XLAB has been absolutely instrumental for my scientific career. At XLAB I met Dr. Martina Henn-Sax, who introduced me to the world of protein evolution and protein engineering. Because I had so many questions about the topic, she connected me with her former colleague Dr. (now Prof.) Birte Höcker, who was just starting her lab at the Max Planck institute in Tübingen. I joined Birte’s lab as the first lab member for two long internships and managed to publish a first author paper in the journal PNAS. This high-level scientific exposure at such a young age (19-20), was very important because it inspired me to continue with scientific research. It also inspired me to return to Germany (EMBL Heidelberg) for my PhD. The rest as they say is history. I am so very grateful to the XLAB, especially Dr. Eva-Maria Neher, who helped immensely for me to come to Göttingen. Beyond selecting my application for the summer camp, she also provided a very nice letter, which helped me get my visa to attend the camp. Also thank you to Michael Ferber for organising these exchanges with former XLAB members.
Best wishes, Tanmay