John P. A. Ioannidis
Please close your eyes and think about your research project. What do you see at first?
Our eyes remain closed most of the time, I am struggling to tell people to keep their eyes open.
How would you explain your research to a child?
I like playing all day long.
What is it that surprises people when you tell them about your research?
They wonder that I have not been assassinated yet.
With whom would you like to swap your workplace for one day? What would you do?
That's exactly what I am trying to do every day: do something new.
Is there any rather unusual hobby or talent you might want to share with us?
Not sure it is unusual, let alone a talent, but I am a writer and I also write libretti for operas - in all my author vanity I would love to see my books translated in German and my operas staged in Berlin.
What did your research teach you about life?
Research is a microcosm of life, but scaling the experience is not easy. One thing is obvious: keep failing, keep trying.
What would your job be, if not a scientist?
Outside of what little I do in research, teaching, and writing, I am so useless – my wife knows that I can’t even fix a light bulb – that probably I would be unemployed.
Is there any particular object that follows you through work and/or life?
I carry a tetradrachm (a four drachmas coin) from Hellenistic Alexandria and the ring of a little girl from ancient Perge in my eyeglass cases.
Which place in Berlin do you like the most, and why?
The Museum Island, naturally; I can connect with so much that is alive there and I am so happy it is next to, and visible from the Berlin Institute of Health offices.
Is there anything about Berlin that you didn’t expect at all? And/or something that you miss here? What makes Berlin special for your research?
I love cities that can surprise you continuously, every day, and Berlin is one such. I miss the sea vistas of the Aegean and the Ionian, but these are readily carried in memories anyhow. Berlin is a fantastic epicentre to do research: lots of brilliant people, buzzing ideas at arm's length (or should I say, "mind's length"), plus that unique European scent of inspiration.
June 2019