The Story of
Science Kitchen
Two scientists, lifelong friends. A joint venture.
The Short Story: Science, love and death
1997-2015
We (Leonie Ringrose and Marc Rehmsmeier) met in 1997 while we were PhD students in Heidelberg, Germany. We both eventually became professors, and after many years of long-distance relationships in five different European countries, we both got positions at the Humboldt University Berlin in 2015.
2018-2019
In 2018, after several years of experimenting with giving workshops to scientists in addition to our main jobs, it was time to consolidate. We did several marketing workshops with the design company Bold Italic, who happened to be our downstairs neighbours in Berlin. Out of this, and after a few bottles of wine and some very good cheese, Science Kitchen was born. The work on the Website and Logo started in 2019.
2020-2022
In 2020, Marc was diagnosed with cancer and plans for Science Kitchen were put on hold as we entered an all-consuming fight to turn it around. Things went well, until they didn’t. Love and science were not enough. We got married in March 2022 and Marc died in April 2022. You can read an obituary for Marc here.
The Short Story: Science, love and death
1997-2015
We (Leonie Ringrose and Marc Rehmsmeier) met in 1997 while we were PhD students in Heidelberg, Germany. We both eventually became professors, and after many years of long-distance relationships in five different European countries, we both got positions at the Humboldt University Berlin in 2015.
2018-2019
In 2018, after several years of experimenting with giving workshops to scientists in addition to our main jobs, it was time to consolidate. We did several marketing workshops with the design company Bold Italic, who happened to be our downstairs neighbours in Berlin. Out of this, and after a few bottles of wine and some very good cheese, Science Kitchen was born. The work on the Website and Logo started in 2019.
2020-2022
In 2020, Marc was diagnosed with cancer and plans for Science Kitchen were put on hold as we entered an all-consuming fight to turn it around. Things went well, until they didn’t. Love and science were not enough. We got married in March 2022 and Marc died in April 2022. You can read an obituary for Marc here.
What now? Leonie continues the project
I am now continuing our work with Science Kitchen where we left off, with Marc’s spirit very much on board. It’s something we have both always been very passionate about, and it feels like a fitting legacy. You will notice that I very often use “we” and the present tense in this website. This is entirely intentional, as our concepts and approaches to teaching, our ideas and material were developed together. If you meet me through Science Kitchen, you will also meet Marc. We both greet you warmly.
I am a British molecular biologist on a journey towards theoretical biology.
An international career
I am a British professor in quantitative molecular biology at the Humboldt University, Berlin. I have previously been a junior group leader at the IMBA (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology) in Vienna, Austria, and a visiting scientist at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK. I did post docs in Montpellier, France, and Heidelberg, Germany. I did my PhD at the EMBL, Heidelberg. Before my PhD I was a Patent Examiner at the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany, and a kitchen worker in Ardèche, France.
At home out of the comfort zone
Through my interdisciplinary work I have experienced the challenge of precisely defining what I mean for others who are not in my field, and I find this helps me to define what I mean for myself. The sense of danger and fun in crossing conceptual boundaries has never left me.
Scientific focus, publications and grants
My group works both theoretically and experimentally on epigenetic regulation by the Polycomb and Trithorax group proteins in Drosophila and mouse development. I have over 36 peer- reviewed publications, over 4500 citations and an H-index of 25. (Google Scholar, August 2022). I have secured over 5.7 million Euros in third party funding from national and European sources www.ringroselab.com
Forever teaching and learning
I began giving courses on scientific writing and presentation just after finishing my PhD in Heidelberg in 1997. Since then I have continued to develop these courses, adding new topics as I continually learn new skills. From 2013 to 2019 I participated in evaluation panels for ERC starting grants, which has informed my work in teaching grant writing and interviews.
I love to play
I love to teach and I firmly believe that everyone can learn excellent scientific writing and presentation and that it can be fun. I also love to play and watch improvisation theatre, which has transformed my attitude to daily life and to teaching.
I am a German computer scientist who is fascinated by biology and passionate about teaching.
An international career.
I have been a group leader in bioinformatics at Bielefeld University, Germany, and at Uni Research AS, Bergen, Norway. I have been a full professor in bioinformatics at Bergen University/Department of Informatics. In 2015 I became an independent researcher at Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. I have been a member on grant evaluation panels for the Academy of Finland for several years, as well as having been reviewer for various other granting agencies and a large number of scientific journals. I have also participated in numerous PhD committees at the Universities of Bielefeld and Bergen.
Scientific focus and publications: Theory meets experiment
I work on computational and statistical approaches to questions in genetics and molecular biology, in particular in the field of epigenetic regulation through the Polycomb and Trithorax groups of proteins in flies and mammals. I have also worked in RNA structure analysis and microRNA target prediction. I myself and people in my group focus on computational aspects, but generally in the context of concrete biological questions. I have been involved in many successful collaborations with experimentalists. I have over 40 publications and over 8900 citations, (h-index 23) (Google scholar August 2022).
Crossing boundaries: in interdisciplinary work, communication is key
Interdisciplinarity has always been an important part of my work, and I take great care in communicating my science to a wide audience. I developed a stronger interest in the topic of scientific communication and teaching a few years ago in Bergen, where I made important contributions to the internal seminar program and the education of students towards becoming better communicators. I use a modern teaching approach that is highly student-centered (constructive alignment) I have in-depth experience in a very wide range of communication aspects and presentation formats.
I love to play
Among my hobbies is improvisation theatre, and I use some of its concepts in my teaching. Games, fun, openness, saying “yes” and story-telling are fundamental to my science communication.
Every day,
we face the daily challenges of a life in science: data, new concepts, molecular mechanisms, keeping up with literature, keeping our lab books and computer programs up to date. The list is continually expanding. On top of this, we write papers and grants, get them rejected and accepted, and give talks. Scientists get plenty of education in dealing with scientific concepts and hardly any in science communication.
One day,
we realised that science is hard enough: How would it be if scientists were as well trained in communication skills as they are in scientific research skills? Would that empower them to love every bit of their work? And to have an easier time? Maybe even to have more fun?
And so,
we joined forces and developed courses and training concepts. We were constantly in discussion, searching for a unifying principle, what was the one most important thing we were trying to do? What name would capture this spirit?
Until finally,
Science Kitchen was born. Our mission is to make science easier for scientists. And more fun. We started with four things that we feel are essential; presentation, writing papers, dealing with reviewers and writing grants.
And ever since then,
we have been testing our ideas, and getting tremendous feedback from participants. We are continuously expanding our horizons. More courses will come as we continue this journey. If you have ideas for a course but don’t see it on our website, just contact us! It’s probably something we have thought about, and we would be happy to develop it with you!
Science Kitchen is a journey
Science Kitchen is an experiment
Science Kitchen is a journey
Science Kitchen is an experiment
Science Kitchen is a place to …
meet
tell stories
drink coffee
learn
try new things
experiment
communicate
play
drink tea
share
relax
wash up
Want to know more?
