Alumni AudioLab is a monthly podcast series where alumni of the OeAD talk about themselves and their research. The OeAD brings together researchers from all over the world and from different fields of research who spent part of their research career in Austria – some of them have even stayed here. In the Alumni AudioLab they tell their stories, talk about their scientific ambitions, their motivations and their personal backgrounds. It is an open format for all those who are not only interested in science as such but also in the people behind it.
https://oead.at/en/to-austria/alumni/audiolab
AAL_39 with Apinun Limmongkon
Apinun Limmongkon has been conducting research on antioxidants and secondary metabolite production since her bachelor's degree. These substances are not only a much researched but still little explored area in the food and cosmetics industry. Above all they are very important in medical research that expects a lot from them, for example in the fight against dementia. Under stress or adverse conditions, plants produce active ingredients that allow them to defend themselves. These are not important for the primary life of the plant but are very effective when it comes to defeat dangers from ozone or parasites. Apinun Limmongkon came from Thailand to Austria in the early 2000s to graduate her PhD at the University of Vienna. In 2008 and 2021, she returned for further research. In her home country Thailand, Apinun Limmongkon not only conducts research, but also inspires her students – distinguishingly female – for biochemistry.
In this podcast, she talks about her stays in Austria, the role of peanut hairy roots in her research and why the question of whether women have a harder time in science is no issue for her.