Hi, I'm Lucas!

Physicist, scriptwriter with kurzgesagt - in a nutshell, and science communicator. And someone who spent years being terrible at explaining his own work.

I became a scientist because I couldn't stop asking questions.

What happens when you shoot neutrons at a polymer? Why do some materials behave completely differently at the nanoscale? How do you design functional materials that can change the world? I did my PhD in functional polymer research at Technical University of Munich (TUM) and a postdoc at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne and the Institute Laue Langevin in Grenoble, before eventually I found my scientific home as an instrument scientist at FRM II — the neutron research reactor at TUM, one of the most powerful research neutron sources in the world.

But here's the thing nobody tells you in academia: being a brilliant scientist and being able to communicate your science are two completely different skills. And the system teaches you exactly one of them.

For years, I couldn't explain what I was working on to my own family. Not at Christmas dinner, not at birthday parties, not in a lift. My research was important — I genuinely believed that — but I had no idea how to make anyone else see it. That gap bothered me more than any failed experiment ever did.

So I started figuring it out. I launched a podcast. I started writing. I experimented with formats, platforms, and stories.

In 2018 I started working with kurzgesagt - in a nutshell

A few years and 50+ scripts later, I've learned what it actually takes to turn complex science into something the world wants to hear. Not dumbing it down. Not hiding the nuance. Just telling the story in a way that makes people lean in rather than tune out.

That's what I want to help you do — and here's exactly how we can work together.

Science doesn't speak for itself

You have to speak for it. The best research in the world has zero impact if no one understands it. Communicating your work is an essential part of doing science. And clarity is not the same as simplicity. You don't have to remove the complexity. You have to give people the context to appreciate it. There's a difference between dumbing things down and lighting the path.

Your personal story is your biggest scientific asset. People don't connect with papers. They connect with people. The reason you chose your field, the moment something surprised you, the question that keeps you up at night. The tiny little things that make science human.

Science communication is a skill. Nobody is born knowing how to explain neutron scattering at a dinner table. It's something you practise, refine, and get better at. Which means anyone can do it — including you.

The world needs scientists who are heard. Not just scientists who publish. Scientists who show up, speak clearly, and make the case for why what they're doing matters. Now more than ever.

If that resonates — let's talk.

The podcast “Your Friendly Physicist and other Nerds” starte as an experiment.

Could I have genuine, unscripted conversations about science with researchers, communicators, and thinkers — and make it interesting to someone who isn't a physicist?

Turns out: yes. Each episode I sit down with a guest who's doing something fascinating and ask the questions I actually want answered. Mostly without fixed scripts. Just some rough talking points and a lot of curiosity.

Listen on Spotify

Want to work together?

Whether you're a research institution looking to train your scientists, a PhD trying to find your voice, or a science media team that needs a writer who actually knows the subject: I'd love to hear from you.