A look behind the scenes of cutting-edge research: Interview with Nicole Eischer-Nandhamoori

Junior science journalist Noah Avital interviews Nicole Eischer-Nandhamoori for Girls’ and Boys´ Day 2025

Hello, my name is Noah Avital, and I would like to ask you a few questions. My first question is, what exactly do you do at the Max Planck Institute?

I am currently doing my PhD and I am in my fourth year. My research focuses on transcription.

What methods do you use in your research?

First, I use cellular systems. These are genetically modified so that I can shut down a factor and then observe the changes in the cell. After that, I perform genomic and proteomic analyses to get a comprehensive assessment of what happens to the cell when I shut down my factors.

What is the purpose of your research and what can it achieve?

Here, we conduct basic research. That means we have a research question to expand general knowledge. I am studying a specific protein. We want to find out what the function of this protein is. Since we also use leukemia cells, this knowledge could potentially play a role in the further development of drugs for cancer research.

What are your key skills?

My key skill lies in the accuracy of genetic research, which is also my area of expertise that I have developed over the past years and want to continue developing.

Did you do any internships?

I am currently doing my PhD, but before that, I completed a Bachelor's and Master's degree. During my Bachelor's, because I studied at a university of applied sciences, I had five internships. Most of them were in Austria, at various clinics and hospitals. The last internship was in Portugal, where I had the opportunity to do an Erasmus Plus stay. During my Master's, I did a major internship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), at the Whitehead Institute. And then I came here.

Since when have you been working at the Max Planck Institute?

I have been here since June 2021.

How did you come to the idea to work at the Max Planck Institute?

First, I looked into which research institutes are the most renowned, as this can provide better opportunities for future job prospects. The Max Planck Institute is highly regarded here. Then, I also looked at which research questions are being addressed here. With Andreas Meyer, my supervisor here, they are tackling the comprehensive genetic questions that interest me.

Would you recommend this job to other scientists? And what do you like most about the Max Planck Institute?

I think that as a PhD student, you need to be very resilient to setbacks. Because that’s something you deal with constantly. You run an experiment, and something doesn't work, and you have to figure out what the problem is. So, you need to have a mindset of resilience and a strong desire to keep working. You really have to be persistent. So, I would recommend it to anyone who has that mentality. What I like most about the Max Planck Institute is that research is very well supported. You don’t have to write three more applications to carry out an experiment. We conduct very costly experiments here, and sometimes in research, you can’t do these experiments and therefore miss out on the results you expect.

Thank you, that’s all.

Thank you as well.