1.    Tell me in 5 words who is Donat Alpar?
Oddball enjoying humor, freedom and challenges.

2.    What made you join CeMM?
In 2015, I was looking for a position specifically in Vienna and somehow spotted the attractive rooftop terrace of CeMM on the Google Maps. It was also encouraging how quickly Christoph Bock responded to my first inquiry and how kindly/professionally the HR team guided me through the hiring process. Learning about the catering provided on Fridays in the morning was the perfect icing on the cake which made joining CeMM a no-brainer… ah yes, and the cutting-edge technologies coupled with great science of course.

3.    What is it about science that interests you the most?
Always the next experiment which I naively but enthusiastically tend to believe, will be better designed and more successful than the previous one..

4.    What is the best career advice you ever received, or you can give to the CeMM community?
No need to limit yourself to conventional career archetypes. Combine the options and create one that fits your interest. And if in the jungle of external suggestions, you struggle with identifying your truly personal preferences, ask ChatGPT.

5.    Tell us what happened to you after you left CeMM?
Moved to industry and eventually ended up at a big pharma where I can massively expand my knowledge like a newborn every single day.

6.    What book do you have on your night table at the moment?
The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer.

7.    What is the last song you heard?
Likely one from Linkin Park.

8.    Any message you would like to give to the CeMMies or a former colleague?
Enjoy having CeMM blue as your favorite color, then embrace the opportunities and explore other shades of blue emerging beyond the alumni mug.

Donat Alpar earned his PhD in molecular pathology and gained experience as the head of a cancer cytogenetic laboratory at the University of Pecs, postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research - London, senior NGS technologist at CeMM, senior research fellow at Semmelweis University, senior scientist at ViennaLab and principal scientist and head of the Genomics/NGS Laboratory at Boehringer Ingelheim RCV. With his colleagues, he is currently working on biomarker identification, detection and screening strategies in the pre-clinical oncology space. In addition, his lab is responsible for all in-house NGS data generation from WGS to spatial transcriptomics at BI RCV. As a member of the Young Academy of Europe, he is also interested in science policy and advocating for the professional and social needs of young researchers.