Warm-hearted, organized, resilient

"Gina is a very warm-hearted person that keeps the whole lab running on her own. She is extremely organized, which is a key to a well run lab. She always offers to help you if you have any problem."

Nominated by Jessica Jung, HITBR, ZI Mannheim, Germany

 

Efficient, hard-working, knowledgeable

"Frau. Gina Tillmann is an irreplaceable asset in our lab. She has more than 10 years experience in handling human stem cell derived 2D and 3D models. She is very knowledgeable and always more than willing to help the research students and scientists in the lab to troubleshoot and establish protocols. Her sincerity, dedication and passion towards her work makes her an ideal candidate for the award."

Nominated by Sreedevi Raghu, Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany

 

Irreplacable lab mastermind

"Ms. Gina Tillmann is the person who keeps our neuroscience stem cell lab running reliably, smoothly, and with incredible precision every single day. She holds together a complex network of people, projects, and logistics, making sure that nothing ever slips through the cracks. Gina’s exceptional organization and attention to detail are unmatched. With more than twenty researchers working on different experiments at once, she manages hundreds of reagents and small molecules used across all our projects — and somehow, we never run out of anything. It’s the kind of work that makes everything else possible. She’s also an outstanding experimentalist with deep technical expertise in techniques such as hiPSC reprogramming, cell culture, and the generation of 3D organoids and spheroids. Her work directly supports our research on brain development and neuropeptide signaling. One thing that crowns her work in our lab is the exceptional kindness and understanding. No matter what happens — an urgent order, a contaminated culture, a broken piece of equipment — Gina handles it with incredible calmness, reassurance, and support. She’s the person everyone turns to for help, and she always finds a way to solve our issues. Her support makes the lab not just efficient, but also a genuinely positive place to work. In short, Gina combines technical excellence, flawless organization, and a truly generous spirit. She ensures that the science happens, that the people doing it are supported, and that the lab feels like a team. For all of us, she really is the heart of the lab — and a true definition of a Lab Hero."

Nominated by Ana Zovko, Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany