Question: Do you describe your job in a way that students will be able understand what you do?

Francesca Paradisi answered on 7 Nov 2014:

I study enzymes. Unlike the ones we have in our body that are able to do a lot of things like breaking down food or assembling biological molecules, the one I’m researching are produced by microscopic organisms that live in very inhospitable environments like the Dead Sea (it’s not dead at all!), of glaciers, or volcanoes. Because of the conditions in which these microbes live, their enzymes are much more resistant than ours and can be adapted to work in industrial settings where often high temperatures or organic solvents are used to carry out reactions.