About me
Hi! I’m Lucía Saiz, a biologist and the creator of Disbiotik.
Throughout my life I’ve had many different passions. I grew up in a small coastal town where there wasn’t much to do, so I spent most of my teenage years learning and creating things to fight my own boredom. The internet, and especially YouTube, have been my best allies to explore all those curiosities. I like to think of myself as a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none, and I love being that way.
I guess after all those little learning journeys, and with a DIY mindset, I eventually felt brave enough to bring this project to life. It started as just another hobby, but little by little it has grown into something much bigger ✨
Education & background
I studied Biology at the University of Oviedo and completed a Master’s degree in Advanced Microbiology at the University of Barcelona. I’m currently in the final year of my PhD, where I work on epidemiology, microbial genomics, bioinformatics and antibiotic resistance.
As part of my PhD, I had the incredible opportunity to spend some time doing research at the Big Data Institute at the University of Oxford. Working in such a historic environment and being surrounded by people from all over the world was an incredibly inspiring experience that I will always be grateful for.
How Disbiotik was born
Disbiotik started to take shape in May 2022. At that time, I was combining the early years of my PhD with a job as a lab technician in the Microbiome Unit at Bellvitge University Hospital. The service had just been created and we needed to make our work known to the public, so I came up with the idea of designing a card game to explain what we do and to attract donors during the Science Festival at the University of Barcelona.
A few months later I decided to continue developing the game as a personal project. I had really enjoyed the creative process and people’s reactions when playing it, and I felt the idea could go one step further. My mission was to find fun and well-balanced mechanics that would let people learn science while playing.
The journey of an idea
A key moment for the project was discovering Ludo, the Spanish tabletop game designers’ association. Thanks to the advice and feedback from its members, the game has kept growing and improving into what it is today. Over the years I’ve had the chance to playtest the prototype at different board game conventions and events, both national and international, as well as at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID Global).
Some highlights of this amazing journey have been Protos y Tipos, DAU Barcelona, Córdoba International Board Game Festival, and even SPIEL Essen. I also have very fond memories of my playtests in the UK, where I discovered that designing a board game is a fantastic way to meet local people and feel part of a new culture. From that time, I’d like to thank my friends from Sunday Board Games Cardiff and Playtest UK for welcoming me as one of their own.
None of this would have been possible without all the people who showed interest in the project, sat down to play, or offered feedback purely out of generosity. My deepest thanks — this project also belongs to you! 🧡
The Future of Disbiotik
After hundreds of playtests, countless iterations, and an incredible amount of learning, Disbiotik has reached a very advanced stage of development. What began as a small idea to make science more accessible has grown into a project that has connected with board gamers, healthcare professionals, educators, and curious minds alike.
The journey is still ongoing, and I'm continuing to work on Disbiotik with the same enthusiasm I had on day one. I hope that one day it will find its way to your table. Thank you for being part of this adventure 🧡