Everyone has a dream, a passion, a goal, a determination to do what they dream of. Some people aspire to be millionaires, others aspire to develop a new technology, others aspire to win the Nobel Prize, others aspire to have a family of their own and others aspire to have both an incredible career and an incredible family life. Over the years all these aspirations and/or these goals have changed and evolved and what used to be the aspiration of a woman can now also be the aspiration of a man and vice versa. For instance, 80 years ago, regardless of which country, it was unthinkable for a woman to choose a career over a family, not to mention to have both. Today, although not accepted in some countries, in many it has become completely normal and acceptable. However, that being said, I’ve been asked multiple times “Why are you always moving from one country to another? Do you not grow attached to people? Do you not love your family? Don’t you think it is time for you to settle down and grow your own family? Aren’t you tired of studying?”. ​

​In September 2018, after working as a junior doctor for 5 years at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, I completed my Obstetrics and Gynecology training. Then, I had to answer the question: What next, what could or should I do? There were two opportunities I had to consider.  
The first logical option was to start the job I trained for, as an Obs. and Gyn. specialist in Italy. But, as I love a challenge, and as I thought this would have been the safer option, I decided to pick the second opportunity, to apply for the iPLACENTA project as I thought that it sounded more exciting and rewarding in the long run. I then took the plunge and moved to London to commence this incredible experience as a PhD student at St George’s University of London. 

​The UK has been the third country I moved to within 2018.
Although I grew up in Vienna I have never really lived in the same place for more than 2 years since I was 15. 
After spending a few months in Boston after medical school, I moved to Vienna to start my residency there. But after a few months of working, and to my own surprise, I got an offer for my current PhD position in London. 
Although I really enjoyed my previous job, working with a lovely team and spending some time in the city I grew up in, I didn’t need to think about it twice: I accepted the offer, quit my job and moved to the UK for this once in a lifetime opportunity!

This blog post is about me and my personal experience on my way to uncover the black box called ‘bioinformatics’ or‘computational biology’. Many molecular biology researchers retreat upon hearing these words, because it is out of their expertise and also follows other rules than traditional lab work. I experienced that myself and I was one of them, until I took the risk to explore the ‘black box’.

​These are some of the things I heard myself say on the phone, talking about my new position. It took some time until I realized how crazy that sounded. The following is not an article, but a summary of my thoughts. 

Chilean Ob-Gyn starting a PhD at KU Leuven, Belgium.
31 YO, married, first kid on the way. 
 
You have been accepted, congratulations! - Now, what?
Here are some tips to get you started with the non-academic aspects of your new project

From attending lectures on extracellular vesicle (EV) research in dust to consuming smoked fish for breakfast; attending my first congress across the world in Japan was a surprising but amazing experience.  

When I received an email with the confirmation of my abstract being accepted for a poster presentation for a congress I wanted to attend since I started working within the field of EV research, I was over the moon. I couldn’t believe I was going to attend a conference in Japan until the moment I stepped out of the plane. It was surreal. So, tons of coffee later to deal with the 9-hour time difference and the worst travel companion (my poster which was at my side the whole 24-hour travel time), let me tell you about me surviving my first congress. ​

The University of Turin hosted the first iPLACENTA Network Meeting on June 13th-14th 2019. Early-stage researchers (ESRs), supervisors and coordinators gathered in the Italian sun for fruitful exchanges, giving opportunities for ESRs to receive expert feedback on their projects and discuss new collaborations within the consortium. Their first scientific posters and oral presentations, judged by external advisors, gave a great overview of all the work already accomplished within the first months. Summary: highly motivated members, and plenty of exciting perspectives for the coming years !