After a PhD in Biotechnology and postdoc at ETH Zurich, I became full Professor of Synthetic Biology at Freiburg University (Germany). Next, I was appointed as Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute for New Materials and Full Professor (Saarbrücken, Germany). I am striving to apply synthetic biology for developing smart materials that address imminent needs in biomedicine for drug delivery and diagnostics, as well as in sustainable, circular construction. I am member of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering and my research is supported by grants from the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council. Whenever I see a mountain, I am challenged to climb it with my bike!