Finding Your Place in Science
Welcome to ESWI Airborne: Shaping the Future of Respiratory Virus Research. In this episode, we speak with two outstanding researchers whose work is shaping the future of influenza and respiratory virus science. This conversation forms part of our three-part series on life as a scientist. Our guests are two recent ESWI Conference prize winners:
Dr Kevin Ciminski, recipient of the Claude Hannoun Prize for Best Body of Work. He leads an independent research group at the Institute of Virology, University Medical Center Freiburg in Germany, where he studies virus–host interactions of emerging zoonotic influenza viruses.
Dr Marios Koutsakos, awarded the Young Scientist Vaccine Innovation Award. He is a Group Leader at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, focusing on influenza B viruses, immune imprinting, and developing broader and more durable influenza vaccine strategies.
Together, they explore what it means to build a scientific career, define a niche, establish a laboratory and contribute to an international research community. They reflect on the pivotal moments that drew them into virology, the balance between specialised research and big-picture questions, and the skills that have mattered most in their professional growth. They also share lessons learned from mentors and consider where early career scientists can make the greatest impact in the decade ahead.
