Sofia Westerlund Email & Phone Number

Turku, Fi

Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland

Continued from my internship role to a part-time Laboratory Researcher position, maintaining the same responsibilities.

Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland

Engaged in forensic laboratory activities with a focus on extracting DNA and preparing samples for DNA analysis. Gained hands-on experience in standard forensic procedures, as well as learned the established methods, quality standards, and work practices of an accredited laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025) utilising a LIMS.

Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland

Continued from my internship role to a part time position, maintaining the same responsibilities regarding DNA extraction at the Center of Evolutionary Applications.

Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland

I did a 3-month practical training in a DNA laboratory at the Center of Evolutionary Applications (Evoluutiobiologian sovelluskeskus). Here, I undertook DNA extractions from soil and other biological samples using diverse methodologies (e.g., salt extraction, NucleoSpin Soil kit by Macherey-Nagel), run multiplex PCRs, as well as did gel electrophoreses and microsatellite analyses using ABI 3130xl. My main project was genotyping white-tailed eagle specimens, but I also got to prepare an amplicon library with custom primers for a project that investigated the soil microbes of large-leaved lupines. Outside of the lab, I trimmed and aligned nucleotide sequences on Geneious and practiced interpreting allele profiles on GeneMarker. In addition, I planned, executed, analysed and reported a small-scale research on detecting DNA cross-contamination in eagle STR profiles. I took part in lab meetings, reported progress on each project, and updated project files accordingly. After my practical training finished, I continued as research assistant with a temporary contract.

Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland

I provided high-quality medical records to the hospital nursing staff as a member of the emergency duty team. Due to the nature of the job, I was able to capitalise on my ability to quickly adapt to new instructions, as well as showcase my potential for working under pressure during system malfunctions as the person in charge of the team for a certain shift. I mentored newcomers with praising feedback, and was awarded three times with a monetary bonus for developmental work and sparking team spirit.

Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland

Working in an international research group with model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, my main focus was divided between three projects: the role of protein cytochrome cM in photosynthesis, the interactions between flavodiiron proteins and their electron donors with bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay, as well as the role of pgr5 protein in cyanobacteria. I was trained to culture WT and mutant cells, work aseptically, and measure optical densities in order to determine growth curves which I visualised on R Studio. I contributed to the research by extracting total proteins, measuring concentrations with Lowry method, and performing immunodetection utilising SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. When I had gained the necessary know-how, I became responsible for performing biophysical measurements using Dual/KLAS-NIR and Joliot-Type spectrophotometers. With praising feedback from the principal investigator, I participated in lab meetings and presented findings with visualised data.

Master'S Degree, Genetics And Molecular Biosciences

Bachelor'S Degree, Biology (Physiology And Genetics), Gpa 4.62/5.00

Thesis topic: Epigenetic methylation clocks as biomarkers in age-related diseases (Epigeneettiset metylaatiokellot biomarkkereina.