Profiling Dutch Biophysicists - Christian Kaiser
Jointly with the NWO Physics of Life Research Community Program Officer Dr. Naomi Chrispijn-Steenbeck, we have been profiling biophysicists in the Dutch research community.
Our fourth profilee is Prof. Christian Kaiser from the University of Utrecht (UU), we hope you enjoy reading the profile!
1. What is your job title?
Professor (Hoogleraar), Department of Chemistry, Utrecht University
2. What about your subject area?
Single-molecule biochemistry of protein biogenesis
3. How did you get into science?:
Curiosity (the boiler plate answer). I was always interested in how living things work. When I learned about the building blocks of life in school, I wanted to understand something about how they work together to produce the amazing biological complexity that surrounds us. As I started experimental work, I came to appreciate the power of quantitative methods (which I found fascinating all the way back to Gregor Mendel) and got hooked on that type of experimental approach.
4. Where else have you worked/studied?
I completed my undergraduate education in Biochemistry at Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany. For my PhD work, I joined Ulrich Hartl’s group at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany. After that, I went to the United States to pursue postdoctoral work, first at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston, then at the University of California, Berkeley. I started my independent group at Johns Hopkins University, where I received tenure before moving to Utrecht this past Fall. The Dutch Biophysics community is absolutely outstanding, so I am very excited about becoming part of it.
5. What are your hobbies/what do you do for fun?
I love spending time with my daughters. They are still quite young, but are getting old enough so that I can sometimes steer family activities toward what I like to do, which includes artisan bread baking (and, in their case, bread eating), hiking, and cycling.
6. Could you share some tips and tricks for someone thinking about pursuing a career in science in academia?
One trick is to find something that you can get really excited about (I know, more boiler plate…) and discover its inherent beauty, because it will motivate you to pursue it with the fierce intensity that is necessary to make meaningful progress. A tip is to try to choose mentors who are inspirational and generous and support you in what you do.
7. Who are your scientific role models?
I could not (and would not want to) point to a single role model. There are way too many giants, past and present, who have been doing heroic work (although I am particularly drawn to elegant in vitro approaches). I find it very impressive and uplifting when I meet or read about colleagues who are not only intellectually brilliant, but also demonstrate integrity and kindness.
8. What does your working area (desk, office) look like and what does it say about you?
My office is still cluttered with a bunch of moving boxes, which I guess says that I just completed a pretty big move recently and that I like to spend my time doing science, rather than unpacking and organizing my office.