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A scientist shares her experience living and working in a country that values and invests in science, rewards entrepreneurship, and offers endless discovery for curious minds.
On a beautiful May Tuesday in Tallinn, 120 people got a taste of the future—quite literally. At Latitude59, a select few diners taste-tested lab-grown, sustainable alternatives to environment-draining ingredients. These novel fats and oils, produced by microbes instead of palm trees or cows, are developed by Estonian biotech startup ÄIO. More specifically, they’re developed by the brilliant scientists at ÄIO. Luísa Czamanski Nora, PhD, is one of those bright minds behind the microbes. Originally from Brazil, where she obtained her master’s and PhD in Molecular Biology from Universidade de São Paulo, Luísa is the Head of Strain Engineering at ÄIO in Tallinn, where she generates yeast strains that produce different types of oil.
But how does a Brazilian scientist end up generating planet-saving yeast strains halfway across the world?
This particular journey began in 2021, when Luísa’s PhD studies in Brazil were interrupted by the pandemic—with the university closed, she was unable to go to the lab to finish her ongoing experiments. Around the same time, Luísa heard from Dr. Nemailla Bonturi and Dr. Petri Jaan Lahtvee about a paper she had published during her master’s degree. The conversation turned into a scholarship offer to complete her PhD at Tallinn University of Technology (Taltech). Soon after, ÄIO was born out of a Taltech spinoff, and Luísa ended up staying in Tallinn to help build the company into the biotech trailblazer it is today.
Creative solutions are born from diverse viewpoints
Now fully immersed in the Estonian startup environment, working alongside colleagues from all over the world—not only Brazil and Estonia, but also Canada, Italy, Armenia, Iran, India and Pakistan—Luísa describes the work culture here as very dynamic. “Of course, there are challenges,” she says. “Each culture has a different way of communicating. We Brazilians, for example, tend to open up to people and bond very quickly, while Estonians are more reserved and it can take months for them to start opening up to you.” Clearly, it has once again proven nearly impossible for Estonia to dodge the “being reserved” allegations (editor’s note: we might as well stop trying). “But at the same time, it enriches the work a lot,” Luísa continues. “Each culture has a different view of the same problem, and we end up having different ways of solving it. Since startups are also very fast-paced environments, it helps a lot to come up with creative solutions for challenges. Every day is a new learning experience.”
Discovering the beauty in navigating change
The differences between Luísa’s life then and now aren’t limited to the office. With a population of roughly 400,000, Tallinn is a whole new world to anyone used to life in São Paulo with its well over 11 million inhabitants. “I really enjoy how peaceful, safe and clean the city is, and how easy it is to get around,” Luísa says.
Estonia’s size gives it other advantages as well. As a small country with a huge startup community—the country famously has the most unicorn startups per capita—Estonia strikes Luísa as a place that rewards an entrepreneurial mindset. “It’s very easy to meet someone who can introduce you to the founders of successful startups like Skype or Wise or Veriff,” she says. “This makes it much easier to grow a startup. The fact that this is a digital country with little bureaucracy also makes it much easier.” Luísa does, however, also confirm our suspicions that the hardest thing for a Brazilian to get used to in Estonia is the winter. But it’s not the cold that’s the biggest hurdle—it’s the darkness. “Every winter I spend here, I learn a new trick on how to avoid seasonal depression.” The tradeoffs, however, make it worth it. “I love the possibility of seeing the aurora borealis quite often,” Luísa says. “I absolutely love the white nights in summer, and I love how everything is so different in every season. I noticed that not only the city changes, but the people also change with the passing of the seasons, and learning to navigate these changes has been a beautiful experience.”
Empowering women in STEM
Having travelled and lived all over the world, it’s safe to say Luísa has a more than respectable sample size when it comes to evaluating life and work environments. And Estonia seems to be passing with flying colours. “The most attractive thing about working in science in Estonia is how you feel valued as a researcher,” she says. “I feel that the job market here respects scientists and invests in science.” When asked about the elephant in the room when it comes to working in science—the gender gaps that still persist in STEM—Luísa acknowledges it but remains just as positive. “we still have a long way to go. But at least my experience has been one where my contributions are respected and not questioned because of my gender. In our startup, most of the leadership positions are occupied by women, including our CEO, and this is very empowering.”
Based on her experience, Luísa is not shy to encourage women to pursue international careers in science and in tech. “I always try to spread the word of STEM when I meet young girls.” She says. “Science allowed me to travel all over the world, live in three different continents, meet all sorts of people and cultures, and grow not only professionally but also as a person.”
And while she warns against idealising a career in science—“It’s incredibly challenging for everyone, and often even tougher for women, demanding a lot of sweat and tears”—Luísa still firmly believes that’s precisely why the world needs more girls pursuing scientific paths. “Because there’s absolutely nothing women can’t do, and there is something truly beautiful in knowing you are doing something good for the planet and causing a positive impact.”
