My name is Emmanouil Chatzakis, or as most people call me, Manos. I was born and raised in Heraklion, Greece where I also completed my studies earning a BSc in chemistry and a MSc degree in biochemistry. During my school years I used to actively play tennis and table tennis, and later at university I shifted my interest to Padel which I played intensively for many years with my brother. Right after my master’s, I moved to Graz, to pursue a PhD in biocatalysis, split between the groups of Wolfgang Kroutil and Pedro Murcia, focusing on experimental and computational work, respectively. In my project, I work with thioesterases for the production of lactones. When I’m not dealing with these enzymes and compounds, I like to spend time with friends, watch movies, occasionally go bouldering (some people will laugh with that), along with making some recent attempts to read more books and improve my German. Overall, I enjoy balancing research with the simple things in life that can keep me motivated and consistent.