Mariam Kakashvili - PhD profile

Can you tell us a little about yourself and where you’re coming from, both academically and geographically?

I am Mariam Kakashvili and I come from Tbilisi, Georgia, where I completed my Medical Degree. During my medical studies I developed a strong interest in Endocrinology. This interest was further deepened when I had the privilege of meeting the medical professionals at LMU Klinikum during my internship there. I am now more than happy to be part of the Endotrain Project and very much look forward to our future achievements in Endocrinology.

What motivated you to pursue a PhD, and what drew you specifically to Endotrain as a doctoral network?

My motivation to pursue a PhD stems from a realization during my clinical training that medicine's most meaningful advances happen at the intersection of patient care and research. What drew me specifically to Endotrain wasn't just the science — it was the structure. The idea of being part of a collaborative doctoral network across leading institutions in Europe felt like exactly the right environment to develop not just as a researcher, but as a scientist who thinks broadly and collaboratively

Where will you be based during your PhD, and what are you most looking forward to about living and working there?

I will be based in Munich for my PhD, which feels like a true privilege. Professionally, being embedded within LMU Klinikum places me at the heart of one of Europe's leading institutions. The research environment and the colleagues surrounding me here already feel genuinely inspiring. What I look forward to most is growing here — both as a researcher and as a person building a new life in a new country.

At this very early stage, how would you describe your PhD project in broad, non‑technical terms?

The Endotrain project is focused on finding better ways to diagnose and monitor endocrine conditions — not just during clinic visits, but in patients' real everyday lives. The idea of using wearable biosensors to continuously capture meaningful health data, rather than relying on occasional snapshots, feels like a genuinely exciting shift both in diagnostics and in patient care.

During your PhD, what specific skills, methods, or areas of expertise are you most looking forward to learning?

Coming from a clinical background, I am most looking forward to developing my research methodology skills — particularly around the design and implementation of studies that integrate continuous, real-time data from wearable biosensors. The dynamic nature of hormonal and metabolic regulation that underlies so much of endocrine disease is something I encountered clinically but never had the tools to study systematically.

What are you most looking forward to about learning and working within an international doctoral network like Endotrain?

What excites me most about Endotrain as a network is the people. Science at its best is collaborative, and endocrine and metabolic disorders are complex enough that no single perspective — clinical, technical, or methodological — is sufficient on its own. Being surrounded by doctoral researchers and supervisors from leading institutions across Europe means I will be constantly challenged and expanded by ways of thinking different from my own.

I am particularly looking forward to the shared training experience — the idea that we are all developing together, not in isolation. Coming from Georgia and now building my career in Germany, I have already learned how much you grow when you step outside familiar environments

What do you enjoy doing outside of work that helps you relax and recharge after a long day of research?

Surrounding myself with my closest people, have a long walks with my dog and writing my journal! :)

As you begin your Endotrain journey, what are you most curious or enthusiastic about right now?

Having the chance to be part of this incredible project means the world to me. Endotrain, alongside LMU Klinikum, has opened doors that I have always dreamed of. Right now, what I feel most is genuine excitement — not just about the science, but about the people. I look forward to meeting everyone behind this project; the researchers, supervisors and fellow doctoral candidates who make it possible to ask bold scientific questions and find answers together as a team. That sense of shared curiosity and purpose is what I am most looking forward to experiencing.