Meet Dr Darius Rackus working on new tools that fight bacterial infections

What did you know about D-BSSE before you came here, and what was your motivation to come to ETH Zurich?

ETH Zurich is one of the best institutions globally for scientific research, so it was absolutely clear to me to consider it when looking for a postdoctoral position. I didn't know much about the department or anything about the organisation of ETH Zurich before applying for a position in Professor Dittrich's group. However, I was pleased to learn that D-BSSE is a highly interdisciplinary department, which I think is important for conducting research focused on solving the challenges of today and of the future. My goal is to establish my own independent research group one day and so it was very important for me to choose an institution for my postdoc where I could explore all sorts of ideas and with few barriers. Both ETH Zurich and its department D-BSSE are really well-resourced (equipment, finances, and most importantly: expertise) and so I will be able to explore almost any line of inquiry I want.

What were your expectations, and were your expectations met since you arrived in Basel?

I had not been to Switzerland before moving to Basel, so all I knew came from friends or the internet. Switzerland has a reputation of having a good work-life balance and I was pleased to discover that this is true. There are definitely some challenges in moving to Switzerland too, but all of my new colleagues have been really helpful in getting me settled in. I thought that the language barrier would be more of a challenge, but it is amazing how far a "Grüetzi!" and a "Danke!" will get you.

What were your first impressions?

While baked goodies and cakes are always appreciated, I was surprised by how serious my new group takes cake! I was told on my first day of all the different occasions where it is expected that I bring cake for my colleagues. In my first week alone, there was cake on four out of five days! It's a great way to bring the group together and to celebrate not only individuals but their successes (apparently cake isn't just for birthdays but also for publications and conference prizes).

Which research will you pursue at D-BSSE?

My goal here at the D-BSSE is to develop new tools based on microfluidic technology for studying bacterial toxins and screenings for new therapies to combat bacterial infection. Antibiotic resistance is a threat of global concern and new strategies to fight bacterial infection are needed. One strategy that is being pursued is the use of anti-virulence drugs. These are therapies that are focused on mitigating or neutralizing bacterial toxins rather than killing the bacteria and therefore are less likely to lead to resistance. However, it is expected that the development of these new therapies will be more costly than previous research and development of antibiotics. Therefore, new tools for high-throughput screening will be useful to the pharmaceutical industry.

Which hobby / private interests do you hope to pursue in Switzerland?

I really like cycling and hiking, two things that were challenging to do when living in a big city like Toronto. I am excited that the mountains are just a train ride away and I am looking forward to lots of hiking with my family. I am also passionate about cooking and like trying new ingredients. Being so close to so many countries with different cuisines will give me a lot of inspiration and opportunities to try new things!


Thank you and all the best with your research!