Berlin's best biology lab technician
In August 2022, after dropping out of medical school in Hamburg, Lena Fürst began training as a biology lab technician at the Max Delbrück Center. She completed her training in December 2024 with a grade of “very good” and will be honored for her “best-in-class” grade by the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) on November 28. The 29-year-old now works as a technical assistant in Professor Annette Hammes-Lewin's Molecular Signaling Pathways in Cortical Development lab at the Max Delbrück Center. In this interview, Fürst talks about what she learned to appreciate during her training and in hindsight, what she might have done differently.
Lena, you were born and raised in Hamburg. What attracted you to Berlin?
The opportunity to do my training at such a large research institute as the Max Delbrück Center, where you can get to know different working groups and learn a wide variety of techniques, was very appealing to me. In fact, I had also been offered a training position as a biology lab technician in Hamburg. However, that would have been at a fairly small company that deals almost exclusively with cell cultures. That's why I found the offer from Berlin much more attractive – even though I now really enjoy working with cell cultures and find stem cell research extremely exciting.
Were you surprised that you finished at the top of your class?
A little bit, yes. I am ambitious and naturally wanted to get good grades. I also really enjoyed studying during my training. But I still didn't necessarily expect to finish as the best in my class.
What was your biggest challenge?
I think it was the change of research group after my first year of training. I had just settled well into my previous group, the Protein Production & Characterization technology platform headed by Dr. Anja Schütz. Suddenly, I had to learn so many new things again – and everything was really different: the people, the topics, the techniques, the processes. That was a bit difficult for me at first. But now I feel very comfortable in my new group, which I am fortunately still part of.
How did the processes differ from one another?
In the technology platform group, they were very structured and regulated. There were always the same protocols that we had to follow. For example, I cultivated bacteria that produce certain proteins and then helped to isolate and purify them. We were also a very small team that quickly got to know each other well. In the new group, real research was suddenly taking place. Everything was somehow much more open and unpredictable, there were more of us, and everyone spoke English. I suddenly had much more contact with the scientists than I did in my first year at the Max Delbrück Center.
A knack for stem cells
What have you enjoyed most during your two-and-a-half years of training?
Working with stem cells. Every morning, and often even on weekends, I arrive at the lab excited to see how my stem cells are doing: how they have grown, what they look like, what could be done to help them develop optimally. I am now able to contribute my own ideas and even develop experiments on my own – and I think I have developed a pretty good feel for the cells. In any case, it feels like I have found my dream job.
What advice would you give to other trainees at the Max Delbrück Center?
They should ask as many questions as possible right from the start and ask to be shown things. Sometimes scientists get so absorbed in their projects that they forget there are trainees around them who want and need to learn. But if you express your interest, you will almost always find people who are willing to listen and help.
Was it easy for you to approach the researchers?
No, on the contrary: I found it really difficult at first. Had I approached them sooner, I think it would have made a lot of things easier for me – that's why I'm emphasizing it here. And I have noticed, among other things, that the quality of training here at the Max Delbrück Center is really excellent. I always felt supported by my training team. Without Maren Wellner and Christina Krüger, who also prepared us really well for the exam, I certainly wouldn't have achieved such a good result. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both once again.
How do you like living in Berlin?
To be honest, I would have preferred a slightly more rural setting. But in that respect, Berlin-Buch is actually quite a good place for me: living on the outskirts of the city, you can quickly get to the countryside. I really recommend the training program here in every respect.
Interview: Anke Brodmerkel
Further information
- Berufsausbildung und Duales Studium (German only)
