In a box in my family's attic lies a poetry album where my 9-year-old self answered "natural scientist" in shaky handwriting to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" This initial enthusiasm for the natural sciences continued throughout my school years, though it was severely tested, particularly in my favorite subjects, biology and chemistry. Few excursions, practical demonstrations, or experiments made these subjects not exactly the highlights of the school week. In 2009, shortly after my high school graduation and following extensive online research, I decided to attend the XLAB International Science Camp (ISC) in Göttingen instead of going to Lloret or Mallorca. I have never regretted this decision, as the three weeks of hands-on experiments, motivated instructors across all three subjects, and especially meeting like-minded science enthusiasts from around the world gave me an immense boost of motivation. The fact that both anatomy/physiology and biochemistry equally fascinated me at XLAB strengthened my decision to study molecular medicine for my bachelor's degree. The final choice was between Erlangen and Göttingen ... but Göttingen wasn’t the decision just yet ... not yet.
Even when selecting my master's degree, XLAB had a significant influence on my decision. During my bachelor's degree, I had interesting subjects and a lot of fun, but I missed the international, interdisciplinary environment that I had come to appreciate so much at XLAB. After some research, I decided to apply to only two master’s programs: the International Max Planck Research School Neurosciences in Göttingen or Biomedicine at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. This time, I chose Göttingen and was very impressed with the program, the science, and the international makeup of the motivated small group. I liked the Göttingen environment so much that I stayed for my PhD—at least for the first 2.5 years. When my doctoral advisor was appointed as a professor in 2017, I moved with the lab to Gießen, where I completed my doctoral thesis.
And as fate sometimes plays out, I started my postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Martinsried in 2022, only for my new boss to tell me in 2023 that he had been offered a position in Göttingen and asked if I wanted to come along, even though I had already lived there. My answer was once again yes, and so I've been working here again at the ENI in Göttingen since the end of 2023. Often, when I walk past XLAB on my way to work, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't attended the summer school back then. I even made a good friend back then, that I am still in contact with to date. One way or another, XLAB was the beginning of a happy time for me in der “Stadt die Wissen schafft”, not just as a scientist but also personally. Apparently, all my paths have led to Göttingen.
Thomas Offner