First of all, can you tell us more about yourself? Where are you from, what are your hobbies?

I’m Anna Papaioannou, originally from a small, historic village near Delphi, Greece. Since childhood, I’ve been driven by two passions: Music and Physics. While I chose Physics as my career, music remains a vital part of who I am. I studied at a musical high school and later at the Municipal Conservatorium of Patras, focusing on the violin and viola.

Beyond the lab, I’ve always stayed active in the community—I was a radio producer for three years and spent time as a tango dancer with the POFPP student association. These days, when I’m not immersed in my PhD research, you’ll find me playing the viola, collecting vinyl records, exploring museums, or unwinding with video games.

And your university background?

I earned my degree in Physics from the University of Patras, specializing in Condensed Matter Physics. My journey into multidisciplinary research began there, with a thesis on drug delivery systems. I then moved to the University of Crete to pursue a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. My research focused on tissue engineering—specifically, developing multifunctional hydrogel systems using light-based synthesis. Both my undergraduate and graduate work involved close collaboration with Materials Science departments, which really shaped my ‘interface-focused’ approach to science.

Why did you choose this career path? What is your interest about science?

I’ve always wanted to be an explorer. As a child, I kept a notebook filled with everything that sparked my curiosity, from constellations to the fundamental nature of quarks. My inquisitive nature made a career in research feel like a natural calling.

What’s interesting is that I wasn’t initially drawn to chemistry or biology in their traditional, ‘rote-learning’ forms. However, once I discovered how light interacts with molecules and how statistical mechanics can describe an enzyme interacting with a protein, I was hooked. I realized that my true interest lies at the fundamental level where these disciplines overlap. That appreciation for multidisciplinarity is what drives my work today.

Can you tell us more about your research project?

My PhD research focuses on characterizing supramolecular networks formed by low molecular weight gelators. Because these networks are often non-fluorescent, we use a super-resolution microscopy technique called PAINT (Points Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography) along with environment-sensitive fluorescent probes.

Instead of permanently labeling the structure, we use probes that only « turn on » when they transiently bind to the molecular assembly. By detecting and localizing these individual fluorescent « blinks » with nanometric precision, we can reconstruct a high-resolution map of the nanostructured gel. Critically, this transient binding allows us to image the heterogeneous environments present in supramolecular networks in a way that goes further than a snapshot; it provides a direct look into how properties vary at the nanoscale with minimal perturbation to the system’s natural state.

Same question, but for people who don’t understand a thing about chemistry (#MultiSMARTfordummies)

Imagine a tree that is completely invisible in the dark of night. Now, imagine thousands of fireflies flying around it. These fireflies love to land on the branches and rest for a few seconds. While they are flying, they are just a blur, but the moment they land, they glow brightly.

If you were a painter—specifically an impressionist—and you placed a tiny dot of paint on your canvas every time a firefly landed, eventually, those thousands of dots would reveal the shape of the entire tree.

But it’s more than just a picture. If the fireflies spend more time on certain branches than others, it tells us that those branches have a different ‘feeling’ or environment. My research uses this ‘firefly’ method to see invisible nanostructures and understand their hidden properties, which helps us design better materials for the future.

What will your research bring to people and to society in general?

The long-term value of this research lies in its potential to provide a more predictable framework for material design. By investigating the fundamental ways small molecules organize into larger structures, the work seeks to build a better understanding of how specific properties emerge during assembly. In the future, these insights could help move the development of industrial and medical materials away from trial-and-error methods toward a more informed design process.

A key part of this project involves developing microscopy techniques to visualize the heterogeneity within molecular aggregates. While this is currently a fundamental study, being able to see these variations at such a small scale is a necessary step toward understanding how molecular structure relates to specific disease phenotypes. By exploring what influences these assembly patterns at the nanoscale, the research aims to provide the basic scientific groundwork that can lead to a deeper understanding of biological malfunctions and the eventual development of more targeted diagnostic or therapeutic approaches.

How do you feel being part of a MSCA Doctoral Network project?

Being part of an MSCA Doctoral Network is a unique and transformative experience. The success of large-scale scientific projects often hinges on the exchange of knowledge across and between disciplines, and this network makes that collaboration a fundamental ingredient of the research process. As an MSCA fellow, I have had the opportunity to participate in advanced training courses and present my work to a diverse range of experts. These experiences have helped me realize the necessity of an approach that transcends not only academic disciplines but also national borders.

By ensuring that these projects are international in both their participation and their hosting institutions, the MSCA helps build a unified European and global framework for scientific inquiry. The challenges we face globally—such as the need for greener chemistry or novel and targeted therapies—are universal, and they are best addressed by bringing together heterogeneous teams. I feel fortunate to be part of a network that proves how much more effectively we can advance when we integrate different perspectives and expertise to solve shared problems.

What are your projects after the defense of your thesis?

Upon completing my PhD, I intend to pursue a long-term career in research, focusing on postdoctoral opportunities that allow me to remain at the interdisciplinary interface of biology, chemistry, and physics. My goal is to continue utilizing advanced microscopy as a primary tool to explore fundamental questions in molecular science. I am particularly interested in how the physical principles of molecular assembly can eventually help us understand complex biological challenges, such as the mechanisms behind peptide aggregation and its long-term relationship with various pathologies.

Beyond my specific research interests, I am deeply committed to the idea of « knowledge circulation. » Having benefited from the high-level training and global perspective of an MSCA network, I aim to eventually bring this international experience back to my home country. I hope to contribute to the national research landscape by fostering the same spirit of cross-border collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking that has defined my doctoral studies, helping to strengthen the ties between local scientific initiatives and the global research community.

Do you have a recommendation/an advice for future potential MSCA fellows?

My primary advice is to embrace the discomfort of being a « beginner » in other fields. In an interdisciplinary network, you will frequently find yourself in rooms where you are not the expert—you might be a physicist in a chemistry lecture or a biologist discussing material engineering. Instead of being intimidated, use it as an opportunity to ask the « simple » questions. Often, it is exactly those questions that help bridge the gaps between disciplines and clarify the direction of a project.

Secondly, make the most of the collaborative nature of the network. The MSCA experience is as much about the people as it is about the lab results. I highly recommend engaging with researchers from different countries and participating in the various workshops and outreach events offered. These connections are a core part of the fellowship and offer a broader perspective on how research is conducted internationally. Science is a collaborative effort, and being active in that exchange is one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.