How Can We See the Smallest Components of Life? -- Meet Structural Biologist Dr. Tomás Páscoa from the Center for Synthetic Microbiology SYNMIKRO
Marburg has a long and distinguished tradition in microbiology and is widely recognised as one of the world's leading hubs for microbiological research. Within the research priority area "Agroecosystems, Microbial Resources and Climate Resilience" and its Cluster of Excellence "Microbes for Climate," scientists are working to unravel fundamental biological processes at the molecular level — from the structure of individual proteins to the way they are organised within the living cell — and to translate these findings into new approaches for tackling climate change.
Photo Credit: Robin Schmieder / FCMH
This is precisely where Dr. Tomás Páscoa brings his expertise to bear. After reading biochemistry as an undergraduate and completing his doctorate in structural biology at the University of Oxford, he moved to Marburg and the Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO) with a clear ambition: to establish cryo-electron tomography as a powerful new tool for the institute — one that allows researchers to visualise proteins and their interactions directly in their native cellular environment, exactly as they exist in a living cell. Since joining SYNMIKRO, he has not only pushed his own research forward but has also opened up the technique to other groups across Marburg and beyond.
In this interview, Tomás Páscoa shares how his work is shedding new light on the architecture of biological processes, why the close-knit collaborative spirit of the local research community matters so much to him — and what early-career researchers can look forward to if they are thinking of joining this field.
