Frieda Leesh
Biomedical Researcher
Vienna
At Syntropic, she strengthens the company’s neuroscience foundation with her advanced research on neurobiology.
“From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. I was the kid who always first wanted to spend weekends at science museums and loved doing little experiments around the house.”
Frieda grew up in Radebeul, a charming town in Saxony, Germany, located in close proximity to Dresden. After earning both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry and Biotechnology in her home country, she made the bold decision to move to Israel for her master’s thesis, drawn by the country’s reputation as a hub for biological discovery combined with cutting-edge technology. There, she joined the laboratory of Professor R. Shalom-Feuerstein at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, where she was exposed to a highly diverse, fast-paced, and creative scientific environment, working on mechanisms of skin and cornea development and homeostasis.
After gaining valuable expertise in one of the world’s leading science and tech hubs, Frieda returned to Europe to continue her research career and embark on the challenging journey of a Ph.D.
“I went through the interviews and eventually met my former mentor and principal investigator. The project she proposed was wildly ambitious, but what struck me most was her honesty. I remember sitting in her office during the interview and candidly admitting, ‘Listen, I have no clue about this topic. My knowledge consists of what I learned from textbooks in university.’ Her response surprised me—she looked at me and said, ‘Honestly, that’s about as much as I know about this project too.’ In that moment, her transparency won me over.”
She earned her Ph.D. at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, where she investigated how an egg develops into an embryo, specifically focusing on how maternal ribosomes are stored in the egg prior to fertilisation in the laboratory of Dr. A. Pauli. During her Ph.D., she published her work in renowned scientific journals, including Nature (Leesch, Lorenzo-Orts et al., 2023), presented at international conferences and developed a strong passion for science communication.
“In science, you never know what you might discover. However, regardless of how impressive the infrastructure may be, progress is driven by bold and unconventional ideas.”
What motivated her pivot from academia to entrepreneurship?
“In academia, you work independently, advocating for yourself and gathering your own resources; in essence, you are your project. While you’re always pushing forward, it’s from an individual perspective. I was fortunate to work in a team for most parts of my Ph.D., but when thinking about the future, I wanted to be part of a team united by a common goal. In a start-up, everyone moves in the same direction, driven by a shared vision and mission.”
Frieda also felt a strong desire to work on something that would make a meaningful contribution to society and create a tangible positive impact. When she met the founders of Syntropic Medical, she was convinced that she had found a project and team that aligned with her aims and values.
“Meeting the team members, seeing their excitement and enthusiasm, and getting to know the research in detail made it immediately clear that this was the goal I wanted to work towards.”
Want to connect with Frieda? Reach out to info@syntropicmedical.com