First things first: “None of us can play football very well,” says Ricardo Giehl, smiling as he picks up on one of the clichés many people associate with Brazil. However, the Brazilian community at the IPK is strong. They lead research groups, play an active role in the PhD and postdoc boards and are involved in the IPK Club. Nobody knows this better than Ricardo Giehl. The 43-year-old joined the IPK in 2010 and is the longest-serving Brazilian there. He currently has two compatriots, Gabriel Ragazzo and Rodolfo Maniero, in the ‘Molecular Plant Nutrition’ research group that he heads. “Both were recommended to me some time ago by a Brazilian colleague who supervised their Master’s theses and whom we know from his time at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.” Both have quickly made a name for themselves at the IPK and beyond. Until recently, Ragazzo was the spokesperson for the PhD Student Board at the IPK and the Leibniz PhD Network. He was thus the voice of the doctoral students at all 97 Leibniz Institutes. Not only was Rodolfo Maniero active on the PhD Student Board, he was also the first author of a publication in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Martin Mascher is also in high demand as a contact point for young Brazilian scientists. Marina Pupke currently works in his ‘Domestication Genomics’ research group. She is also involved in the institute’s committees and is the spokesperson for the postdoctoral board. Amanda Camara was a member of his team for many years. She now heads the ‘In Silico Genebank Proteomics’ research group and supervises Victor Rabesquine Nogueira, a Brazilian postdoc in her group. Unsurprisingly, she was also active on the Postdoc Board for several years. “We have several sources that feed the Brazilian community at the IPK, especially as Andreas Houben also frequently had Brazilian guest researchers,” says Ricardo Giehl. Another Brazilian, Ana Eisermann, works in the ‘Resource Genetics and Reproduction’ group, and there is also a compatriot in the ‘Genebank Documentation’ group in the form of Alexandre Pinheiro. Nine colleagues from Brazil are currently working at the institute.

Gabriel Ragazzo has been at the IPK since November 2021, and he feels very much at home at the institute and among his fellow countrymen. “I was lucky enough to quickly get to know other Brazilians here who quickly became like family. We’re known for the smiles we always wear on our faces,” says the young scientist. Amanda Camara has been at the IPK since 2018, and her compatriots and colleagues from other Latin American countries also made her initial period at the institute very easy. “They offered me the kind of support that only a family can offer.” This familiarity and sense of security continues to help her in her career. Marina Pupke confirms this, having received help and support from Amanda Camara when she started at the IPK. “Brazilians make contacts quickly, be it with compatriots or with people from other countries.”

Most of the Brazilians at the IPK hail from the São Paulo region. “The state is considered the industrial motor of Brazil. The people there can work hard but also party a lot,” says Ricardo Giehl. The Brazilians at the IPK have therefore not only been to Oktoberfest in Munich, but also to the carnival in Cologne. Giehl comes from Rio Grande do Sul, a state in the south of Brazil close to the borders with Argentina and Uruguay. This region is characterised by a strong German influence, with many Germans immigrating there between 1824 and 1930. Giehl reports that his first language was an old German dialect and that carnival is nowhere near as important there as it is in Rio de Janeiro and other cities. “Even before I moved here, Germany already had a strong influence on my personality,” says the 43-year-old.

He visits his old home every two years. “It almost feels like travelling abroad,” says the IPK scientist. As with his business trips, he uses these visits to observe developments and make comparisons. On the one hand, deforestation in the Amazon region remains a major problem. However, awareness of sustainability is also growing in Brazil, particularly in agriculture and food production. The education system at most public Brazilian universities is well structured and highly competitive. “In addition, an established introductory science programme now brings students into daily contact with science through participation in research projects and experimental activities in the early stages of their bachelor's degree,” reports Ricardo Giehl.

But even without carnival and football, Ricardo Giehl still finds time to party. The enthusiastic musician enjoys playing his electric guitar with his colleagues at events such as the Christmas party and his own birthday celebrations at the ‘IPK Club’. “I'm very happy because I get the best of both worlds.”