Meet Elena Kost
“What I like about the PhD is that you can follow a project from start to finish, you observe it grow and change with you. It is like growing along with the data you collect”.
Let’s meet Elena Kost, PhD student in the SAE group. Elena is from Switzerland, and she studied Agricultural Science at ETH Zurich. In the MICROSERVICES project she aims to understand how different cropping systems influence resilience and resistance to drought of wheat-associated microbial communities.
What do you like the most about your PhD topic?
“I would like to bring to light the tiny but essential organisms present in soil, such as bacteria and fungi. The importance of microbes can be underestimated, and there is still a lot to understand about their role in soil and their interactions with plants. It is fascinating to start from a small quantity of soil and end up with a huge amount of information about microbial presence and life.”
What tasks of your work do you enjoy the most?
“I enjoyed working in the lab and learning new and advanced techniques. I am currently focusing on data analysis and statistics, which I like as well. It is satisfying being able to follow exactly each step of your work and understand it.”
What do you find important about your work environment?
“I appreciate being part of a supportive and enthusiastic team. I value the stimulating environment of the SAE group, where we can discuss ideas and problems related to our projects. I also enjoy talking about many different topics and learning from diverse perspectives.”
What motivated you to explore this research field and pursue a PhD?
“I have developed an interest in soils during my studies and I was curious to understand more about their biology and how to manage them sustainably. I also wanted to learn and apply the scientific method and the statistics to interpret data. In addition, I think it is important to raise awareness and inform the public about climate change and its impact on soils and on their hidden microbial diversity. I believe that keeping people well informed is the key to work together as a society towards a common goal. Indeed, a friend of mine and I organised a external page series of public lectures to discuss with experts the impact of food systems on climate change and vice versa. I enjoyed this experience very much and it would be nice to organise it again, maybe after my PhD.”
If you are curious to know more about Elena’s research, visit the project website.
You can contact her via e-mail for more questions:
