broader audience, covering everything from basic sequencing principles to cutting-edge applications in research and medicine.
Through engaging conversations and explanations, we demystify next-generation sequencing methods, discuss their applications in clinical and research settings, and explore how these technologies are shaping the future of biology and medicine.
Visit Explain Podcast →Professional Experience
Project Leader Bioinformatics, PostDoc
West German Genome Center (WGGC), UKD Düsseldorf
Leading bioinformatics initiatives and maintaining production-grade data analysis infrastructure. Responsible for the development, optimization, and deployment of automated NGS analysis pipelines serving multiple research groups and clinical applications.
Providing expert consultation and hands-on collaboration for sequencing projects, translating complex biological questions into computational workflows, and delivering actionable insights from multi-omics datasets.
Actively developing and maintaining the WestGermanGenomeCenter suite of bioinformatics tools, including automated pipelines for short-read and long-read RNA-seq analysis, variant calling workflows, quality control frameworks, and custom analysis modules tailored to specific research needs. All pipelines are containerized, version-controlled, and designed for reproducibility across different computing environments.
PhD Student
Pediatric Neuro-oncogenomics, UKD Düsseldorf
Conducted doctoral research focused on circular RNA biology in medulloblastoma, one of the most common malignant pediatric brain tumors. Developed novel computational approaches to identify and quantify circular RNAs from RNA-seq data.
Implemented comprehensive transcriptomic analysis workflows including differential expression, splicing analysis, and integration with clinical metadata. Collaborated on multiple scientific projects involving short-read NGS data analysis and contributed to Bionano optical mapping data annotation efforts.
Created circs_snake, a Snakemake-based pipeline for comprehensive circular RNA detection and quantification, integrating multiple detection algorithms and downstream analysis modules.
Research Assistant
Computational Cell Biology, HHU Düsseldorf
Performed large-scale metagenomics data analysis on university HPC infrastructure, processing complex microbial community datasets. Utilized BLAST, HMMER, and custom Perl and R scripts to identify and annotate genes from environmental samples.
Gained extensive experience in working with distributed computing systems, optimizing bioinformatics workflows for cluster environments, and managing large-scale biological datasets.
Education
Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in Bioinformatics
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Dissertation: Circular RNA profiling in medulloblastoma molecular subgroups
M.Sc. Biology
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Major: Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics
Thesis: "Predicting enzyme and metabolite concentrations in the core metabolism of E. coli from rate laws and cost minimization"
Focus on mathematical modeling, systems biology, computational analysis, and integration of experimental data with theoretical frameworks.
B.Sc. Biology
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Thesis: "Does metagenomic data contain older relatives of orphan genes?"
Investigated evolutionary genomics questions through computational analysis of large-scale metagenomic datasets.
A-Levels and BTA Apprenticeship
Hans-Böckler Berufskolleg Marl
Combined academic education with practical technical training in biological laboratory techniques.
Beyond Science
Badminton
Competitive badminton player at BC Düsseldorf, participating in regional tournaments and league competitions. The sport provides an excellent balance to computational work, requiring quick decision-making, strategic thinking, and physical fitness.