Immerse Alumni, Katrine shares her career journey since Immerse

Since I participated on the Chemistry Programme at Immerse, I have obtained a BS degree in Biochemistry and an MSc degree in Molecular Cell Biology at the University of Copenhagen. During my degree, I worked part-time outsourcing research and clinical studies in a middle-sized pharma company, Lundbeck. This experience propelled me to apply for a full-time position after my studies and led to me getting a graduate position with job rotations within clinical development and regulatory affairs. I have now started a PhD in Pharmacology and Drug Discovery at the University of Copenhagen, where I currently study G-protein coupled receptors, their ligands and their involvement in the regulation of fibrotic tissue.

For the upcoming three years, I plan to continue my PhD and (hopefully) make some interesting discoveries that can lead to the improvement of the treatment of fibrosis. I plan to do part of my PhD at the University of Southern Denmark and also at the University of Groningen. After I finish my PhD, I plan to either obtain a Post-doc at the university or otherwise go back to the pharma industry and work with early drug development within the research area.

Through expert teaching and the broad social programme, Immerse helped me to improve my English skills. The programme also confirmed that I indeed wanted to study biochemistry and spend my work-life investigating biology. Immerse was the first place that introduced me to scientific articles and gave me the feeling that I wanted to also contribute to science during my career. Lastly, Immerse gave me an amazing experience which helped me grow in an international setting and gave me friends who I stayed in contact with for several years after the course.

Engage in the classes and enjoy your time among peers who find the subject just as fascinating as you do. In the Immerse forum, there are no stupid questions. Teaching is at a level that helps to prepare you for university and may even give you a slight advantage for when you start your studies. The programme is also an opportunity to make friends from different backgrounds and cultures – make sure to engage in all the super fun extracurricular activities and don’t be afraid to talk to strangers. Everyone is there with the same purpose. Make sure to enjoy every minute of the journey.