Introducing Ecraid's Young Investigator Ambassadors

We have therefore engaged three enthusiastic Young Investigator Ambassadors who represent the voices and perspective of the next generation of scientists. As part of our network, the Young Ambassadors will help us connect with peers by:

• Acting as a bridge between Ecraid and the young scientific community
• Offering insights into what resonates with early-career researchers
• Bringing forward ideas for engaging content
• Supporting the development of a vibrant community where young researchers can learn, exchange, and grow together

In this interview, we are introducing our first Young Ambassador: Fabian Patauner, an Italian physician who his currently doing his PhD in Translational Medicine. As part of this programme, he is currently a visiting researcher at the Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, US, conducting mainly clinical studies.

We asked Fabian a few questions about his interests and what peaked his passion for clinical research in infectious diseases.

What made you first fall in love with science?

Probably my father (who is a teacher) always pushed me to understand the reason behind things. Since I was a child, I have always been interested in how things work and how to fix the damaged ones. Becoming a physician and a researcher was only the natural consequence.

How did you learn about Ecraid? 

My first contact with Ecraid was related to my involvement in the POS-cUTI study.

Why did you want to be a young ambassador for Ecraid?

I like very much the mission of this role particularly trying to help other young doctors and researchers to get access to the many available resources and opportunities that Ecraid offers.

We also asked Fabian more intriguing questions, and his answers did not disappoint. 

If you could have unlimited research funding, what’s the first thing you would want to research?

I would research a very potent drug able to treat all the multidrug-resistant pathogens with a single dose. That’s unrealistic just like the unlimited research funding.

Lab coat or field boots?

Field boots

Viruses or bacteria?

Bacteria

Petri-dish or PCR machine?

Petri-dish

If you had a Time Machine – would you travel back in time to witness the discovery of penicillin or travel to the future to discover the next pandemic vaccine or antibiotic?

I would travel to the future for sure.

What advice would you give to someone who’d want to be a researcher/investigator?

Always feed the flame of curiosity and meet people from different countries!

What's the biggest myth about infections or misconception you've ever had to correct?

I’ll tell you in ten years.

What inspires you in your work?

The smiles of the patients.

What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for our field now?

I think that the artificial intelligence will be a great resource, one of the biggest opportunities will be that it will make many young researchers closer to the research world. The challenges I think are related to climate changes and antimicrobial resistance.

In your opinion what is something that you miss as a young researcher when it comes to knowledge sharing in the ID field? Something you’d consider helpful, but you don’t see enough of.

In my experience, what I missed more were structured courses that may help young researchers in design research, writing protocols, and doing statistical analyses. Fortunately, I had the chance with Ecraid to participate to their methodology course, and it was a great booster for me. I would definitely do that again.