Welcome to our Meet the Researchers blog series, where each post features one of the DarChemDN researchers sharing insights into their personal journey and professional life.
Today we introduce DC7 – Stefan Georgiev!
Where are you from?
My hometown is Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. I was born there and have many sweet memories. This is the place where I first discovered my passion for science.
How did you adapt your new environment?
For me it was easy starting a new life in Paris as I’ve been outside of my country for several years now. I no longer have the homesick feeling and actually love meeting new people and creating new memories. This always happens when you go to a completely new place.
Work experience & research
I’ve worked in laboratories since my bachelor’s years. However, it wasn’t until my master’s where I worked and gotten paid. It was a student job but still, I was getting paid to work in a lab. That was a dream.
Future professional plans
I am really interested in space research and more specifically astrobiology and the origin of life. I will try to stay in academia as I find this kind of work as the most rewarding and interesting. However, if a position in the R&D sector of a company is interesting enough for me I would definitely consider it.
Hobbies
I play the guitar. Music is a big part of me and it is something I use to balance the logic I apply daily. Music and science create my inner balance. I really like playing fingerstyle guitar. And one of my favorite pieces is Crow by JinsanKim.
Short project summary
I am working in the LBC lab at ESPCI, Paris. My project focuses on the oligomeric nucleic acid coacervate system. We want to be able to establish a system with a minimum of two populations of coacervate droplets that are able to ‘eat’, grow and divide.
A day in my life
I usually check all my emails in the morning and plan my experiments during the day. Then I get food and after I’m back in the lab I put on my headphones and start working. Sometimes I work until late at night if I feel inspired (or if I am chasing deadlines). My day usually ends with a sigh of relief and a big stretch.
My take on synthetic biology
Synthetic biology touches on topics that involve understanding the beginning of life. The beginning of life research requires us to explore the limits of life and the extreme environments that organisms can survive in. This is my main topic of interest – life at the limits.
Synthetic biology and synthetic life can transform how we solve real-world problems by designing organisms with specific, useful functions. They could help create cleaner energy, develop new treatments for diseases, and reduce our impact on the environment.
This blog series is set up by Stefan Georgiev, Xiuwn Lyu and Zhangfan Li – the DarChemDN outreach team.
Follow DarChemDN on LinkedIn and stay tuned for more updates on our journey in exploring the origins of life and the development of synthetic life forms!
