Muhammad Irfan Afridi is an AMBER postdoctoral researcher based at the Laboratory of Mitochondrial Biogenesis at IMol, the Polish Academy of Sciences.

A man, Muhammad Irfan Afridi. Photo. — Muhammad Irfan Afridi was attracted to AMBER because of the community it represented - the chance it offers to share ideas and meet with other scientists.

What attracted you to the AMBER position?

I was attracted to AMBER because it offers the perfect environment and facilities to conduct high-level research. Beyond the equipment, what really stood out to me was the community. It gives me the chance to share ideas with wonderful scientists, which I think is the best way to broaden your mind and keep learning as a researcher

What is your background?

I have a PhD with a major in immunity. My previous research focused on how organisms survive under pathogenic conditions using a genetic model. I worked on identifying the molecular mechanisms and patterns that allow a system to endure when it is under threat. I am now merging that experience with my work at IMol to understand how these same principles of survival and adaptation apply at the mitochondrial level.

What will you research in your postdoc project?

My research focuses on the "TIM23 complex", which is the main machinery for protein import into the mitochondria. I am specifically interested in how the cell maintains mitochondrial biogenesis under stress. I am studying the signaling pathways and factors like TIMM17A and TIMM17B to see how the import process is regulated or adjusted when the cell is struggling. I want to find out how the mitochondria protect their function during these periods of instability.

What is your motivation and drive in your personal and private life?

I am a very curious person by nature. I get my drive from solving problems and finding out how things work. In both my work and my personal life, I enjoy the process of learning something new every day. I believe that staying curious and open to new ideas is what helps you grow, both as a scientist and as a person.

About AMBER

The EU-funded research project AMBER, Advanced Multiscale Biological imaging using European Research infrastructures, addresses scientific and sectoral gaps in biological imaging ranging from molecular, through cellular, to tissue, organ and organism levels of organisation.

AMBER’s partner organisations are: Lund University/MAX IV, Sweden, the European Spallation Source (ESS), Sweden, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), France, the International Institute of Molecular Mechanisms and Machines, (IMOL), Poland, and the Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, United Kingdom.

AMBER is coordinated by LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science.