Karsten Willing

Karsten Willing works as a biotechnological engineer at the Leibniz-HKI’s Bio Pilot Plant.

What are you doing here at Leibniz-HKI?

I organize and plan the fermentation processes. That means making sure there are enough people to do the work, that the technology is free and available, and keeping everything running. A large part of my work also consists of maintenance work – our oldest fermenter is from 1964, so there’s a lot to do.

“As a biotechnological engineer, I work on the development of fermentation processes and on generating a pure product from the resulting culture broth.”

How did you get into biotechnology?

It wasn’t a straightforward plan. After graduating from high school, I first had to join the German army and then started an apprenticeship as a freight forwarding agent. After two years, I realized that it wasn’t my thing. I then studied medical technology in Jena. During our studies, we were able to specialize in environmental technology, biomedical engineering or biotechnology. The professor of biotechnology at the time gave such an inspiring speech about his subject at an information event that my fellow student Jörg and I looked at each other and knew: that’s what we’re going to do! After graduating, I did my diploma thesis in Jena and then stayed here at the Leibniz-HKI – because it’s just fun.

So, you were at the Bio Pilot Plant right from the start?

Yes, exactly. I did my diploma thesis here, characterized an enzyme and then went from project to project. I’ve been here since 2001.

Which area of biotechnology are you particularly interested in?

The most fun are projects with a clear industrial connection, where the end result is more than just a paper that is forgotten in some drawer. For example, we had a long collaboration with an American partner to develop a biological polymer that was ultimately used in humans. A friend of mine, a surgeon, worked with it – developing something so useful for humans was extremely motivating!

What is the biggest challenge in your work?

That is versatile. One major challenge is our sometimes-old technology – it remains exciting to see whether everything will last until the end of a process or whether a probe, pump or controller will suddenly fail again somewhere. Especially on a large scale, there is little room for error because many people are involved and repetitions are very time-consuming. On smaller scales, we have more flexibility and can experiment.

Is there an experience that you particularly remember?

The question is, what are we allowed to talk about? (laughs) ... One story comes to my mind: It was a Saturday morning. I said to my wife: “Honey, I’m going back to the HKI quickly to finish a process. I’ll be back for lunch.” When I arrived, there was a huge, blood-red pool around our four reactors. The culture solution had started to foam, an exhaust air filter was blocked, the pressure was rising and suddenly the hoses burst. The fermenter was filled to the ceiling with foam, which then suddenly expanded. The color was so intense that we couldn’t get the stains out of the control systems for years. I can’t remember exactly what it was. Needless to say, I wasn’t home for lunch. – I don’t like foam! (laughs)

Let’s get away from work. Is it right that you like climbing?

Yes, mainly indoors in Jena with a friend. But I love Saxon Switzerland – the sandstone there is fantastic. That’s also where I went climbing outdoors for the first time. Climbing is a team sport, you have to be able to rely on your partner. You’re out in the fresh air, the weather is great and you’re surrounded by like-minded people. It’s nice to be together without a lot of pressure, but with friendly people in nature who are well-disposed towards you. I like that very much.

People online find that you sell Harry Potter books. Are you a fan?

You’re making a lot of noise here! (laughs) Probably eBay classifieds? Yes, we like Harry Potter as a family. Let me put it like this. Of course, it’s driven by the children. But I was already listening to the audio books before my little one was born, including “The Hobbit”. The CDs are still available, by the way. 😉

What else do you do?

I like sailing. Again, that is something you do outside. You move with the energy of the wind. I find that very restful and relaxing. I also have several sailing licenses because you need different ones for different waters in Germany. We sail with the family in the surrounding area on the lakes here. But I also like the Mediterranean Sea. You can spend a week on a boat with adults there. That’s what we do when we don’t have the children with us and can be without responsibility for the little ones. For the Saale in Jena, of course, we have an inflatable boat. It’s perfect, especially with children: they get a life jacket, can move around, jump into the water and there’s always something to do. And you can let yourself drift ...

I also enjoy listening to music. Classical music, for example. Beethoven was my first choice back then. Mozart always works. And what you grow up with: the music of your youth. My wife got me into choral music, which, to be honest, I didn’t like much in the past. That has changed in the meantime, modern pop pieces can also be performed brilliantly by choirs.

“The most fun are projects with a clear industrial connection, where the end result is more than just a paper that is forgotten in some drawer.”

What do you want for the future?

I love the diversity of topics and people at the Leibniz-HKI. We have international teams, different backgrounds, and always new projects, goals and products to work on – that keeps life exciting. Working with students is also great because you are constantly getting to know new people and ideas. I would like it to stay that way.