The young aging researcher and molecular biologist Slaven Stekovic has been teaching and researching the topic of aging and health at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences at Karl Franzens University in Graz for almost a decade. In 2018, his book “The Young Cell Effect” was published, which shed light on the effects of autophagy and periodic fasting on aging. As one of the leading young minds in this area, he has received several awards and was therefore on the Forbes 30under30 list. Dr. Stekovic teaches at several European universities, including Cambridge in Great Britain, and is primarily concerned with the application of scientific discoveries and new technologies in real environments.

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You are a molecular biologist and have dedicated yourself to age and longevity research. What sparked your interest in this area?

On the one hand, it was the curiosity of a scientist, but on the other hand, the fear of death that we all carry within us. Seeing death as a part of our life, or its consequence, has given me a clear direction. Understanding the fragile construct of human biology, became an all-encompassing topic for me. That's why I did what a scientist can do — ask questions, collect clues, make and refute hypotheses... and at some point it became a passion that also accompanies me in everyday life. My family story was also partly involved - apart from medical books, which I really enjoyed as a child, I was fascinated since my youth that I knew my great-aunts, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, but the male pondons were always missing.

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What do you hope to achieve as an aging and longevity researcher?

By understanding aging processes, we can understand the origin or at least the mechanisms of age-related diseases and get a better grip on them. The resulting added value for patients with type 2 diabetes, tumour diseases, dementia or muscle and joint problems is obvious. But I also find it exciting how much more we all could do if our lives were less affected by the aging process. More music, more art, more time together and, of course, more productivity in our lives. I am convinced that with the Better understanding of aging the balancing act between economic efficiency and hedonism be able to do better in our society, but also as individuals.

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What is the most beautiful/fulfilling aspect of your work?

The only thing that is always present in my work is change. Always dealing with new topics, learning from new scientific disciplines and technologies, being constantly in touch with colleagues from all over the world — these are just a few aspects of my working life that ensure continuous variety. All of this is based on simple principles. The end goal is to learn the truth. It's a destination that we'll never fully reach, but I'm doing it to enjoy the trip, not because I think I can reach the destination.

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What was your biggest aha moment as a scientist?

You often imagine the life of a scientist as if scientific discoveries were the center of the universe for us. But for me, this is just a nice and very welcome side effect. My biggest aha moment, which I can relive again and again, is the realisation of how logical and simple everything in nature is. From the outside, you can see the complexity — the many colors of a flower meadow, the complex structure of a cell, the interaction of particles in time and space. No matter what topic I deal with in nature, I am always amazed. Not only do all components play a role in the entire system, but the Interactions and dependencies are incredibly well-thought-out and elegant. Nature is a wonder.

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If you could change one thing about our current understanding of longevity, what would it be?

Longevity has significantly less to do with delaying death. We are much more concerned with the issue of improving the quality of life. I don't mean a bigger apartment or faster car. It's more about having more healthy years in a lifetime. Fewer illnesses, or at least significantly later in life. That is true longevity. We have already achieved a great deal in this regard — medicine, the social system and the economy have already brought us a long way, but with new technologies, we can already achieve much more today. I am very optimistic about what the future will bring But I'm also excited, which Opportunities we already have today.