Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to Johannes Söding, for giving me the opportunity to work in his lab, for his supervision and guidance on this fascinating project. I learned a lot from you, not only analytical and statistical skills, but also about being a scientist and what holds the scientific world together at its core. Your enthusiasm and your convincing attitude always kept me going.

I also want to thank Julien Gagneur for supervising this thesis together with the other members of my examination board: Franz Herzog, Klaus Förstermann, Karl-Peter Hopfner and Oliver Keppler.
My thanks goes also to Roland Beckmann who was part of my thesis advisory commitee. Special thanks goes to Julien who had great and pragmatic ideas that helped to keep the big picture in focus.

My gratitude goes also to the Quantitative Biosciences Munich graduate school. Foremost to Ulrike Gaul and Erwin Frey for installing this great melting pot of science. With QBM’s financial support I could visit inspiring conferences that helped me to grow as scientist and maybe even more as a person. Additionally, I thank the staff Mara Kieke, Julia Schlehe, Filiz Civril, Markus Hohle and Michael Mende who organized so many great lectures, workshops, and events for us and were always ready to help.

I want to thank my group, the Söding lab, for their support and distraction in- and outside the lab. You were more than mere colleagues, you became true friends and made me enjoy coming to work every single day. In particular to Anja and Mark who stayed, like me, in Munich until the very end. It will be an honor to shut down the lights in our beloved djungle office together with you. Thanks a lot, Jessica, for finding the time for proofreading, even when there is no time at all. My thanks also go to the Gagneur group with whom we shared the office space at the LMU gene center for many years. Thanks for your open office doors during my Garching visits whenever I felt I needed company.

I also want to thank my former coaches, Henrik Lindner and Torsten Kunke, who supported my decision to leave the army and send me on my way to becoming Dr. Susi. Without you I might still be soaring the skies.

I want to thank my family for raising me curious and sceptical and therefore having me equipped with fundamental scientific skills.

Daniel you are the love of my life.