I am an astrophysicist studying some of the most fascinating beasts of the Universe: supermassive black holes. These objects are found at the center of most galaxies and, when they accrete, can become the brightest persistent sources of radiation in the Cosmos. Supermassive black holes are also believed to play an important role in the life of their host galaxies, and might therefore help us to understand how galaxies evolve through Cosmic time.