Helvetica Chimica ActaVolume 106, Issue 2 e202300006 Author ProfileFree Access Martina Letizia Contente First published: 31 January 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/hlca.202300006AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Graphical Abstract I chose chemistry as a career because I wanted to understand how Nature works, especially when enzymes are involved. The secret of being a successful scientist is to be determined and never give up! A key experience in my career was to meet the Nobel laureate Frances Arnold in person and have a chat with her. Position: Assistant Professor E-mail: [email protected] Twitter @ML_Contente Homepage: www.FlowBioLab.com ORCID: 0000-0002-3885-1375 Education: 2020: Visiting Scientist, Roche funded project (hosted at the University of Bern) 2017–2020: Research Fellow, University of Nottingham, Including 2018–2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow 2016–2017: Visiting Scientist, University College of Dublin 2015: PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, University of Milan 2011: MSc. in Pharmacy, University of Milan Research: Biocatalysis, enzyme immobilization, in continuous process development Hobbies: Travelling, reading, sport I chose chemistry as a career because I wanted to understand how Nature works, especially when enzymes are involved. The secret of being a successful scientist is to be determined and never give up! A key experience in my career was to meet the Nobel laureate Frances Arnold in person and have a chat with her. The most important thing I have learned from my students is passion and dedication. I advise my students to be able to collaborate one each other. I would advise aspiring academics to pursue their own ideas to make them real. I chose my field of research because It represents a multi-disciplinary area where chemistry, biotechnology and engineering work together for the obtainment of the desired result. A research group is successful, because it should work like an orchestra: composed of different instruments (different expertise), able to play together (teamwork), coordinated by an experienced director (group leader) able to enhance everyone ability. The biggest challenge facing my generation of scientists is sustainability and the development of green processes at different levels. The change I hope to see in chemistry community in five/ten years' time is a more inclusive world especially for women and young researchers. With my research, I want to achieve the creation of ex-vivo metabolic routes mimicking cell pathways to obtain valuable compounds in the desired amounts to be studied or utilized as bioactive molecules. The turning point of my work as a scientist was the Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship at the University of Nottingham, where firstly I have funded my scientific ideas. I knew I wanted to follow an academic career in chemistry when during my PhD, working for a company funded project, I decided for an open free research instead of a money-driven one. If I were not a scientist, I would be a dancer, I studied ballet for half of my life. If I could have dinner/drinks with three (famous) scientists (past or present), they would be Marie Sklodowska-Curie, Rita Levi-Montalcini and Frances Arnold. Young people should study chemistry because it represents one of the most important subjects to understand Nature, its mechanisms and positively impact on our world. Breakthrough ideas come to me when I discuss with other scientists. In a spare hour, I like spending time with my 8-month baby girl. My favorite time of day is when I give to my baby the goodnight kiss, I watch her sleeping and suddenly everything is perfect. My favorite quote is Chem-is-try. What is the biggest challenge faced by your field of research today? Nowadays sustainability and the development of greener processes with respect to conventional methods are the biggest challenges faced by researchers across disciplines. In particular, a greener way to operate in chemistry is strongly demanded to improve the efficiency of chemical reactions minimizing waste and costs while enhancing/maintaining the same productivity. What do you think the future holds for your field of research? I believe that flow biocatalysis, the design of in continuous processes merging the versatility of flow reactors with the specificity and the stability of immobilized biocatalysts, could contribute favorably to advances in modern chemistry. By enhancing productivity, system automation, while reducing side-product formation, waste, and energy requirements, it will become a robust and reliable technology to meet industrial needs in a sustainable and cost-efficient manner. My three top papers 1M. S. Christodoulou, M. L. Contente, S. Dallavalle, A. Pinto, ‘Enzymatic amide bond formation: synthesis of aminooxo-acids through a Mycobacterium smegmatis acyltransferase', Green Chem. 2022, 24, 4432– 4436. 2M. L. Contente, D. Roura Padrosa, F. Molinari, F. Paradisi, ‘A strategic Ser/Cys exchange in the catalytic triad unlocks an acyltransferase-mediated synthesis of thioesters and tertiary amides', Nat. Catal. 2020, 3, 1020– 1026. 3M. L. Contente, F. Paradisi, ‘Self-sustaining closed-loop multienzyme-mediated conversion of amines into alcohols in continuous reactions', Nat. Catal. 2018, 1, 452– 459. Volume106, Issue2February 2023e202300006 ReferencesRelatedInformation