Sophia Hitzler

Sophia Hitzler is a doctoral researcher at the Leibniz-HKI in the independent junior research group Adaptive Pathogenicity Strategies.

Sophia, how did you get into biology?

I’ve always been fascinated by everything related to biology – how processes work, how cycles of life depend on each other. That’s why I studied biology, because it’s so versatile. During my bachelor’s degree, I couldn’t decide for a long time whether I wanted to go into genetics or microbiology. Then I did a microbiology internship working with fungi, and I enjoyed it so much! It was incredibly interesting, and I found it exciting to see how much genetics and other areas of biology are involved in it. I’ve stuck with fungi ever since.

“For my PhD I worked on a project that focuses on the interaction between the opportunistic yeast Candida albicans and the human host. I looked into the mechanism of fungal adaptation to abundant host proteins such as the serum protein albumin.”

What brought you to Jena?

After my bachelor’s degree in Mainz, where I worked more in the field of antibiotic research, I definitely wanted to stay in the field of fungi for my master’s degree. Jena, and especially the Leibniz-HKI, is of course a hub in this field. My master’s degree focused on silent gene clusters, i.e., natural product and antibiotic research. For my doctorate, I wanted to take a slightly different direction, which is how I ended up in infection biology. I feel very comfortable in that field.

Were there people who had a particular influence on you along the way?

Definitely. It’s not so much the big names you know from textbooks, but rather the people who have accompanied me directly – my supervisors, colleagues, and friends. Especially in difficult phases, they showed me that it’s okay to fail sometimes. I remember a time during my master’s degree when nothing was working, and my supervisor simply said, “Go home now, have a nice evening, get some sleep – and tomorrow we’ll start again.” People like that really shape you. It’s the same with the doctoral researchers here. How much you learn from each other, learn together, and how much support you give each other. Doing a PhD can be quite rocky, and it’s actually the people who get you through it. I have a colleague here who is now also my best friend. That’s nice.

Do you have a special experience from the lab that has stayed with you?

Once, a beautiful pink fungus grew on a plate. We had no idea where it came from. It had such bright rings in different shades of pink, it looked incredibly beautiful! Unfortunately, we were never able to find out what kind of fungus it was, but it was a special moment.

Do you have a favorite fungus?

I really like all Aspergillus species, simply because of the mycelia and the colors they produce. It’s always so beautiful when fungi really shine in all their colors. Fungi are so diverse, sometimes fluffy, sometimes bright – I find that completely fascinating. Some of them look like you could cuddle them. (laughs)

You’ve already gained some experience in teaching. What do you like about working with students?

I’ve supervised several lab courses at the bachelor’s and master’s level, and I’ve also participated in events such as the Forsche Schüler Tag and the Long Night of Sciences. It’s especially fun to introduce young people to science and see how curiosity develops.

Of course, it’s exhausting as well, but it also gives you so much in return. I just love seeing how the students become more confident over time. Especially at the beginning, when they still have a lot of respect for certain things, such as working with multichannel pipettes, they are often very cautious and slow, but a few weeks later they are standing at the bench and pipetting as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Witnessing how the students lose their shyness and become more confident is really rewarding.

It’s also important to me that they’re not afraid of making mistakes. It’s better to be honest when something goes wrong, then we can look at it together. – Often, it’s not as bad as you think. Sometimes I realize how much I’ve learned when I answer questions that I might have found difficult myself in the past.

What would you have done if you hadn’t become a biologist?

I probably would have gone in a more artistic direction, since I really enjoy design. That interest still comes through in microbiology, whether designing posters, preparing presentations, or creating graphical abstracts for papers. Representing text visually is incredibly satisfying to me. I would probably have ended up somewhere in the media industry, maybe in science communication. I like breaking down complex things to their essentials. (smiles)

Let’s leave research behind and step into the world: Do you like to travel?

Yes, absolutely! I most recently visited Mexico. It’s a great country, and I definitely want to go back. Japan is also on my list, perhaps as a reward after completing my PhD. And I’ve made it my goal to see all the new wonders of the world. However, I still have a lot to see in South America.

You were also in South Africa – what did you do there?

After my master’s degree, I spent two months in South Africa, in the middle of the savannah. I worked on a volunteer project there that focuses on the conservation of threatened species – especially wild dogs, which are among the most endangered species but often receive little attention because they are not one of the Big Five.

We were in different reserves and had different tasks depending on the area: counting wildebeest herds, sterilizing elephants to control their numbers. It was physically demanding. We lived in the bush and worked hard shifts every day, but it was also very rewarding. There were beautiful moments, like seeing baby elephants, but also sad ones, like the loss of wild dogs to poachers. With all the animals, I was able to experience the ‘big’ biology that has always fascinated me as well. I once wanted to become a minke whale researcher, but it’s hard to get a job doing that in Germany. (smiles)

“Doing a PhD can be quite rocky, and it’s actually the people who get you through it.”

Is there anything you are particularly proud of, whether professionally or privately?

I am proud that I always challenge myself and really follow through on things I have said yes to – even in difficult times. Sure, I could have said at some point, “Maybe I’ll quit, maybe I don’t want to continue in science after all.” But I didn’t do that. And I’m glad I kept going. I’ve learned and experienced so much here, had great moments with colleagues. Sometimes you forget how far you’ve come: from the little girl who loved mushrooms to a doctoral researcher who still loves mushrooms and is experiencing a whole new, intense chapter at the same time.

What would you change about the world if you could?

If I were all-powerful, I would abolish violence and war and create more equality. But realistically, I wish people would judge less hastily and talk to each other more. That alone would make a lot of things better.

What are your hopes for your research and the future?

I would like someone to read my work and think, “This is what I’ve been waiting for, this will help me.” My topic is quite specific – it’s about the interaction of a protein in the human body – but if it helps someone in their research or simply inspires them, that would be great.

After my doctorate, I would probably like to move on, perhaps to a larger city like Leipzig or abroad for a while. Not only do I enjoy traveling, but I also find it exciting to experience other cultures and work environments. You can learn something from every place, both professionally and personally.