Professor Dr Bart Thomma (Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Evolutionary Microbiology) talks about what gets him up in the morning, the freedom of academic research, and his work at the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence. In his interview with Dr Maria Schmitz-Hüser, Head of Recruiting, he shares his excitement about pushing boundaries in diverse, cross-disciplinary science – and how making exciting things happen can help save the world.