Short Interview with Independent Group Leader Charlotta Lorenz

Dr. Charlotta (“Lotta”) Lorenz is a biophysicist studying the self-assembly of soft materials and their structures and properties. Since the beginning of this year, she has been working at DWI as an independent research group leader and is currently building her team. Here, we introduce her briefly:

What is your group working on?
With my group, I aim to understand the physics that governs the properties of biological and soft materials — and how we can harness these properties for biomedical and sustainable applications.

What is the central goal of your research in the coming years?
I would love to build a large-scale database of soft materials, including their structures and properties, that could be used to rapidly design new sustainable materials with the help of AI. To use resources more efficiently, we need a wide variety of materials. A system that can generate new material ideas based on data would be incredibly powerful.

Which challenge in your field excites you the most?
Although soft materials are everywhere in our daily lives, our understanding of complex structure–property relationships is still relatively limited. Contributing pieces to this puzzle is something I find particularly exciting.

What motivates you most in your day-to-day work?
The moment I conduct experiments or see new data is when science truly happens. That very first moment—when new knowledge enters the world and you observe something previously unknown—is absolutely magical and highly motivating. Sharing knowledge and education are also very important to me, whether through publications or more traditional teaching.

What do you particularly like about DWI?
I really appreciate the interdisciplinary and collaborative environment at DWI, where outstanding researchers work together. We also have excellent infrastructure that enables rapid scientific progress. Overall, I really like the institute’s atmosphere.

How do you spend your time outside the lab?
In my free time, I like to stay active—preferably outdoors. I enjoy climbing, hiking, running, and cycling. I also like creative activities such as playing the piano and doing crafts.

Coffee or tea?
I do drink tea, but if I had to choose for a desert island, I would definitely take coffee.