Interviews with German researchers in the USA and Canada - 2023
Dr. Sarah Grasedieck
Dr. Sarah Grasedieck
© Privat
(30.01.23) Since autumn 2020, life scientist Dr. Sarah Grasedieck has been a Walter Benjamin Fellow at Professor Martin Hirst’s Epigenomics Lab at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, investigating the suitability of vitamin C for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemias (AML). In her interview with the DFG’s North American office she discussed topics such as her unconventional entry into a scientific career, the potential role of vitamin C in the demethylation and re-expression of genes, and the attractive but not exactly affordable conditions for researchers on the North-American west coast.
Dr. Melanie Ptatscheck
Dr. Melanie Ptatscheck
© Philip Nürnberger
(22.06.23) Popular music scholar Dr. Melanie Ptatscheck has been at the Music Department of New York University since summer 2022 on a Walter Benjamin fellowship awarded by the DFG. For her research project, she is looking into street music in the city’s extensive subway system and the impact of the pandemic on the living conditions and self-image of street musicians. In her interview with the DFG Office North America, she talked about subjects such as her current research project, the role of drugs in musicians’ biographies, mental health, detours, performing on stage as an ideal, passion in research and weekends behind the counter at her parents’ café in Bielefeld.