Career inspirations - portraits of FyFa alumni
Get inspired by our former students and see what your future can be
Silvia Bergt
In what way do you think that the TPP program prepared you for the next step in your career?
The Translational Physiology and Pharmacology programme at Karolinska Institutet not only provided me with a solid foundation in both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in physiology and pharmacology, but also provided a platform for building lasting connections and networking. The opportunity to engage with a diverse community of researchers and professionals was invaluable. These connections have been instrumental in guiding my career path, offering mentorship, and opening doors to advanced research opportunities.
What is your current position/employment?
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Molecular and Translational Pharmacology at the University of Copenhagen within the B-ACTIVE Marie Curie Doctoral Network. My research focuses on the regulation of chemokine receptor signalling by post-translational modifications, which are crucial for the immune system. Our findings are expected to enhance our understanding of the complex regulation of the chemokine network, thus providing insights for future drug discovery in the context of cancerous and inflammatory diseases.
Federico Picciao
In what way do you think that did the TPP program prepared you for the next step in your career?
Translational Physiology and Pharmacology has been central to my preparation for my career as a scientist. It gave me a way to grow professionally and personally, to expand my network meeting enlightened minds from all the corners of the World, and taught me to think like a scientist. If I went back, I would not think twice; choosing this program was the best choice I could have made and I would do it agan a milion times. If today I am who I am and I am where I am and I am proud of all this, it is also thanks to TPP, my lecturers and classmates. You will always have a special place in my heart.
What is your current position/employment - describe in a few sentences what you do? Or what type of position are you aiming to pursue?
I am currently working as a Research Assistant at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen. I am part of Christoffer Clemmensen's Group (Metabolism and Molecular Pharmacology). The work I am doing is in close collaboration with a Danish pharmaceutical company. My main task for the next few months is to make a report and literature review regarding novel potential therapeutic strategies for reducing obesity based on physiological mechanisms that naturally induce weight loss. I love my Team and the project I am involved in, which I hope to continue soon with a PhD. Beyond work, I am part of the Leadership Team of Nucleate Denmark. In this context I am actively contributing to organize the Activator Program. The goal is to empower recent graduates and academics to take their ideas from the lab to reality by creating startups. It requires a large part of my free time, but it is a project that is very close to my values and is bringing me so much satisfaction.
Jette Ritz
Graduated from MTPP 2024
What is your current position/employment?
I am a PhD student at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in the group of Mathieu Vinken, who focuses on in vitro liver toxicity. My project investigates changes in drug metabolism and transporters due to simulated space conditions, such as microgravity and radiation. I work with various types of human liver cells and hope to incorporate spheroids in the future. My analysis includes studying transcriptional, translational, and functional changes observed under simulated microgravity. I’m grateful that the program provided me the opportunity to complete my master’s thesis in this field already, which ultimately led me to pursue my PhD in Brussels.
In what way do you think that the MTPP program prepared you for the next step in your career?
The MTPP program prepared me well for understanding the research process and provided me with a toolkit of various techniques and methods. I learned how to plan research —from writing grants and project plans to executing them. We had many hands-on demonstrations, which allowed us to see firsthand what (pre-)clinical research looks like and gain a clearer vision for our future careers. Since many topics fall in the category of physiology and pharmacology, we had the freedom to talk and plan our project ideas, and the faculty were receptive, giving us the chance to test whether our ideas were feasible or needed adjustments. This experience has been invaluable in preparing me for interviews and project discussions.
Yuchen Lu
Graduated from MTPP 2024
What is your current position/employment?
I am currently a PhD student enrolled in King's College London. I am working on a project funded by British Medical Research Council and AstraZeneca. The project is about trying to understand the hurdles and resolve the discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetics of PROTACs. I will fly to Gorthoburg next year to complete part of my project.
I chose to do my PhD in KCL because I always know I want to do research and development in industry and I need a PhD degree to pursue my career goal. Therefore, an industry collaborated PhD suits my interest.
In what way do you think that the MTPP program prepared you for the next step in your career?
I think the course structure of TPP gives students a lot of freedom choosing if they want to take a research internship where they can practice and integrity what they have learnt in the real world. Moreover, I think taking these internships or placements or projects is very important for understanding where your research interests lie on, so you can avoid or focus on these fields in the future. I also enjoyed the animal courses (practice and critiquing the animal models) and many frontier skills or techniques delivered by this course (e.g., nanoBRET) as I found many people never know them despite their usefulness. Although these courses and knowledge did not prepare me for my future career directly, it is very relevant to the pharma and health science industry in general.