Profile

Hi, my name is Philipp. I am a PhD student in my second year at EMBL Hamburg. I was born in Magdeburg, Germany and after school I moved to Munich to study Molecular Biotechnology at Technische Universität München. After graduating, I became an EMBL PhD fellow working on the two giant muscle proteins Obscurin and Titin. Titin is the longest protein in our body. Imagining that Titin was a word in the English language, it would take you three and a half hours to pronounce its chemical name correctly. Both proteins interact with each other within the muscle cells, maintaining the overall structure of this very dynamic (contracting and relaxing) system. Being a scientist, I see it as my duty to explain and reveal apparently difficult scientific questions to everyone. Because of this, I was very active as a teaching assistant during my time in Munich and I want proceed with this by being part of the ELLS LearningLAB – a training course for school teachers.

My decision to become a natural scientist was based on my deep interest in science itself. I enjoy trying to understand the world, ask questions and am intrigued by the beauty of nature’s complexity. This has been strongly promoted by my years in school, particularly by mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics lessons. It was overwhelming to hear for the first time about the complexity of the universe or about a unique code within our cells, storing all the information of life. Being a child means being curious, asking questions and exploring the unknown. Many people lose this natural interest when growing up. Being taught by someone who is able to preserve this curiosity is very precious. It means great effort, but also great opportunities.