Frankel IHBH Inaugural Postdoctoral Fellowship Award 2026

The Stanley and Judith Frankel Institute for Heart and Brain Health (Frankel IHBH) is proud to announce Aurel B. Leuchtmann, Ph.D., as the inaugural Frankel IHBH Postdoctoral Fellow. Awarded annually to an outstanding postdoctoral researcher pursuing innovative work in heart or brain health, this fellowship supports his research conducted under the mentorship of Jorge L. Ruas, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Leuchtmann is a molecular biologist whose research focuses on understanding how tissues adapt to physiological and pathological stress, directly aligned with the Frankel IHBH’s approach to advance heart and brain health. He completed his training in Switzerland at ETH Zurich (B.S., M.S.) and the Biozentrum, University of Basel (Ph.D.), where he investigated molecular mediators of exercise-training adaptations in young and aged musculoskeletal tissues. This work built his expertise in molecular exercise physiology, tissue-specific and systemic aging, muscle proteomics, and in vivo mouse models.

In the Ruas lab at UM, Dr. Leuchtmann studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cardiac dysfunction, with a focus on identifying early biomarkers and defining key drivers of disease progression. His research aims to inform both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to prevent, halt, or reverse pathological remodeling of the heart.