Position: Researcher and Assistant Lecturer, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Research focus: Virology, zoonotic diseases, bioinformatics, and molecular biology; mostly SARS-CoV-2 since the 2020.
What do you love about viruses?
It’s very mysterious!
Who is your favourite scientist and why?
Robert Koch and Christiaan Eijkman.
They are part of Indonesia history of medical sciences. In the late 18th century, they did various projects in Dutch East Indies (presently Indonesia).
On what topic could you give a 30-minute presentation without any preparation?
All about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.
What is your favourite way to spend a day off?
Doing yoga, photography, and cooking 🙂
What are you currently learning?
Maintaining my life in order to live longer and healthier.
If you could create a new invention, what would it be?
Invention which can control the virulent viruses so that it could be developed as a therapeutic agent against various deadly diseases.
What is the most interesting question or challenge in science that is still unanswered?
Is it possible to cross another dimension?
What is the coolest thing about your research?
Dealing with a novel virus like SARS-CoV-2 requires us to constantly adjust our research and public health questions to the rapidly changing state of the field. In addition, it’s also important to aware that in the near future, novel viruses will continue to surprise us and prepared to begin new partnerships with scientists around the globe and outside of our discipline. However, working in a novel viruses is very interdisciplinary, which I enjoy a lot since 2020.
What do people think about you that isn’t true?
In silico study is pointless according to some people, and I believe it is a disrespectful statement.
What was your most surprising scientific finding?
I was able to unlock the whole-genome sequence of Indonesian SARS-CoV-2 isolates and to construct the pattern of spike glycoprotein as an antigen to induce the dendritic cells.
For which project idea are you still looking for a cooperation partner?
Genome editing of virulent viruses to construct vaccines or therapeutic agents.
What was your biggest achievement, and what your biggest failure?
One of my biggest achievements was received a PMDSU Scholarship (Batch III) (for my Master Degree and Doctoral Degree at Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia in 2017) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. However, my biggest failure was not learning mathematics earlier in life.
Which scientific topic (outside of your field of research) do you think should have more scientific attention?
Climate change and health.
If you were completely free to choose a scientific topic to work on, which would it be?
Whole-genome sequencing of novel viruses.
If you had the option to advise a younger version of yourself, what would that be?
Is it possible to cross another dimension?
Is there anything else you would like to share with other EVBC members?
“Fall down seven times, stand up eight” – Japanese Proverb
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to publish your valuable work on my Research Topic: “Bridging Gaps in Antiviral Therapy: Innovative Approaches in Drug Discovery and Vaccine Development” in Frontiers in Virology.