Ulrich Müller is Professor at BOKU Vienna, and it would not be incorrect to say that he is currently one of the brightest minds in wood science. As a trained carpenter he has worked in industry for years, before starting an academic career. He has pursued numerous industry- focused developments, and all his projects are strongly rooted in a basic wood science understanding ("we need to start with the cell wall!"). He runs projects with e.g. the major German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, to develop wooden components for automotives. Beside wood science, Ulrich is a fictional novelist and has written several books (in German), and runs also a Youtube channel that includes wood science teaching videos. His personal philosophy is fostered by two complementary words: curiosity and creativity.