Profile

I grew up in a very small town in Germany where no one really is a researcher. When I was 12, I knew I wanted to become a researcher because I loved Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Maths. I moved to a bigger city in Germany to study Biochemistry at a university for 6 years. Three years ago, I decided to move to Edinburgh to study a topic I am really interested in. Edinburgh is a beautiful city and I love discovering it on long walks. I really like starting my day with a run on Arthur’s seat in the morning. When I am not doing experiments, I love to cook and bake. On rainy days, I really like reading as well. One of my biggest weaknesses is chocolate. Luckily, you can find a good hot chocolate at every corner in Edinburgh!

Your body is made of many cells which are tiny. You can not see them by eye, but with a microscope. I do research on one specific type of cell, stem cells. Stem cells are special cells because they are the cells that can develop into any cell type in your body. Some can even make a whole new organism, like a baby! Depending on how the stem cell changes, it might end up being a muscle cell or a cell in your brain. One single stem cell can be the origin of a whole new organ or baby. Therefore, it is important that they are not damaged. In my research, I try to understand how stem cells protect themself against damage and stay healthy.

I love starting my day with a run in the park. After having breakfast, I take my bike on a 15 minutes ride to get to the lab. When I arrive in the lab, I usually take half an hour to plan my day. Often I do many experiments in one day. I do have to plan when I am doing what. After a few hours of work, I do have lunch with my friends. If it is sunny, we might even go outside. In the afternoon, I try to finish my experiments. I also take time to look at the result of my experiments and plan new experiments. In between, I talk to other researchers and discuss my or their results. Every day is different with new results and surprises. I usually go home at 6 pm to spend some time with my friends or family over the phone.