Theresa
Background | Motivation | Interest
Ingenuous Interest
Teenage Theresa wanted nothing less but to understand human thinking. In its entirety. On her overconfident interdisciplinary quest she studied Psychology (but dropped out pretty fast), Biology and Philosophy. Over the years the problem appeared to become even more elusive ultimately leading her to reconsider its very nature.
Bonding with Biology
Instead, she discovered molecular biology and fell in love instantaneously. Then developmental biology and was awestruck. How does that work? A single fertilized egg, then a bunch of stem cells and at some point: an inside and an outside, a head, tail, hands, stomach and – most crazily – a brain! Development and Differentiation, everything controlled by genes. Getting the grips with this kept her occupied for years.
Reaching Out
The fascination for research stayed with Theresa after leaving the lab. She was convinced that if people knew enough about science, it would captivate everyone. Thus, she actively looked for ways to convey this, from discussing it with friends to performing in theater, launching her blog Gene of the Week, and contributing genetics articles to various news outlets.
Spreading the Word
Theresa learned that many scientists desire to engage in outreach but face challenges related to time and opportunities. Her solution was straightforward: offer support. She dedicated her time to create platforms and channels, fostering opportunities, and, most importantly, provided training. Her training empowered PhD students and Postdocs at various research institutions to partake in outreach using mediums such as blog posts, podcasts, videos, or live science presentations. Theresa remains committed to continuing this mission.
From Research to Science Management
After her PhD and a short Postdoc, Theresa switched from research to science management and accepted a position as science manager for early career support at PIER, the partnership between DESY and Universität Hamburg. In 2022, she became Science Communication Officer at CENIDE, the center for Nanotechnology at the University of Duisburg-Essen and is currently working as research manager and science communicator at the hydrogen and fuel cell center ZBT.
