Copenhagen is a very attractive place to work and live
'In Denmark, you are on a first name basis with your Professor and eat lunch with the Executive Director'
The LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center (SIC) aims to attract young and talented researchers from across the world to join the Center's research environment in Copenhagen. PhD students Malin Jessen and Frederik Timmermann recently relocated from Germany and postdoc Chris Kedong Wang relocated from Canada to join the Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Group. Here, they reflect on their expectations and experiences with SIC as a workplace and their new life in Denmark.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE SCIENTIFIC ENVIRONMENT AT SIC?
Chris: SIC is a young research centre with a very open environment, and we see how it evolves all the time. Everyone here takes on the responsibility of creating opportunities to interact. Working on skin immunology as our central theme leads to more collaborations across the groups than I had expected.
Frederik: ‘Independent’ is the first word that comes to mind. The projects we do here stem from basic scientific curiosity to improve our understanding of disease mechanisms, and we have the time and place to see where our ideas can lead us in terms of future treatment for patients.
Malin: At the same time, it is an efficient place to be. We have excellent core facilities available, and as a newcomer, you receive thorough training, which makes it easy to get started on your experiments.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO COPENHAGEN?
Malin: To me, Copenhagen was a very attractive place to go to. It is a highly international city, and the graduate programmes here are focused and of very high quality. The immunology environment here also has a very good reputation internationally. So, when the Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Group was established, it was just the opportunity I was looking for.
Frederik: I knew about Professor Mads Gyrd-Hansen’s work during my master’s studies and hoped to eventually become a PhD student in his group. When I learned he was moving from Oxford to Copenhagen, my first thought was ‘where?’, but as I looked into it, I was impressed with the opportunities and how well organised everything is at SIC and the University of Copenhagen at large.
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH LIFE AND WORK HERE?
Malin: The housing situation in central Copenhagen is challenging, but once you find a place to live, settling into a new life here is easy. Denmark is a highly digitalised society, and Danes speak English fluently, which makes the transition very smooth. Then you just grab your bike and go meet new people.
Frederik: At first, I was surprised by how high housing and living expenses are in Copenhagen, but it is an expression of how little hierarchical the Danish society is. Everyone is paid fairly high wages. The low hierarchy is also practiced at work. We call our
professors by their first name, and we all eat lunch next to Liv, our Executive Director, on a daily basis.
Chris: Everyone is as dedicated to their work here as in other places I have been. But when Danes talk about work-life balance, they mean it. We have a lot of flexibility in planning our work schedules, and we are expected to take our vacation days. It is definitely a motivational factor and contributes to a good working environment.