Bernd Steklis

How did you become interested in biology?

I have always had an interest in animals and the natural world, mostly stemming from accompanying my parents on trips to conduct their research on mountain gorillas in Rwanda throughout my childhood. Spending time in jungles and remote locations gave me plenty of time to investigate the amazing world that surrounded me. As I grew up, my parents fostered my interest in nature and guided me to approach my exploration from a scientific point of view. This instilled in me a great sense of appreciation for the natural world and a lot of questions that I wanted to answer about how everything works. That sense of awe and curiosity has been a driving force in my academic trajectory and I'm very happy with where it has taken me so far.

Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus

Although I've always been passionate about biology, I also just want to know how everything works. This desire led me to study math, physics, psychology and eventually engineering. After spending my first two years in undergrad bouncing between majors, I stumbled across a field I had never heard of before: biomimicry. Biomimicry is the study of natural systems as models for developing solutions to engineering challenges. I immediately fell in love with biomimicry since it was the perfect combination of learning how natural systems work while still applying that knowledge in ways that potentially benefit humanity. I switched my major to the closest thing I could find to biomimicry, which at the time was biomedical engineering. After graduating, I found the Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center at the University of Akron in Ohio, USA, and joined as a PhD fellow, partnered with a local construction polymer company, Tremco CPG. Before choosing what my research focus would be, I interviewed anyone involved in the construction industry, primarily asking them questions about the current challenges and technology shortcomings in construction. The biggest challenge that kept coming up in those interviews was all-weather adhesion and specifically adhesion in wet conditions. After some preliminary research, I identified the unlikely candidate of spiders as a biological model for solving this challenge. Spiders are masters of adhesion. They produce small silk and glue structures called attachment discs that they use to adhere web strands to the environment. Since spiders inhabit every kind of environment imaginable, they also use attachment discs to adhere in many challenging environmental conditions. There's even a species of spider, the diving bell spider, that builds webs completely underwater using a type of attachment disc. With spiders selected as my biological model, I began my research focused on answering the question ‘how do some spider species’ attachment discs stick in wet environments?’. That question still hasn't fully been answered but hopefully, with more research, we can identify the functional elements that allow for wet adhesion and maybe even design a new adhesive based on that information.

How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?

In my paper ‘Riparian spiders make pyriform silk attachment discs that stick better when wet’, I found that the small silk/glue structures that spiders use to attach their silk to the environment (attachment discs) stick better in wet conditions for spiders that live in habitats with high water presence compared with the attachment discs of spiders that live in dry habitats. This is evidence that spiders in wet habitats have evolved specialized attachment discs that perform well in wet conditions. We are still not sure what the exact mechanism is that allows for this difference in performance, but identifying the functional elements of the attachment discs that can stick when wet may allow for the development of novel adhesives using the same functionality that can perform well in wet conditions.

What do you enjoy most about research, and why?

There are a couple aspects of research that I really enjoy, but I think I enjoy them at very different levels. Conceptually, I am truly grateful to be able to participate in advancing humanity's understanding of the world and contribute to the body of knowledge that exists, especially in a way that can potentially lead to concrete advancements in technology that could positively influence the lives of living beings. Practically, the act of conducting experiments can be tedious but there is also a lot of satisfaction in the process of conducting a research project, seeing it through to the end, and being able to learn something new from the results of your hard work. I'm also glad I got to work with living organisms, as spending time observing how animals behave and interact with the world always renews my curiosity to learn more about them. Plus, I just love animals and getting to interact with them in any way, even spiders.

What is your favourite animal, and why?

That's a tough question and I think the answer may change on a daily basis but right now my favorite animal is the pangolin. They're just so unique looking since they're basically like armored ant eaters that are semi-bipedal. I know there's been some biomimetic-type research that's been done with their scales and the biomechanics of how they curl up, but I think my interest mostly comes from them just looking so strange. A close second place is the velvet worm since they're both cute and they produce a scientifically really interesting glue material that I've been trying to get my hands on for a long time to study.

Do you have a top tip for others just starting out at your career stage?

One of the most common struggles that new graduate students come across is that it seems like every idea has already been had and written about by a scientist 20 years ago. It's often discouraging when you come up with a seemingly great idea and after some research you find out that there's already several papers exploring it. While it can be disheartening, finding yourself in that position means that your idea was a good one and you just have to keep thinking. If you just keep reading and thinking hard about your research topic, there are always new approaches to old ideas or gaps in our understanding that can add a lot to the field of science. As a newly graduated PhD, the biggest challenge is always what to do next. There isn't really one good solution that works for everyone, but always pursue your interests and you'll eventually find a niche that fits what you want to do. ‘Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life’ is something my parents reinforced in my thinking and it is absolutely true.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I try to keep a roster of hobbies that I rotate through as my interests change, but currently I do HEMA, bouldering, archery, video editing, working out, hiking and some video gaming in my free time. I think keeping a diverse roster of hobbies keeps life fun and learning new skills is very rewarding. I'm also a huge fan of sci-fi books and I almost always have some type of audiobook playing. If you like spiders and science fiction I recommend reading Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

What's next for you?

I'm currently looking for a job where I can continue to pursue biomimetic research for the betterment of the planet. Luckily, biomimicry has gained a lot of popularity over the years I was in grad school and it seems like many industries are embracing it so I'm excited for where I will end up next.