Johannes

Johannes Liesche, biologist from the Humboldt University of Berlin, moved to Copenhagen to study transport of sugars in plants. At Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at LIFE he enjoys having access to advanced equipment and participating in social activities with colleagues.

 

What is your project about and why is it relevant for society?

“My project is really basic science. I am looking at long-distance transport in plants. Plants have a transport system for the distribution of energy and communication between different parts comparable to blood vessels in the human body.

Even in a 110 meter high Sequoia tree signals are sent between roots, needles and flowers, to coordinate growth and adjustment to environmental changes. Especially with the large distances in trees we do not have a conclusive picture of how the whole transport system works.“

“I am currently working with trees that are used in paper production but the goal of my project is to increase the understanding of how plants work in general. In my eyes, this basic understanding is very important to facilitate the transformation of our society.”

In the future we will have to use plants and other organic material to a much larger extent to ensure sustainability. Plants play a major role in bioenergy production, replacement of synthetic materials with organic ones and transformation of the current meat centered nutrition to a more efficient plant based diet.”

Where did you get your MSc - and in which topic?

“I studied in Berlin but also did part of my thesis Edinburgh. My thesis was about the intracellular movement of sugar transport proteins and the effect on sugar transport. Primarily, I used fluorescence and confocal microscopy to look into living plant cells and follow the labelled proteins. A lot of sunny days spent in dark, cooled-down microscope rooms.”

Why did you go to Denmark to get your PhD?

“During my MSc thesis I came to Copenhagen to do some electron microscopy experiments. I met my current supervisor and his group and got to know the facilities and I was quite pleased with all of it.”

“And I think Copenhagen University has a good standing among European universities. Also, with a lot of state-sponsored scholarships available it is easier to get funding for a PhD project here than it is for example in Germany.”

Does living here live up to your expectations?

 

“So far Copenhagen has really been a good place to live. I arrived in February 2009 and it was a nice change watching spring coming and the whole city opening up. However, I am somewhat sceptical about the upcoming winter.”

What's great about LIFE and the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology?

“I enjoy the working environment very much. And I don’t say that just because this is an interview for the faculty homepage. The atmosphere is more relaxed than in all groups I have been working before but still very professional. It actually makes work cool when you enjoy being with your colleagues. I also appreciate that there are many social events that are supporting this atmosphere.”

“Coming from Germany with rigid university structures and administration and science worlds apart, it was unusual to me to be encouraged to bring in my own ideas. Sometimes it feels already a bit too much with discussion groups formed on every single occasion and for every topic.”

Future plans?

“I still have two and a half years left in my PhD during which I will also spend half a year in the US. I am quite happy working at University of Copenhagen so I will probably try to continue as a postdoc after I finish but that’s still a far way off.”

Do you have other interests and talents than science?

“I am into sports, mainly mountain biking and running. Although, I have to say, without mountains in Denmark, both options are considerably lacking excitement. Nevertheless, I enjoyed beach sports during summer very much. I am also into music, playing instruments myself, music production, sometimes DJ-ing, but there is not the time besides the PhD that I would like to spend on it.”