Christina Julius

How does it feel to be part of Researchers' Friday Stand-up?

"I'm excited for the experience! I have been interested in trying stand up for a while so I took the opportunity."

How can you make research fun?

"You have a beer and laugh about it!"

What are you researching?

"I have several projects within molecular biology: I study how cells cope with starvation because that could help us to figure out how to starve cancer cells. I also look at the battle between bacteria and viruses and how bacteria protect themselves against viral infection. Understanding bacteria can help us to find new ways to protect ourselves from infection. This is the bigger picture of it, but what I actually do is a very much smaller picture that is too detailed to explain."

What is the most fun and interesting thing about research and what is the challenge?

"Lab work is really cool, you get to work with crazy machines and you get a really close look into what life is made up of! Sometimes, for a brief moment, you are the only person in the world who knows something. But then you realise that this is something nobody cares about. That can be a challenge! But the real challenge is dealing with constant failure and pressure."

Why do you think popular(izing) science is important?

"The latest public health crisis has showed once more: The public does not trust in science. Maybe it is too abstract to imagine this far away person in a white coat who is kinda weird and constantly changes their mind. So I hope that if they would get to know us as people, it would be easier to accept the expertise that we work so hard for."

What do you hope to "get out" of the stand up and learn?

"I really want to get people to see scientists are humans too, who like to have a laugh and make the world better. I will learn humility."