Since a month has already passed and activities are in full swing, we started off by having a chat with some of the current students to hear what made them decide to join this year’s class.
Research School | Fifth anniversary!
With the kick-off at the start of October, the 23/24 WCMM Research School has officially begun. As this year marks the fifth anniversary of the WCMM Research School, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past and present, and to check in with some current and past attendees to hear their thoughts on the school.
| Jana Bonsberger, PhD student
"As my group is not part of the WCMM, I was interested in the latest advancements happening at the center. The opportunity to meet the PI's and to learn from experts with different career paths, along with collaborating with peers, provides excellent networking opportunities. I also expect to further develop my practical skills with new hands-on experience in interdisciplinary techniques that otherwise would not be a part of my PhD project."
| Nadiia Kravchenko, PhD student
"I heard good things about the research school from the lab, since another PhD student had attended one of the previous schools. I look forward to hearing about what is happening around the center and to connect with other PhD students and hear what they are working on. This could also give me some new ideas for my own projects and potential collaborations."
Research School alumni
Since its start in 2018, the WCMM Research School has seen dozens of attendees from a wide array of scientific fields. With the content varying from year to year, the experiences between one class and another are never quite the same, and the structure of the activities is constantly evolving. We checked in with some of the research school alumni to see what they thought of their time as attendees.
| Daniel Twohig, Postdoc
"During the WCMM research school 2022-2023, I particularly enjoyed getting to know the PI's and other students and peers, as I made several good connections and new friends. The one-on-one time with the professors and guest lecturers had plenty of time set aside for asking questions, and gave a behind-the-scenes look into their careers and the steps they've taken to where they are today."
| Lisa Porschen, PhD student
"I was a trainee in the WCMM research school 2022-2023. I really enjoyed building new professional contacts by interacting with other researchers, PhD students, and postdocs. This allowed me to expand by network and gain insights into a wide range of projects - even from completely different fields, such as physics! A highlight for me was the grant writing workshop, where I gained practical knowledge that I believe will be useful in my future career as a young researcher.”
| David Hidalgo, PhD student
“I joined the research school for the course 2021-2022. I had the chance to interact with a lot of fellow PhD students and PIs from all kinds of disciplines and research fields. During my time there I was also exposed to a variety of different techniques and research approaches that I could later apply to my own project(s) and my own career development. Also got very insightful talks and advice from the hand of PI's describing their experience and sharing their knowledge and experience from how to be successful grant writers, how to bring our research to the clinics to scientific ethics discussions.”
| Lotte Vanherle, PhD
"I attended the research school during 2019-2020. As a trainee representative, I enjoyed organizing the guest speaker visits. By planning both their travel and making a schedule for the time in Lund, I have improved my organization skills. I always enjoyed the workshops a lot, particularly getting to know new techniques and getting some hands-on experience. I also had a lot of fun with the grant writing workshops where I got to collaborate with another attendee on creating a new project. We won one of the grants and actually executed the project that we had thought out!"
It would seem that with a healthy mix of hands-on experience, new technological developments, and a good portion of networking, the WCMM research school can proudly display five successful years of coaching young scientists – and we can’t wait to see what this year has in store!
Text: Elin Arvidsson & Paula Martos Salvo, WCMM Research School communicators