We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of early and late steps of viral infections focusing particularly on the spike glycoproteins of human pathogenic hantaviruses and other bunyaviruses. For hantaviruses we have provided molecular insights into the virus:cell membrane fusion process and characterized the organization and dynamics of the Gn/Gc spikes on the viral surface. For the design of vaccine and drug candidates we focus on neutralizing antibody responses, using non-replicative hantavirus-like particles and stabilized versions. We also study membrane fusion in archaea using halophilic pleolipoviruses to unveil how viruses modulate archaeal membranes in this yet poorly explored life domain.

Nicole Tischler received her degree as an Engineer in Biotechnology at Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Germany and her PhD in Biotechnology at Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile. She is conducting independent research since 2007 at Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Chile on the spike glycoproteins of human pathogenic hantaviruses and more recently collaborative research on membrane fusion proteins of biological systems in the archaea domain of life. Since 2016 she is Member of the Advisory Council, International Society of Hantaviruses (President Elect 2023-2026), the ICTV Hantavirus Study group and obtained the Ben Barres Spotlight Award (2019), granted by the Journal eLife.

At the USS, Nicole Tischler is teaching Virology classes for Biochemistry students at the Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia and is in charge of the Virology section of the Advanced Molecular Virology and Microbiology course for PhD students. She has directed undergraduate thesis (15), graduate thesis (6) and guided post-doctoral researchers (3) and has also been invited to a total of 19 thesis commissions, 5 corresponding to PhD thesis from Austria, Brazil, France, Germany and Sweden. She has also been Advisor in national committees on Biosafety and Biosecurity (see external experiences).