Profile

• Time Zone

  (GMT +1) Paris, Madrid, Athens, Berlin, Rome

  
  
• Organization

  University of Cologne

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My main research interest is a bit complex. In this research, I am studying A plant called ARABIDOPSIS lyrata. Specifically, I am looking at the differences in how genes are expressed (used) in different populations of this plant. This can tell us a lot about how the plant has adapted to different environments. NOW IMAGINE that Plants have to undergo often, if not always, various stresses, such as heat, cold, damage of their living space. They have to adapt themselves to survive and fit in their living space better. The question is how far they can go. Can plants keep adapting and adapting and become "super-plant"? We Call this "Adaptive potential" and then "quantify" IT using a combination of traditional genetics and modern techniques to analyse the plants' genes. By understanding how plants adapt and evolve, we can learn more about how life on Earth has developed and changed and will be able to change over time.
  
  MY SIDE PROJECT TAKES INTEREST IN Seed Dormancy in plants. In simple terms, some plants have seeds that can lie dormant (not grow) for a long time before sprouting. This ability is important for plants in nature because it helps them survive through difficult times. In THIS research, I study a specific plant called Arabidopsis thaliana to understand why some of its seeds have longer periods of dormancy than others. By studying this, we can learn more about how plants adapt to their environments and how they survive in different conditions.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is a typical day like for you?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

  Before immersing my life to science, I had always been picturing it as the time and space that you can just sit and do your research, but reality has so much more. My typical day involves sorting out what I need to do and can do with my projects, some day new challenges come up, some day only repetitive tasks to be done, some day the struggles and learning curve is steeper than ever. Reading is an essential part in my research as well, including theoretical, practical, and technical literature studies/reviews. Other than actively thinking and doing my research, there are meetings and seminars to attend to, which is also essential to keep yourself up to date with what happens in the fields and with your colleagues. Sometimes, there are teaching courses going on and I would be more than happy to be a mentor of some practical sessions, where I can help students with experimental setup, data analysis and literature search. And then from time to time, there will be reports, presentations, and conferences where I get to share my work, learn from people, getting advice and expand my knowledge. Specifically for me, beside computational work and lab work, there is a lot of plant work in the garden involved, which I tremendously enjoy and always call it "Zen therapy" after a long day "fighting" with fixing "bugs" in my code and/or lab work frustration. And of course there cannot be a good work life without hanging out for a little while with your colleagues to know whether they need your help, or maybe just to know how they are doing.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is the coolest thing you have discovered or learned about plants?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

  Plants were a completely hidden kingdom to me before my Bachelor's study. I didn't think they were boring or so, I just didn't know what I can study about them. Turns out it's not just a kingdom, it's a whole universe to explore. First of all, plants are always in our sight, but very often out of our mind. People don't stop to appreciate how life would have been without plants. Secondly, plants have terrific power of resilience against environmental stresses and challenges, which is intriguing for us as scientist to decipher their potential. Last but not least, they suffer nevertheless from diseases, climate change, intensive human exploitation of ecosystems, and it is time that we should start caring for them. Their immune system, regulatory networks, genetic components are as complex as many other life forms, but a majority of these are under-studied. One aspect I enthuse about plants is their survival which sometimes make them look like "emerging from the death", and how plant communities themselves make up a huge role in the world.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  Do you have advice for students about preparing for a science career?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

  If doing research is what makes you feel fulfilled and happy and peaceful, then you definitely go for it. However, like most journeys, it has ups and downs, it takes patience and hard work to get to where you want, but with passion, you can do everything. If you feel like you "have to" do this because of anything, then you should take a step back to rethink your decision. Also keep in mind that research career can be an extremely un-rewarding process, there might be time that nobody will see your hard work, because only the end results matter. You have to be able to cope with this aspect, to be able to motivate and encourage yourself. That's why passion and the big picture you have matter so much because even in the darkest place, you can still remind yourself what and why you are here for. Also, doing science can be in many places and context (academia, industry, public, everyday life), so don't restrict yourself in one scope and think this is where I see myself when I choose my career as scientist.

  
  
• Help represent the outreach efforts of your societies. Please click all those organizations you are a member of:

  (not set)

  
  
• Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

  2