Debora Gasperini

Abstract

Why did you decide to pursue a career in research?I was lucky to grow up in a small town near the Adriatic coast surrounded by meadows, shrublands, and beaches, fostering a deep appreciation for the diverse flora and fauna and their seasonal changes. Rainy days became opportunities to watch David Attenborough documentaries with my dad, who nurtured my early curiosity towards the natural world. Throughout middle and high school, inspiring biology, chemistry, and physics teachers made scientific subjects engaging, and practical experiments fun. A philosophy teacher introduced us to methods used in logics and to the concept of testing null hypotheses. I enjoyed all my science classes and eventually, the decision to study molecular biology materialized at the sight of an ethidium bromide-stained DNA gel under UV lighta captivating image that truly hooked me. Choosing to pursue a career in research came later, towards the end of my PhD, as I realized scientific writing can be as stimulating and gratifying as performing experiments. Although my journey toward a research career happened gradually, the methods used in scientific disciplines resonated with me from an early age, both in and out of the classroom.