Meet the Minds

15 July 2025

From Soil to Solutions: Luca Salvi on Discovering Antibiotics from Underexplored Microbes

Antibiotic resistance is rising, and Luca Salvi is digging deep for answers. As part of the MAGic-MOLFUN doctoral network, Luca is exploring the biosynthetic secrets of rare soil bacteria. In this interview, he talks about what makes microbes so fascinating, the joys (and quirks) of growing new strains, and why a well-organized PhD start makes all the difference.

14 July 2025

Antibiotics with Drama: Evi Stegmann on the Evolving Logic of Microbial Molecules

For Dr. Evi Stegmann, antibiotic discovery isn’t just a scientific pursuit — it’s a race against resistance. At the University of Tübingen, she leads research into how microbes biosynthesize structurally complex and medically urgent compounds. In this interview, Evi reflects on the transformation of the field, the role of AI in discovery, and why she’s most fascinated by the evolutionary design behind biosynthetic gene clusters.

11 July 2025

Decoding Fungal Recipes: Adriana on Patience, and Scientific Curiosity

For Adriana, the love for fungi began over a decade ago — and it hasn’t faded since. Now, as a PhD researcher in the MAGic-MOLFUN network, she’s working to decode how fungi produce their diverse molecules by linking metabolites to biosynthetic gene clusters. In this interview, Adriana shares how she navigates the challenges of studying underexplored organisms, how community shaped her PhD mindset, and why a bit of chaos (à la Doc Brown) is part of her scientific DNA.

10 July 2025

Fearless Curiosity in Genomics: Meet Judit Szenei

From decoding bacterial genomes to navigating the challenges of data visualization, Judit Szenei is making structure prediction smarter and sharper. In this candid conversation, Judit shares what it’s like to work on the frontlines of natural product discovery, why asking questions (even the “nonsense” ones) is her science superpower, and how AI is transforming her field. She also opens up about the community spirit within the MAGic-MOLFUN network and the unexpected skills that now define her research life. Dive into her story — and her enthusiasm for knowing “what’s going on” in science.