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Institute of Physiology Prof. Dr. Ian Frew SNF-Förderungsprofessor Epithelial Cancers Laboratory Institute of Physiology University of Zurich Winterthurerstr. 190 CH-8057 Zurich

Phone: +41 44 635 50 04 Fax: +41 44 635 68 14 Email: ian.frew@access.uzh.ch www.physiol.uzh.ch/research/GrFrew.html

June 13th, 2014

Letter of reference for Dr. Alexandre Jose Correia Gonçalves

To whom it may concern,

It is a pleasure to write a letter of reference for Dr. Alexandre Gonçalves, who worked as a postdoctoral scientist in my laboratory for three and a half years (January 2011 to June 2014). Alexandre came to my laboratory after conducting a highly successful PhD to continue to follow his research interests in the kidney. He undertook several projects to investigate the genetic basis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma, bringing several new research techniques to my group. While he experienced a lot of bad luck in some of his projects, he always worked very hard, independently and diligently and showed great persistence in his work. Several aspects of his research will certainly be included as part of planned future publications and his recent work in successfully identifying several new tumour suppressor genes in renal cell carcinoma based on functional genetic screening in primary kidney cells from genetically modified mouse lines will form the basis of ongoing research projects in my group. Alexandre has always shown a high degree of enthusiasm, motivation and commitment to his research, evidenced by the fact that he commuted from Basel to Zurich every day, also making the trip often on weekends to conduct his experiments. He has a friendly, generous and helpful personality and showed very good presentation skills, being able to communicate complex scientific concepts as well as his own data in a clear and organised manner.

I am grateful for the contribution that Alexandre made to my laboratory and wish him all the best for his ongoing career. I warmly recommend him as an excellent member of any team working in an area of academic or applied science.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Ian Frew