Our team

Anna is a half German half Italian scientist who grew up in a small town near Vienna, Austria. She is working in the field of cancer research at the University of Zürich. Currently she is facing a new challenge in her life by becoming a mom in June 2018. Anna has lived in Italy, Austria, England, Sweden and Switzerland and loves to travel the world and experience new cultures.

Tom is an English artist living in Switzerland. He is left handed. He has to buy many ink nibs to find a good one. He makes paintings, drawings and has written ten children’s books. He teaches visualisation courses at universities and drawing courses in his studio. He studied at the universities of Oxford and London. A degree in painting means he is the go to guy in the family to get the last bit out of the toothpaste tube.

Federico is a geneticist and molecular biologist at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He grew up in Senago, a town near Milano, Italy. Because of his interest in geopolitics, geography and social sciences, he studied International Relations at the University of London. He is a former swimmer and swimming instructor. He believes that sports educates people in thinking critically.

Bhavna is a young researcher at the National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM) in Milan, Italy. Her Alma Mater is the Florida Institute of Technology from which she graduated with honors in Biochemistry. She continued her education at ETH Zurich where she gained a Microbiology and Immunology master degree with research experience centered on human nutrition, food microbiology and biochemistry. She is now actively involved in the research of human regulatory T-cells in cancer.

Dan is a graphic designer and artist from Monterrey, Mexico. In his free time he’s probably consuming and enjoying film, TV, books, or videogames. Firm believer in critical thinking as a tool for improving ourselves and society. Fluffy, cute animals are a soft spot of his.

Celeste is an Italian student in Communication Sciences with a big passion for books, movies and videogames. When she’s not busy nerding out, she works as a swimming instructor. She dreams to be a fiction writer and editor someday, and to help promote equal rights through her stories.

Robert is a post-doctoral research assistant at the University of Zurich (UZH). He graduated with a PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2016, and also received a MRes with distinction from the same university. His current research interests include neuronal circuits for pain control and transmission in the central nervous system.

Alex is an Anglo-Italian with a profound interest in science, the humanities and how they interlink. Having completed a PhD in molecular neuroscience from UCL, he has now moved into the field of scientific writing and is based in Oxford. His articles will focus on his scientific, cultural and philosophical interests. Whether seemingly more abstract or concrete in theme, they will be linked by one thing: a desire to address what really matters in the context of a sometimes impersonal modernity.

Nadia is currently a PhD student in Milan. Her research focuses on the role of immune cells in Multiple Sclerosis. Nadia grew up in Gaeta, a small seaside town in the centre of Italy, and graduated at Sapienza University in Rome. Creativity, curiousity and love for nature has always been a part of her personality. In her free time she enjoys snorkeling, doodling and cooking.

Simon is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator creating tailored cartoons and graphics for a wide range of groups, not-for-profits and other organisations.

Knowing that cartoons have a life of roughly 3-4 seconds (from his own scientific testing with stopwatch and kids), he finds wrestling ideas into some graphic, understandable – and fun, form is always a challenge. Simon lives in South Australia.

Fabrizio was born in Sicily, in the very south of Italy, but he has been living in Milan since 2010. He obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology with a specialization in Plant Physiology. Beyond Science, he is passionate about food, wines and spirit – blues, rock & electronic music, soccer and Jack Nicholson’s movies. The perfect Italian stereotype!

Fun fact: Netflix lover and cactus killer (despite his PhD!) – Friends call him Gandi after his peaceful nature.

Xiaozhou (known to some of her friends as Zhou) was born in Beijing, China and moved to Vienna, Austria when she was 5 years old. After attending an international school for 13 years, she decided to pursue her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in England. Currently, she is obtaining her PhD at the University of Zurich in the field of immunology. She is terrified when people ask her where she is from, because she hasn’t quite figured it out herself yet.

Drifted somewhere in Germany under an eager soul, Simone is a bleeding scientist and writer. In his childhood, he gained few rudimentals about biology and poetry, blending the beauty of observation to the inner eye of literature. For the entire life, he has been suffering from a rare and unpleasant disease, which rocks down his bones and constantly ignites his flesh: the desire of truth.

Hind was born and raised in East Jerusalem, Palestine. Growing up in a conflict zone and being faced with a daily reality of oppression, she decided to move to Europe to pursue her university education. Throughout the last 10 years, she has lived in multiple cities in pursuit of her interest in science, whilst creating long-lasting friendships, many of which have shaped who she is today. She has recently successfully defended her doctoral thesis in cancer biology at the University of Zurich.

Rebecca is a blogger, special education advocate, and mother of two complex children living in suburban America. Lover of the mind and its workings she previously worked as a clinical neuroscience research assistant; also lover of statistics she spent a stint as a systems and performance analyst. Fundamentally, she is a lover and defender of children, and that is a very good thing; because, she has two who need her very much. Her writing focuses on the topics of motherhood, disability, and mental health.

Emeline is a Belgium based illustrator currently living and working near Brussels. She produces mainly vector artwork, creating colorful images and web content. She has worked as a special ed teacher for two years after finally deciding to take a big jump into the freelance illustration world. In her work, she likes to focus on bright colors and simple forms to create harmonious and joyful illustrations, full of all sorts of characters, animals and human beings.

We are looking for you!

Our Team

Anna K. Stelling-Germani

Tom Reed

Federico Germani

Bhavna Karnani

Dan Salinas

Celeste Varisco

Robert Ganley

Alexander F. Brown

Nadia Pulvirenti

Simon Kneebone

Fabrizio G. Doccula

Xiaozhou Zhang

Simone Redaelli

Hind Hashwah

Rebecca Thereault

Emeline Barrea

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