Leon completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and his M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Freiburg, Germany. During his studies, he developed a strong interest in Synthetic Biology, joining the Freiburg iGEM team in 2022 as a member and later supporting future teams as an advisor and instructor in 2023 and 2024, respectively. His passion for Synthetic Biology lies in developing tools that help the research community by streamlining and automating tasks, both computationally and directly via biological circuits. Inspired by the biochemical diversity of plants and the complexity of eukaryotic systems, Leon now investigates how pectin-related signals are transmitted through the apoplast and across cell membranes to regulate developmental pathways, with a particular focus on vascular tissue differentiation. Leon joined the lab as a PhD student in February 2025.