Simon Lab Spotlight! Dr. Giulio Kleiner

Dr. Giulio Kleiner, Laboratory Operations Manager, from Italy  
Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Trieste in Trieste, Italy 

Q. Cats, Dogs or Other? 
A. I like both, but I have never had a dog, so I will say cat.  

Q. What sparked your interest in virology research or led you to join the Simon and Mulder Lab? 
A. Well I was a postdoc at Columbia University and a dear friend of mine used to work at the Simon and Mulder lab. At the time, knowing what type of work Viviana did here at the lab, I decided to make the switch because I knew the work here mattered. 

Q. What is the most interesting part of your job? 
A. I would say it is finishing tasks. Seeing my to-do list go down is something that makes me very happy.  

Q. What is your favorite spot in all of New York? 
A. Lincoln Center  

Q. How did the Pandemic impact your position on research and virology? 
A. It impacted my position greatly in that this lab was quite small. There were only 6 people working here before the pandemic, and now there are 25 of us. So as a lab manager, my responsibilities grew. My duties also changed before the pandemic because I was placing orders and maintaining the lab and now I manage people and projects and help steer the research we do in the lab in a better direction. 

Q. What does a day in the lab look like? 
A. I have a very long to do list and I prioritize what I can do from there. Three days out of the week I meet with Dr. Simon, and we see if we can fix anything. I try to keep my door open if anything because I know someone will always need my help. 
 
Q. Aside from being a great lab manager, what would you describe as your personal superpower? 
A. I would say my ability to keep calm. I always joke about my body not producing adrenaline, which means in situations where usually someone would be getting anxious, I am not. I would say this is my superpower because being calm I don't feel the need to rush or get myself all worked up.  

Q. If you could share one piece of advice with people interested in research, what would it be? 
A. I would say it is to read; it is the biggest part of our job to constantly be informed of the new studies that are going on. It is always good to read just in case you a are not going to research a topic that has already been studied and published. 

Giulio and some Simon Lab members posing for a photo outside of the lab!

Thank you Giulio for sharing your story and also Aidan Vera for helping with the Spotlight Series!