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. 

Oya Cingöz is a virologist and group leader at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. She is researching the so-called “virus arms race” in retroviruses (the most well-known being HIV), their replication strategies, and how they interact with our immune system on the cellular level.

Reflecting on your start as a Boost Fellow: Where were you then – as a researcher – and where are you now?

While I was still at the same institute, there were significant changes to my career. The KT Boost Fund was my first grant in Germany. For many others, I wasn’t eligible because I hadn’t studied in Germany or there were restrictions to biological or academic age.

I found this grant with no such restrictions and felt excited. And when I got the grant, it felt as if I was finally going in the right direction. I was still trying to establish myself as an independent researcher, which is difficult if you don’t have funding.

With the fund, I hired professionals who were incredibly helpful in advancing the project. I also got my first last-author paper out in Nature Communications, which made me very proud. Now I feel I got through that infamous bottleneck in academia. I better know my direction, the next steps, and I can plan strategically.

Given your experience, what do you advise younger researchers when planning a two-year project?

Be aware: from when you write the application to the project’s last six months, research needs can change. This is hard to predict. You may have to save some funds; don’t spend everything all at once. In public institutions, you may face budget cuts. The Boost Fund gives you the flexibility to adjust and compensate. Expect hiring processes to take time – and be mostly in German. It helps to understand the rules. Know the pay grades and how the administration thinks.

What was your highlight as a KT Boost Fellow?

There were quite a few, but one was being interviewed by the German newspaper DIE ZEIT. I still have that issue and sent it to my family even though they don’t understand.

And one thing you learned?

You need a support system in academia. I knew this before, but it became even clearer when I got in contact with my fellow Boosties.

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.