Position: Head of Microbiology Unit, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Research focus: Discovery, diversity and evolution studies of viruses (mostly plant viruses and viruses in environmental samples, such as water)
What do you love about viruses?
Adaptability, dynamics and possibility to observe their evolution in real-time.
On what topic could you give a 30-minute presentation without any preparation?
Plant virus discovery.
What is your favourite way to spend a day off?
A trip to the unspoilt corners of the nature, hiking in the mountains, but also reading a good book.
What is the coolest thing about your research?
Probably the coolest thing of any research: looking into the unknown and elucidating a part of it; specifically this means discovering yet unknown microbes, but also the ways they interact and evolve.
Which scientific topic (outside of your field of research) do you think should have more scientific attention?
Neurology, mental health (natural sciences) and research on different aspects of how we interact in society (sociology).
If you had the option to give advice to a younger version of yourself, what would that be?
Every problem has a solution, it just needs time; and probably: say no more often.