Joery on the science community

How did you come to pursuing your research topic in Nijmegen? 

I did my Bachelor and Master degrees in (Molecular) Biology at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. During my studies, my interests were very broad, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on within the field of biological sciences. In the last year of my Bachelor, I did an elective in ‘Neurodevelopment’, which followed up on an ‘Embryology’ course I did earlier, and I became intrigued by the processes that underlie the development of the complexity of the human brain from only a small number of non-specialized cells.



I decided I wanted to know more about that, and learned that in the Language and Genetics Department of the Max Planck Institute, they study exactly that. After an internship, I applied for the IMPRS fellowships, and continued as a PhD student.

What are some of the highlights of your doctoral life so far?

During my PhD, I have been involved in organizing various activities, including the IMPRS conference in 2020. Being part of the organization was a great opportunity to create an engaging interdisciplinary programme with my peers, gain experience in organizing all the different aspects of a conference and interact with the invited speakers.

The Max Planck Institute is a very interdisciplinary environment. Although we are all interested in the same thing -- language -- the approaches to studying it are vastly different, as reflected by the topics of the different departments and research groups. Participating in institute events and attending seminar/talks therefore encourages you to think outside of your own field. 

What advice do you have for peers or those considering doctoral studies? 

If you are interested in the research topic of a lab, and you are thinking of doing a PhD there, I would not hesitate to contact them before sending in an application. Asking for a chat with the PI or any of the group members shows that you are proactive and truly interested, but also gives you the opportunity to find out more about their work, and it can help you decide if you would really like to go there. 

Engage in the scientific community and beyond. This can be through social media, or science communication via blogs, interviews etc., but also pushing for (international) collaborations in your PhD projects, or helping in organizing workshops, seminars or conferences. This way, you keep your doctoral training an exciting and creative experience, and you will meet many interesting people on the way.



For those who have started, think about the newest techniques that are currently used in your field – from literature, conference talks, social media such as Twitter – then look for opportunities to learn about them in workshops/courses and how you could apply them in your doctoral work. Such skills will not only come in handy for your PhD, but will also make you a strong candidate for positions in your future career.