We have been given the opportunity to continue our reportage series where we interviewed Amanda Sjögren about her work.
Earlier this year, we wrote about Ph.D. student Amanda Sjögren, who started her position at Lund University in the spring of 2022. Now, a little over a year into her work and studies, we have interviewed her again to find out more about what has happened since then. If you missed the previous texts, you'll find the first one here.
Amanda shares that she has now completed all the mandatory courses included in her position. These courses started in the fall and finished this spring. The courses were divided into a few weeks at a time, and in between, Amanda worked on her other projects. She mentions that the courses have been instructive and covered topics like statistics and oral presentations. Amanda appreciated meeting more doctoral students and being inspired by their work; many of them had different backgrounds. Some were part-time doctoral students who also worked clinically in healthcare, so their work situations differed from her own.
"I have started working on a manuscript with some colleagues, and we hope to submit it to a journal as soon as possible. In addition to that, I have a couple of other projects in progress."
During the weeks, Amanda works both from home and at the office, and some weeks she spends almost all her working time in the lab. She values the variety and flexibility that comes with her work. The experience so far has been relatively consistent with the picture Amanda had of it, although, some things are different. "Laboratory work doesn't always go as planned, so it's essential to be flexible and think of new approaches. Since many things being tested in the lab are entirely new, it's hard to predict the results in advance. The ability to adapt and be flexible constantly develops in my position here." Amanda also reflects that much is new even for her supervisors and other senior colleagues in her environment, most likely for the same reason mentioned above: many things tested in the lab are entirely novel.
"A colleague told me that the results of one of our studies differ from what they are used to seeing. For me, it's challenging to notice such differences since everything is still so new to me."
As a doctoral student, Amanda has had the opportunity to travel several times, both within Sweden and abroad. She has attended two conferences, the latest one in Italy (read more about the conference here). She explains that it spanned almost a whole week, with the first two days dedicated to doctoral students and junior researchers, who had previously submitted a so-called abstract—a summary of their work. Some presented their abstracts on stage, while others presented them in poster format, which Amanda did. She mentions that during the conference, both junior and senior researchers circulated to view the various posters presented.
In addition to conferences, Amanda also had the chance to participate when another research group traveled to Switzerland to collect synchrotron data. They went to a facility called PSI, and once there, the equipment was booked for a week of work, running 24/7, which meant intense work both day and night.
"I wasn't involved in planning the methods used or which samples were to be run, but it was instructive, fun, and intense to be there and help," Amanda recounts.
We were curious about what Amanda enjoys most about her job, and there are several aspects she appreciates. "I enjoy being part of the whole journey with a project, from collecting data to analyzing it and then writing about it. Specifically, I like data analysis and writing. With the help of competent colleagues who provide valuable feedback, I can see my texts improve even more, which is genuinely enjoyable."
We will continue to follow Amanda during her time as a doctoral student, so keep an eye out for the next update later this year!
