Three questions for press spokesperson Susanne Thiele

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

The most fascinating thing is the diversity of topics at the HZI: from the emergence of new infectious diseases to strategies for combating antibiotic resistance, to the One Health approach, which also takes climate change scenarios into account. In critical situations like pandemics, you really feel the intensity in the press office – every hour counts, and research results need to be shared quickly, accurately, and comprehensibly. This combination of adrenaline, responsibility, and team spirit inspires me. For me, the core of my work is communicating research in a way that provides guidance and builds trust. Bridging the gap between science and society together with my team is challenging and, at the same time, the most meaningful part of my work.

If money and time were no object, what would your next project be?

I would launch a major international cultural, scientific, and civic project on infection research – because when it comes to microbiology and the safe handling of infections, education and awareness are still sorely lacking in our society. As a highlight, I can imagine an interactive exhibition with new narrative formats: VR experiences that immerse visitors in historical and future scenarios; artistic perspectives; and the voices of affected individuals and researchers worldwide, which help make the topic more tangible. This would be supplemented by films, podcasts, social media, and citizen science projects. Schools and daycare centers would receive free educational materials. The central question would be: How can we disseminate infection research in such a way that it doesn’t make people afraid, but instead empowers them to act?

If you could choose anyone, who would you like to have dinner with and what would you talk about?

I would invite Lydia Rabinowitsch-Kempner – one of the first female professors in Berlin and a pioneer in tuberculosis research, now almost forgotten. In 1920, she took over as director of the Bacteriological Institute in Moabit. I’ve always been impressed by her courage to assert herself in a male-dominated field of science – all the more so because she was marginalized during the Nazi era due to her ethnic roots. For dessert, we would have rice pudding – a tribute to her field of research, as tuberculosis was often transmitted through unpasteurized milk. Since I write science thrillers as a side job, I would also invite Stephen King. I would talk with him about suspense in science communication – and how pure facts can become stories that move people. That would be an exciting roundtable.