For many postdocs, leading an independent research project is an important step towards scientific independence. But developing an original idea is only the beginning. Turning it into a functioning experiment often requires much more technical planning, collaboration, and flexibility than expected.

In the second season of “Keeping up with the Boost Fellows”, GSO’s Birte Seffert travels across Germany to visit the 15 fellows who started their Klaus Tschira Boost Fund projects in 2025. The series offers a closer look at their research, their working environments, and the realities of building a research career in Germany today.

This time, the visit leads to Hamburg and to Felix Sauer, Postdoc at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine. His Boost-funded project takes him not only into the lab, but also on very local field trips across the city, where he sets up and checks water containers designed to simulate how climate change may affect mosquito breeding ecology.

At first glance, the setup may sound simple: containers with water, different temperature scenarios, mosquito larvae. But as Felix explains, even a small experimental system can quickly become technically complex.

Why mosquitoes?

Felix didn’t enter science with a childhood plan to work on mosquitoes. As he puts it, he slipped into it after studying the ecology of rivers and streams in Australia and realizing that he wanted to continue with his research career.

For Felix, mosquitoes are scientifically fascinating because they open up many different research questions at once. They are aquatic and terrestrial. They interact with different hosts. They are ecologically interesting, medically relevant, and connected to socioeconomic factors. And as vectors of pathogens such as dengue virus, West Nile virus, and malaria parasites, understanding them better can also contribute to understanding and reducing infection risks.

This combination matters. Mosquito research is not just about one insect. It is about the systems around it: water, temperature, urban environments, pathogens, humans, animals, and climate.

Felix’s Boost-funded project: bringing climate scenarios into the field

Felix’s project aims to develop a cost-effective experimental setup with temperature-manipulated water containers to analyze climate change effects on mosquito breeding ecology directly in the field. The findings are intended to provide a foundation for future research on the impact of climate change on mosquito populations and pathogen transmission.

For Felix, the Boost project is also his first own independent project. It allows him to build an experimental system from scratch and pursue questions that are not simply part of a larger pre-defined project framework.

When “just warming up water” becomes experimental research

One practical lesson from Felix’s project: experimental setups often look much easier on paper than they are in real life.

The basic idea sounds straightforward: increase the water temperature in containers and observe how mosquito populations respond. But once Felix started building the setup, he realized how much technical detail was involved.

“At first it sounds relatively simple: I just want to increase the temperature a little in a body of water. But there is surprisingly much technology behind it until it works exactly the way you want it to.”

To implement the technical side, he also drew on expertise within his working group, including colleagues with strong technical skills.

And then came the details no one sees in the final project abstract: microprocessors, aquarium heaters, temperature limits, safety questions, and conversations with manufacturers on which models best serve the local conditions and research goals.

Felix’s best tips: building an experimental setup

Felix’s experience offers useful advice for other early-career researchers planning hands-on experimental work:

Do not underestimate “simple” setups.

A clear experimental idea can still require complex technical implementation. Build in time for testing, troubleshooting, and adapting.

Know what you know, and where you need help.

Felix had the ecological concept. Colleagues contributed technical expertise. Experimental independence does not mean doing everything alone.

Think about safety and practical use early.

Small components can create real constraints. Equipment needs to work not only in theory, but also in the field, under routine handling, and with realistic failure scenarios.

Differences in Ministry-funded and privately funded research

Before receiving the KT Boost Fund, Felix had worked in projects funded by ministries. These projects were larger in terms of funding and often supported full PhD or Postdoc positions. At the same time, Felix describes them as more clearly framed by the funding context.

In ministry-funded projects, the expected output is often more applied and policy-relevant. That can be important and meaningful, but it may also leave less room for detailed basic research questions.

The Boost Fund feels different to him.

“The Boost Fund is completely open. You come up with your own idea and project.”

For Felix, this openness matters because his project was not fitted into an existing call logic or policy framework. He designed the system and the research question from the ground up. Compared to previous projects, he also experiences the formalities and reporting requirements as less complicated.

Most importantly, the funding gives him room to follow the scientific question itself.

“It is more about the joy of gaining knowledge.”

For early-career researchers, this distinction can be important. Not every good idea is already large enough for a major grant. Not every independent line of research fits into applied project funding. And not every step toward independence starts with a big team. Sometimes it starts with a clear question, a small but well-designed setup, and the flexibility to test whether it works.

“We are all in the same boat”

When asked what surprised him about the Boost Fund so far, Felix stresses the level of interest towards the Fellows themselves.

Felix describes the accompanying workshops, the welcome event, and the way the Fellows were brought together as something he had not experienced in ministry-funded projects. There, the focus was mainly on whether the project fits the content of the funding scheme. In the Boost Fund, he had the impression that individual development also matters.

“At GSO, I had the feeling that there is a sincere interest in supporting us.”

For a program like the KT Boost Fund, this is central. The project matters, but so does the person developing it. The funding supports research, but it also creates a space where early-career researchers can reflect on their next steps, exchange with peers, and build confidence in their own independent direction.

About the KT Boost Fund

The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund is a joint program by GSO and Klaus Tschira Stiftung. It supports postdoctoral researchers and early group leaders in Germany with flexible funding for independent, often exploratory and interdisciplinary projects in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geosciences, Mathematics, Neurosciences, and Physics.