Alumni
Facts&Reasons is a non-profit project.
We are very thankful to all the people who have been onboard in the core team at some point. Thank you for your valuable contribution!
Diana Bordalo
web designer
My journey into science started during the inquisitive age of childhood. In my case, the need for answers was not diluted with age and I decided to graduate in biology at the Institute of Agronomy of the Technical University of Lisbon (Portugal). After my master's degree in molecular genetics and biomedicine at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, I did an internship at EMBL (Heidelberg, Germany) and decided to stay in the same city for a PhD in cardiology at University Clinics Heidelberg. I see my family and friends being exposed to increasingly convincing misinformation more and more often. I participate in this project because I think that with this platform we can fight it and bring concise and correct information to everyone.
Tanina Arab
translator to French language
As far as I can remember, I have been drawn to science and education. My official academic journey began at Mouloud Mammeri University in Algeria. I had a tremendous chance to meet very inspiring mentors who made me choose to go further in my career.
I am passionate about how the Human body works, especially the brain tissue. During my Ph.D., I investigated cell communication through extracellular vesicles (cell-derived “balloons” that contain valuable pieces of information). Nowadays, I am in the United States; I am specifically studying brain communication occurring by exchanging “balloons” between microglial cells (the eaters) and neurons (the eaten).
One of the most striking lessons I learned during the Covid-19 pandemic is that miscommunication costs lives. As a scientist, all the misinformation reported, especially throughout social media, caused me a lot of frustrations. I spent quite some time giving small lectures to my friends, family members, and community. It helped me cope during the lockdowns; I viewed it as my contribution in front of a very overwhelming situation.
When I came across the Facts&Reasons project, I saw an opportunity to contribute my knowledge on a bigger scale. I hope to support even more people and help them clarify questions they may have. I reached out to the creators right away and volunteered as a French translator. I am very excited to be part of this adventure, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Facts&Reasons.
Max Brambach
author
My scientific journey started at RWTH Aachen University (Germany), where I did my undergrad studies in Physics. Already at that time, I was intrigued by condensed matter and other systems which consist of simple parts but exhibit complex behavior as an ensemble. I continued my studies in Computational Biology and Theoretical Physics at Lund University (Sweden), where I worked on the mathematical modeling of the gene regulation in differentiating stem cells. Currently, I am doing my PhD at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) using quantitative microscopy to investigate the mechanisms behind cell interactions and tissue formation. I am very happy to contribute to this project, since I am convinced that misinformation and yellow journalism are some of the most prominent threats to society at present.
Melania Zofrea
translator to Italian language
I have always been fascinated by science. I grew up watching tons of documentaries, causing my passion for the animal kingdom, palaeontology and archeology to grow alongside me. With time passing, I came to discover a different kind of science, one of languages. After graduating from Liceo Linguistico A. Manzoni, I travelled and further improved my knowledge base, focusing on the English language. I realised that words have a hidden chemistry of their own, that an open mind can be a better tool than a dictionary, and that you can find a whole culture spelled out in the grammar of a single sentence, as well as the history of the people who speak it.
I partake in this project, grateful for the opportunity to work combining the two sciences that held my hand throughout my life, and aware of how concepts such as transparency, accuracy, and intellectual integrity, become more and more crucial with every passing day.
Nicolina Zjacic
author
A passion for science communication isn’t surprising based on the influences I’ve had in my life. With a degree in Biology from the University of Sheffield (UK) under my belt, I’ve since specialized in Human and Molecular Genetics for my Master’s at the same University and am now fulfilling my PhD at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) in Medical Genetics. My greatest inspiration has still been my mother, who’s curiosity and questions remind me that the difference between a good scientist and a great scientist is how well they can communicate their ideas. I also firmly believe that scientists have a responsibility to share the truth accessibly both within and outside of their community, which is why I proudly promote Facts&Reasons’ mission.
Viviana D'Otolo
author
My journey with science started during my Bachelor's degree at the University of Naples (Italy), taking care of tiny Daphnia Magna crustaceans. I then continued my studies with a Master's degree in Rome (Italy), where I discovered the fascinating world of immunology. I moved to Switzerland out of love (not only the one for science), where I obtained a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Basel, honing my gene-editing techniques on T cells.
I decided to join Facts&Reasons with the aim of bringing people closer to science, covering topics that may be of interest to a broad audience.
Adriana Hotz
translator to German language
The questions of “why?” and “how?” have been driving me since childhood. When my highschool teacher introduced me to the world of neuroscience, I developed a great fascination for the brain. This led me to study biology and, eventually, neurobiology as an undergraduate at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). During my Master’s thesis, I first saw a living brain of a zebrafish under a microscope. Intrigued by the possibilities of scientific research, I did my PhD in Zurich and, partially, in Trondheim (Norway). During this time, I also developed a great fascination for genetics - the study of our genes. That's why I now work in a Genomics Core Facility, where we support various researchers with our sequencing technologies. In recent years, and especially during this pandemic, my family and friends have been asking me more and more about scientific misinformation that is being spread. By participating in this project, I want to contribute to bringing proper scientific information to everyone.
Filipe Viegas
translator to Portuguese language
Curiosity and a constant desire to know more are my driving force and have been so since I can remember. Naturally, this directed me towards science even at an early age, as there was just so much to discover about everything around me. After high school, this propelled me towards engineering school where I took on an electrical and computer engineering degree. However, I could not suppress my fascination for life sciences and as a result, I left engineering school to pursue a degree in Biology. After finishing my MSc degree in evolutionary and developmental biology, I delved into the world of neuroscience and genetics during my first research position. This fascinating experience catalyzed my decision to apply for a PhD in neuroscience in the University of Zürich, where I developed a project that merges my love for neuroscience, metabolism and genetics. I am eager to contribute to this project because it is extremely important to provide a bastion of unbiased and well-supported information against the barrage of misinformation and “clickbait” articles we are exposed to in our daily lives.