What is your study background?
I completed the bachelor's program in Health and Life Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which was a combination of health and biomedical sciences. I chose the clinical track because I always enjoyed the clinical aspects of research. I was uncertain whether it would be better to focus on the biomedical or health sciences paths and I felt like the clinical track allowed me to keep my options somewhat open. Subsequently, I did a neuroscience minor because I had always found the brain fascinating, and I enjoyed it immensely, which led me to the Neuroscience Master's program.

How did you find out that you enjoyed the clinical side?
I think my preference emerged because I always chose a broad path, allowing me to experience a bit of everything. I have worked in a lab before, but I noticed I mostly enjoyed seeing the results and not the lab-work itself. I do find fundamental research very interesting because it forms the basis of everything. However, being able to move forward with these results and try bringing them closer to the patient felt like a better fit to me. Partially because it more clearly shows the direct relevance of the findings, but of course, that differs from person to person.

Where do you work now? And what is your role?
I've been working at the Alzheimer's Center for a year and a half now. I'm doing a PhD on the BeyeOMARKER project, which involves screening for early Alzheimer's disease. We do this by combining blood tests and eye scans, which we're testing in a population that visits Bergman eye clinic.

Tell us about the start of your PhD? Did you get assigned projects or come up with them yourself?
I think it's very different for everyone. I was already working there as a research assistant on another project, AMYPAD, which was a PET study on Alzheimer’s disease. When that project ended, I was looking for what I wanted to do next. Then the BeyeOMARKER project came up as a vacancy, and I applied for it. However, I also hear that people sometimes take the initiative for a project themselves, for example by writing grant proposals for a PhD.

What is your work environment like?
I knew what the work atmosphere was like at the Alzheimer’s Center since I already worked there as an intern and as research assistant. I am now experiencing it as I positive working environment, but I also remember that I needed some time to adjust to being in quite a driven working environment. On one hand, I find that aspect appealing, but for me it also meant that I felt some pressure or insecurity in the beginning. Over time, I noticed that I had grown into it. Currently, I am working with very nice and supportive colleagues and supervisors. The team is also fairly young as there are many other PhD students: I really enjoy this because we are all in the same phase and encounter similar challenges. I think that's really valuable.

Which aspects of your PhD do you really enjoy?
What I really enjoy is that you have quite a lot of freedom. You get to experience many different aspects of research. From starting up a project to administration to seeing participants, it makes the work varied. I also enjoy that it's a larger group, so you get to see and learn a lot from everyone. The Alzheimer's Center is really broad; there's all kinds of research. Because of that, I also have quite a lot of contact with other researchers, as studies often intersect.

Which tasks about your PhD do you find more difficult?
I think it's generally well-known that there are struggles involved in a PhD. You learn many new things, which is, of course, also an advantage. However, it's also a disadvantage that sometimes you feel like you have to figure so many things out before you can make progress. Additionally, a PhD is a long process, where you're often dependent on other people and organizations. Because of this, it can sometimes feel like that the progress is slower than you want it to be.

Did your expectations of a PhD match up with what it's actually like to do one?
Yes, on one hand, they did because I had already worked in the department before, so I knew what to expect. However, when you read a job description, you have a certain idea of what you'll be doing daily. In this first year and a half, that has been very different from what I thought. I was still very optimistic that the project would be approved quickly and that we would already be measuring patients by now. Instead, I worked mostly on preparing the project, a grant submission, and on getting the project approved. This was also a good learning experience, but different than I expected. You always spend a lot longer on the preparation of a project than you might expect beforehand, but this might also be different for a PhD where there is already data compared to setting up an entire project.

Would you have done it differently in hindsight?
No, it's good as it is now. I'm just really curious to see how far the project progresses within the time of my own PhD. If your project is delayed, then you might not get to experience certain outcomes of the project during the PhD itself, which I would find a pity. I can't oversee that yet because there are so many things you don't have control over. It's ultimately just part of the process. The most important thing is that if you're going to do a PhD, you need to choose a place that feels good. You have to feel comfortable and have good supervision. That makes half the difference. I enjoy being in a young team, so you can take each other along a bit. Then you also have fun moments that take some of the pressure off.

What kind of choices did you make during your studies in preparation for a PhD?
I always consciously kept my studies broad. For internships, I always tried to find something where I could have contact with participants to gain experience with that. I didn't know for sure that I wanted to do a PhD, so I didn't really take that into account. After my research assistant job, I also looked into the industry. I kept all my options open.

How did you approach the process of finding a job?
I talked to a lot of other people about it. With people doing PhDs, but also trying to find people working in industry so they could share their experiences. I made my profile public for recruiters on LinkedIn to see what they would offer. Then I got some proposals that I didn't know I qualified for. Additionally, I also made a lot of calls and saw how those conversations went. That's how I oriented myself.

How did you notice that the industry wasn't really for you?
For the vacancies I considered I noticed that you would use your specific scientific background less. I thought it was a bit of a shame and it was too big a step for me to let my neuroscientific background go already. What also played a role is that a job in industry is quite delineated. You're mostly focuses on a smaller part of the whole process, while I enjoy getting to experience everything and not just being one little link in a huge chain. Additionally, I thought if I'm going to do a PhD anyway, then the title might be useful at some point. Of course, there's a discussion about that; it also depends on what you want to do afterward. But I think my PhD direction is interesting and I enjoy it a lot. So I thought, then at least I'll have that. It's four years, which is manageable. I can always still look at what I want to do further.

How open would you be to approaching corporate jobs after your PhD?
I think I am open to it. It depends a bit on how I come out of my PhD. After a PhD, you enter a whole new phase again. If you're a postdoc, for example, you often have to arrange your funding as well. There has to be a place for that, and they're usually temporary contracts. There are some practical challenges there. So I'm currently not ruling anything out.

What was the application process for your PhD like and how did you prepare?
I had read up on the topic. So I looked at whether I found the topic interesting and thought about the research: what would the study look like? What would I do with it? What do I think of it? I also did the standard preparation, such as thinking about my strengths and weaknesses. I already knew the people I was applying to, but otherwise, I would have also looked them up. Who are they? What are their interests? What kind of articles have they published? So you know a bit about what directions they find interesting. Furthermore, I went into it quite openly. Also with the idea: I might as well just be myself and indicate what I find interesting. I honestly showed them how I am and if that fits, then it fits. And if it doesn't fit, then that's okay too. If you paint a much better picture of yourself than you are, you're putting too much pressure on yourself. Then you end up in a certain place by putting up a certain facade. While that place might not suit you as a person. So it's a bit of a fine line; on the one hand, you of course want a job or maybe you're ambitious. On the other hand, it does have to suit you as a person in that place.

You mentioned that a good supervisor is important. How do you approach learning about supervision?
I think an application process can be useful for that. You can also ask during the interview if you can contact someone from the team to just have a coffee and chat about how things are going. I think that can be really useful.

What kind of tips do you have for our fellow students to prepare for the job market and upcoming applications?
I would recommend talking to all kinds of people in different fields. I think you learn a lot from that. Additionally, I found having the research assistant experience really nice. Then you already get a glimpse of what it's like to do a PhD, and you're often hired more easily if you want to do a PhD. So definitely try to gain some experience somewhere. Also, really look at what suits you. If you don't feel comfortable somewhere, you can always change your plan. Sometimes you just have to try something to know if it's for you or not. Holding on to a certain idea or expectation for yourself too much maybe doesn't always work. For almost every job, it's different from what you expected during your application; not necessarily worse or better, but some things you can only learn by experience and oversee in hindsight.

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