What have you done in your professional life so far?

I’ve spent most of my career in Germany (mainly in Frankfurt) as part of the university and the Max Planck Society. I’ve worked closely with international partners, leading projects focused on behaviors linked to hearing. Teaching has always been important to me as well. I enjoy getting students excited about science and involving them in research.

What appeals to you about your new position?

The opportunity to combine research and teaching, try out new ideas, including risky, out-of-the-box research, and be surrounded by a strong network of colleagues.

What do you love about your job?

The mix of discovering new things, doing research, teaching, and working with a team to tackle questions that no one has answered yet. I especially enjoy when curiosity leads us to explore unexpected directions.

Which task could you gladly do without in your job, but of course you always do it conscientiously?

Forms and bureaucracy, but they’re part of the job and I do them thoroughly.

What life hack or insight has influenced your teaching?

Teaching works best as a two-way exchange. I try to give students space to ask questions and develop ideas, their perspectives often inspire my own research.

How can your research be applied?

We want to understand how the brain processes sounds and speech, and how this shapes behavior. This knowledge can help improve hearing aids and develop therapies for hearing disorders.

What should people know about your personal life?

I grew up in Manzanillo, a small city by the sea in Cuba. Today I live in Berlin with my family and I’m the father of two children. In my free time, I love photography (animals, landscapes, but also street photography).

What formative experience did you have with nature/science as a child?

I was always fascinated by stories of discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology. I was also captivated by the behavior of both animals and humans.

What person or personality has influenced you, how and why?

My doctoral advisor, Manfred Kössl, shaped me with his blend of rigor, humanity, and solution-oriented thinking. I’m also inspired by figures like Ramón y Cajal, and in general by people who are pragmatic, keep their eyes on what matters, and constructively seek solutions.

What do you wish you had known earlier?

That science is driven just as much by people and their connections as by experiments and publications.