In an exciting development for 2024, our colleague Dr. Birte Seffert embarks on a nationwide tour to meet with the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellows across Germany. The Keeping Up with the Boost Fellows series aims to shine a spotlight on the journeys, challenges, and achievements of our Fellows. 

Meet Lorenz Adlung, a systems biologist and junior group leader at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and current Klaus Tschira Boost Fellow, sharing his leadership approach and offering valuable advice for postdocs building their teams. Plus: Lorenz´s take on science communication and his reply to a question never asked before.

Lorenz describes himself as a “fat researcher”. With his Boost Fund project, he is deep-diving into how changes in immune cells and fat cells interact and become inflamed as body fat increases. By studying gene patterns in fat tissue, he aims to find new targets for treatments of obesity and type-2 diabetes, potentially leading to innovative therapies for metabolic health.

He was recruited to Hamburg from the Weitzmann Institute of Science to establish his group – and has since then put a lot of thought into how he wants to recruit staff and lead his team of currently six people.

Communication and trust

“I made it clear from the beginning what I could offer – and what I couldn’t,” Lorenz emphasizes the importance of leading with transparency and building a foundation of trust. Mutual respect is key:

»I’m not a control freak and allow my team members the freedom they need. Making mistakes is okay – that goes for everyone, including myself.«

Redefining success in science

Success in science and academia builds on hard criteria such as the amount of funding, citations, and publications. Like many other teams, Lorenz and his set clear short-, middle- and long-term goals. However, beyond these goals, the team gradually moved to also focusing on creating a work environment that aligns with their values and thus fosters sustainable, meaningful collaboration. „This is more within our control than being successful in a grant application“, Lorenz says.

Prioritizing the right fit in the team

An essential criterion in Lorenz’s hiring process is applicants’ personalities. “In a small team, it’s more important that people fit together and share a similar mindset than having someone with expertise down to the smallest detail. People can and should be different – but they need to share the same values.”

Teamwork and culture

For Lorenz, team culture is crucial. The principle of “cake” represents a meaningful rule:

»We don’t only celebrate successful grant applications or publications – but also submitting grant applications and publications – there always has to be cake!«

This ritual fosters a positive atmosphere and motivates the team to contribute and support each other. Another ritual is the „Feedback burger“, wherein the buns refer to saying something positive in the beginning and the end, while the paddy in the middle refers to a suggestion for improvement.

Strategic science communication

Lorenz is also known as a science communicator through science slams, a podcast, public lectures and author of popular science books. These activities energize him, on the one hand, but are sometimes also met with scepticism. “Envy has to be earned,” Lorenz says, but also recommends practising science communication strategically and tailored to the context and audience.

»It´s a fine line that you have to walk between making this a unique selling point and the risk of compromising the reputation as a researcher.«

Last but not least: A question that you haven’t been asked yet but would like to answer

How is being from East Germany influencing identity and career? The underrepresentation of East Germans in academic leadership shapes Lorenz´s perspective, though he feels conflicted about sharing it, given that he finds himself in a privileged position. Still, he says, there should be more conversations about identity and systemic biases in academia.

Postdocs stepping into leadership roles can learn a lot from Lorenz’s reflective, honest and open approach. We’re excited to follow his journey and are glad to have him in our community!

The KT Boost Fund is a joint program of GSO and the Klaus Tschira Foundation for postdoctoral researchers in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science. It offers flexible funding for risky and interdisciplinary research on the way to academic independence. Funding can be used to hire staff, buy equipment, or build collaborations – tailored to the research project.