10 months into my PhD, I did my first Secondment at the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) working with my PhD colleague Alice Keirle and her supervisors Martin Schepelmann and Enikö Kallay. Having studied and worked in Vienna for almost 9 years, there wasn’t a big culture shock, but there were certainly lots of new things to learn.
In the lab, I had the opportunity to gain insights on how the efficacy of anticancer drugs can be assessed. I was trained in cell line maintenance and using the Incucyte® to conduct cell confluency assays upon treatment with various combinations of drugs. I particularly enjoyed that I experienced working through an experiment from start to finish: The planning stage, including figuring out what numbers and concentrations make sense and are feasible; moving on to conducting the experiment; and then working with the Incucyte® software to analyse the data. Last, I presented my findings to the research group. I value this experience a lot, because as a formulation scientist working mainly in chemistry, it can be hard to grasp what the challenges and difficulties of collaborators on the biological side are. I feel that after this project, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the work.
One of the highlights outside the lab was definitely attending the IPA (Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research) retreat in my first week. It was a day of scientific presentations, discussions, and chats and fun games in the sun afterwards. It was great to talk to researchers and students from various backgrounds and exchange experiences. The fact that I got to know everyone and their research in this casual environment felt like my experience was catalysed: It quickly made me feel comfortable in the lab and allowed me to make lasting connections.
After four weeks, it was time to return to Dublin. Whilst I enjoyed broadening my skill set in a different area and looking at “eRaDicate” from a new perspective, it also made me eager to come back to Dublin and work on advancing my part of the project – so I am leaving Vienna with a tear in one eye and a smile in the other.