Thomas Jacobs – Transplanting, adapting, and flourishing in a new environment

What do baseball, plant genome editing, and failure have in common? More than you might think.In this episode, Thomas Jacobs talks about growing up with a love for plants and baseball, following his curiosity from the US to Belgium, and building a career in plant genome editing at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology. His approach to science is refreshingly straightforward: expect things to fail, focus on the question in front of you, and take it one pitch at a time.Thomas also shares what surprised him about moving to VIB, from the scale of the scientific support to a culture where collaboration is real, lab doors are open, and sharing is just part of the job. He reflects on team culture, sustainable lab practices, fast-moving technologies like nanopore sequencing and AI, and why fundamental discovery still matters, even when you do not yet know where it will lead.Looking for a place where curiosity, teamwork, and ambitious science can grow side by side? Explore opportunities at VIB via jobs.vib.be. #researchjobs #plantscience #genomeediting #lifesciencesLet us know your Dare to Ask questions in the comments or via this form.________________________________________Called to Science is a podcast by VIB. Produced by De Praeters.