Meet Dr Rebecca Petri working on developmental disorders

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

When I started in Barbara Treutlein’s lab, her lab was still located at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. When it was decided that we will move to ETH Zurich in Basel I got very excited since I knew that ETH Zurich was a great place to do research. By then I also started to enquire about D-BSSE and it became clear to me that D-BSSE offers a great environment with excellent interdisciplinary research and great opportunities for collaborations and exciting scientific projects. I was therefore very much looking forward to be part of this environment.

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

I was hoping for – and was looking forward to – an engaging scientific environment at D-BSSE that would favour interactions and fruitful discussions with other labs, would offer exciting seminars and provide top-notch facilities allowing for new directions of research projects. These expectations were definitely met.

With respect to Basel, I expected that it would be a nice city to live in, but at the same time I was a bit concerned that it might be too small. However, my image of Basel proved me wrong. Although it is a rather small city, there is a lot going on and there are restaurants and cafes everywhere. I am very excited about all the festivals and cultural events that are coming up in the next months. Moreover, I like that it is very easy to reach beautiful nature within a short time.

What were your first impressions?

The move of our lab from Leipzig to Basel and the setting up of new lab spaces was an exciting but sometimes exhausting process. However, people here at D-BSSE made everything a lot easier. Everyone is very helpful and supportive and made our research group feel very welcomed. This significantly simplified our start here.
Also, outside the institute I realized very quickly that people are extremely friendly and helpful. One example is that both car drivers and bikers stop to let pedestrians cross the street, and even apologize if they don’t. This I haven’t experienced in any other city I was living before.

Which research will you pursue at D-BSSE?

During my postdoctoral research, I will use 3D cell culture models to mimic early human brain development and developmental disorders. Using advanced sequencing technologies, my aim is to provide a better understanding on which gene networks and cell types are involved in disease-related processes. In the long run, I hope that this research will give new insight into developmental disorders and enable the development of new therapeutic approaches.

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

I enjoy hiking in the mountains and hiked regularly when I was still living in Austria. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pursue this hobby in Sweden or in Germany where I lived before I came to Switzerland. However, now that I am living in Switzerland, I am very much looking forward to hiking in the Swiss Alps.
 

Thank you, Rebecca, and good luck with your research!