Marie Curie Research Fellow
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
With my first MSCA-PF I became a black belt in problem-solving as every imaginable challenge came my way.For starters, just before arriving at my new lab, I discovered the bosses had split up (and nobody told me...). So, there I was in a new place, with a lab that needed to be set up almost from scratch, and a big decision to make – which boss to choose? Luckily, my field study with the staff from both labs helped me gain valuable insights and make the perfect choice for a mentor.Then, another curveball: during my research, some initial results pointed in a direction opposite to the funded MSCA project's starting hypothesis. So, I had to negotiate with my European Project Officer to change the project's direction and propose new objectives. After intense negotiations, I managed to readjust the entire project and complete it in record time. In the process, my European project management skills skyrocketed (along with many extra hours of work, haha).One of my most significant achievements was developing magnetic nanoparticles with fluorochromes (red) that intercalate with DNA (green) to form microaggregates detectable by magnetic resonance at low cycle numbers (published in Angewandte Chemie). I also published a couple more related articles and a patent that was licensed in just three months, showcasing the technology's potential.During this time, I also helped a couple of friends prepare their MSCA postdoctoral grants and provided technical support in their scientific projects, and in areas researchers often consider less important (but trust me, they're not!). To my delight, they both secured their MSCA-PF grants. And as if that wasn't enough, I welcomed my first child into the world (fellow parents, you know what I mean about mastering chaos management, right?).