Contributing Authors

They write more sporadically but they are equally passionate: our contributing authors add the extra mile of novelty and insights to our project.

Our contributing authors, shown in chronological order

Konstanty Cieśliński

I studied biotechnology at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. My first memorable experience with molecular biology was during my Bachelor’s project at the Institute of Immunology (Polish Academy of Sciences) in Wroclaw. Since then, my work is dedicated to uncovering the intricacies of our cellular world. I have continued my scientific career at the University of Chicago, USA, and, subsequently, I have done my PhD at EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany. Currently, I’m involved in tumor treatment-oriented studies at DKFZ in the same beautiful town on Heidelberg. What brought me to factsandreasons.com is my passion for debunking misinformation about science (especially about vaccines).

Raniero Chimienti

I have always been fascinated by science since I was a child. My curiosity and thirst for knowledge, combined with the desire to be able, one day away, to make a contribution to scientific and medical research, led me to obtain a doctorate in Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine. Today, I’m a researcher at Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) of San Raffaele Hospital, in Milan, where my research interests lied in studying the generation of hypoimmunogenic stem cell derivatives for cell therapy of Type 1 Diabetes. As passionate as I am fascinated by the complexity of the human genome, I’ve deepened my skills in gene engineering techniques. However, like a self-respecting “nerd”, I also love informatics and high technology (to such an extent that I founded an ICT start-up company), films, videogames and Japanese manga (among others), whereas my several hobbies range from aircraft modelling to photography and, in particular, astrophotography (I’m truly fascinated by the beauty of deep space objects). I landed on factandreasons.com driven by the desire to transmit pills of science, of the real one, which is often more exciting than sensationalism.

Charlotte Phillips

I've been part-scientist, part-writer for as long as I can remember, writing fiction while still maintaining a passion for science. I studied physics at University College London and King's College London, before completing my PhD in computational physics at the University of Cambridge. I then moved to King's College London to model protein folding, before switching completely to writing and editing in a move to Trieste (Italy). I'm currently a scientific paper editor, while developing fiction projects and writing science articles and cartoons for In Trieste magazine. I was attracted to this project as I've often felt that it's difficult for non-specialists to get to the truth behind claims on the internet. Sensational statements are easily made, but harder to debunk.

Daniele Spinozzi

Since I was a child, I had an innate passion for science, and this brought me to develop my career in biology. I obtained my Master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Parma (Italy), with a thesis on breast cancer at the University of Lille (France). At the time when I was not really sure about my next career step, I did an internship on functional genomics at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), which made me realize that scientific research was my way. After having completed my PhD in Medical Sciences at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), I am now working as a Postdoctoral researcher in tissue regeneration at the Leiden University Medical Center (The Netherlands). Over the years, I developed a passion for science communication and, partly due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, I started to actively spread scientific information on different social media.

Sara Carmignani

Three things: Science, Counseling, Arts. What holds it all together is my passion for communication and storytelling. During my studies, I have taken many changes in direction, going from the high-school for languages, to the master degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and technology, till the current doctoral studies in biochemistry at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (Dortmund). Somewhere in-between, I have become a professional counselor. I treasure each and every step I have taken and all the lessons I have learned from them and I am overjoyed if I can contribute with any of my resources to this praiseworthy project.

Irina Ferapontova

Biology: what started out as doodling DNA helices in my high school notebooks eventually wound up with me completing my undergraduate studies in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Little did I know it would propel me to Switzerland to begin my PhD at the University of Zurich, where I’m now knee-deep in research and Swiss chocolate. I have had the great fortune of working in some incredible labs during my studies, on projects ranging from drug discovery to cancer biology and immunology, with my current focus on vaccine development for the treatment of fibrosis. I really enjoy sharing knowledge and it is my love of writing and science communication that brought me to the team at Facts&Reasons.

Hana Zdimerova

I was interested in science since I was little. I obtained my immunology degree at the University of Glasgow, with a Master's internship at the Institut Pasteur in Paris focused on bladder cancer. This is where I found my love for immunology and the research of health and disease. From there I transferred to Switzerland to the University of Zurich to start my PhD in viral immunobiology and then I moved to the University of Lausanne for a post-doc, returning to the study of bladder cancer. After leaving academic research I started a freelance journey in writing and editing. I believe that scientists hold a responsibility for communicating science in a simple and relatable way to the public. This is why I am very supportive of projects like Facts&Reasons and happy to be a part of it.

Tao Buck

I discovered my passion for the brain while pursuing a Liberal Arts and Science degree in Amsterdam, which led me to gain three years of research experience in neuroscientific labs at Yale, NYU, and the Child Mind Institute. I have since completed my master’s in Applied Neuroscience at King’s College London. I have always appreciated learning about the diverse functions & characteristics of the brain as a whole. I love reading about memory, cognition, and languages, but am equally as invested in the gut-brain-axis, the deeper understanding of various neurological disorders, and the role of diet / sleep / exercise on the brain. During my master's program, I learned to translate complex scientific articles into lay language, a task more challenging than initially expected but one that ignited my passion for science communication. It is crucial to bridge the gap between ground-breaking research and public understanding; translating dense information into simpler terms is immensely rewarding and aligns with my goal of making research more accessible to a broader audience.

Tatjana von Rosen

I am a German-American scientist living in Switzerland and have always been fascinated by how bacteria work on a molecular level – whether they’re outsmarting our immune system or teaming up with us as symbiotic partners. That curiosity has been a common thread throughout my studies and eventually led me to pursue a PhD at ETH Zurich. Along the way, I realized I enjoyed explaining my work to people outside the field of science -making complex research easy to understand and exciting for everyone. That’s what sparked my passion for science writing and communication and led me here. When I am not writing, I am working at a small biotech company in Zurich, developing vaccines against antibiotic resistant bacteria - or- tearing it up on the rugby pitch.

Elisabeth Kugler

Dr Elisabeth Kugler is a scientist at the interface of biomedical image analysis and science communication. She is the founder and director of Zeeks, a corporate science communication company, which, after less than 18 months, has been selected for a national business development program and won the regional Creative StartUp Award. Elisabeth is also the producer and host of the BBC-featured Keep it Science podcast and an Associate Lecturer at the University of Lincoln. Elisabeth brings over a decade of experience in science communication, blending technical expertise with creativity. Passionate about making science accessible, she has worked globally to train professionals to master impactful communication across various formats and channels.

Anna Georgieva

Biography and photo coming soon! Stay tuned to learn more about Anna's background and expertise

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