Researchers often start their careers with a Ph.D. Earlier this year, Amanda Sjögren began her Ph.D. in Lund at the clinical epidemiology unit, orthopedics, Lund University. During her Ph.D., we will get the opportunity to get an insight into her work and what she's actually doing.
Amanda has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in biotechnics from Chalmers, Gothenburg. Her interest in research increased during her master's since several courses included in the education had a connection to research via the teachers of the courses. After graduation, she worked in a lab for six months but realized after a while that she missed academia. "Work in the laboratory was very monotonous, and that's rarely the case in academia".
Well, what is a Ph.D., and how does it work?
Being a Ph.D. student means that Amanda takes the highest education possible in Sweden. Some courses are mandatory during the Ph.D., but at the same time, it's a job since one gets employment at the university where the Ph.D. takes place. What makes this employment special is that the Ph.D. student has a salary since it's employment, but at the same time, the person is a student as well. As always, there are exceptions, for example, it's possible to get scholarships instead, and in that case, it might differ.
During Amanda's four years as a Ph.D. student, she will have to fulfill several learning outcomes. Some of these learning outcomes are included in the thesis that is mandatory to write, but there are other learning outcomes as well. Another thing that one has to do is to present one's work in an international arena. In some Ph.D.'s, teaching is mandatory as well, but that's not the case for Amanda.
The aim of Amanda's research is to be able to contribute a small piece of the puzzle to a big puzzle. She wants to contribute to osteoarthritis research on a molecular level and tells us that the ultimate aim is to find a marker or something that can explain osteoarthritis. Furthermore, she tells us that part of her aim is to learn how to do research, by doing research! "After all, this is a research education". By being surrounded by experienced researchers, she hopes to learn the best ways to plan studies, follow them through and analyze data. She also wants to spend time in the laboratory to ensure she gets to be a part of the "whole process".
