2026 Award Winner: Dr. Martin Pačesa

Martin, what inspired you to become a scientist?
I was terrified by the idea of having a job where I do the same thing every day. Science seemed to me a good way to satisfy my curiosity and have to freedom to build my own way. I think if I weren’t a scientist, I would probably go into the arts, like script writing. Also, I hate waking up early, and being in academia I can come into work anytime (unfortunately, that also means evenings and weekends).

What led you to choose your academic field, and how did you decide where to go for your Ph.D.?
I hated chemistry and biology always seemed too hand-wavy, so I settled for biochemistry, haha. I really wanted to see if life can be broken down and explained by simple components, and biochemistry seemed like the best way to investigate that. I went to Martin Jinek’s lab for a Ph.D. to learn how we could manipulate and edit genetic material, and instead discovered the beauty of structural biology of macromolecules.

Did you have any mentors that helped you in your career?
Many! And I still do. You should try to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you so that you don’t get comfortable and are always pushed to improve yourself. These are the people who mentored me directly, helped me become the scientist I am today, and to whom I am eternally grateful: Juraj Galeta, Marek Sebesta, Lumir Krejci, Silvio Hemmi, Urs Greber, Martin Jinek, and Bruno Correia.

In January 2026 you started your own lab at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Looking back, what challenges did you face that you didn’t expect?
Setting up a lab from scratch is a lot of work. A lot of small details that one does not consider at the beginning, when just thinking of the picture, that can set you back several weeks. But overall, it has been pretty smooth sailing, I got lucky that I got an amazing team of people from the start who have made it a lot more enjoyable and easier.

What advice would you give to someone seeking independence?
You need to have a long term vision beyond the few projects you currently have in mind. It took me a while to figure that out. How does your current work tie into what you want to do later? Do you already have a follow up in mind to what you are doing right now? How are you different from an already established and bigger lab? I think it helps to be a wide-eyed optimist and try to aim for your craziest blue sky dream. Even though the goal may sound far fetched, it will help you shoot further than anyone else with a more grounded goal.

What are the main questions your lab is currently trying to answer?
As a long term vision, we are trying to develop methods to more accurately describe and design biomolecules, with the goal to be able to one day design a cell or even an entire organism from the ground up. There are thousands of problems we have to solve first and many obstacles standing between us and that dream, but it is the shiny beacon showing us the way whenever we forget why we are doing this.

What is your advice on establishing good collaborations?
As scientists we are often proud of our work, but the hardest thing is to not let your ego get in the way of a good collaboration. And every interaction has the potential to be a great collaboration! Being nice and civil to your colleagues goes a very long way, also for your career. Science is primarily a "reputation-based business” after all. And scientists are fun people! I would certainly encourage everyone to join the odd happy hour or stay for a drink after the poster session at a conference, that’s where the real science happens :-)

Finally, could you tell us an interesting fact about yourself that people wouldn’t know by looking at your CV?
I work a ridiculous amount of hours per week but I actually have many hobbies outside of the lab! I love playing video games, watching classic movies, reading books, playing squash, snowboarding, and playing bass guitar (though I haven’t touched it for a while now).