Hi! My name is Ugne and I am the new chairperson of the PhD Chapter. Studies wise, I have just wrapped up my second year of doctoral studies in experimental material physics in the SCI school and last year I was the Education Manager of the PhD Chapter. I have for long been very involved and interested in student influence and am very eager to apply what I have previously learnt this coming year. My goals as the chairperson are to continue building on the momentum we have gained and further improve our outreach to, and involvement from, doctoral students. Additionally, I want to utilize the current structural changes at KTH to establish proper routines and structures regarding research education student influence and improve continuity in the Chapter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any ideas to share and questions regarding the Chapter! Hope to see you at our events this coming semester.
Hello everyone! My name is Ellymay Goossens and I’m a 31 years old woman from The Netherlands. Before I decided to pursue a scientific career, I was mainly interested in music and art. This interest is a part of who I am and during my free time I like to draw or play the piano, guitar and drums. I finished my bachelor’s in pharmaceutical sciences in Amsterdam. After that I moved to Sweden (about four years ago) to do my Master’s in medicinal and organic chemistry at Gothenburg University. After my Master’s I got accepted for the PhD position I’m currently in, which is in organic chemistry in Helena Lundberg’s group and I officially started in January 2023. Our group mainly focuses on using organic electrosynthesis and catalysis as means to cleave strong polarised sigma bonds, such as C-O, C-F and C-S. These types of bonds are common in a lot of different natural and synthetic compounds, which makes them very interesting to research. My research is in electrosynthesis in which electricity is used for the cleavage of such bonds. The set-up consists of electrodes connected to a power supply and emerged in an organic solution. The organic solution also contains the substrate of interest. In my current project I’m cleaving thioacetals. Since electricity is considered a green source of energy, this research will allow for potentially greener methods for this type of cleavage. The kinetics of the reaction will also be analysed to reveal the mechanism of the transformation leading to a better fundamental understanding of these processes. At the start of the summer this year, I joined the PhD Chapter as the Education Manager. Currently, I’ve been involved in analysing the PhD Salary Ladder Survey and the goal for the Autumn is to do a survey regarding the PhD courses in collaboration with FU. I usually start my day with checking my email and then I spend most of the time in the lab setting up reactions, working up reactions, purifying compounds and performing measurements. While reactions are running I spend time in the office analysing data and reading literature. My days are usually not strictly routine, but quite flexible. As for the PhD chapter duties, I can easily integrate them in my schedule as a part of the office work.
Hey there! I’m Peiling Wu from China who started her PhD in January 2024. My research is all about making city transportation smarter more sustainable and efficient. I work on transportation modeling, analysis, and digital transitions. Basically, we’re creating virtual replicas of transportation systems – so called digital twins, to improve citizen involvement in ransportation planning. When I’m not buried in research, you’ll find me on the beach volleyball court or in the boxing studio – sports are a big part of my life. I cycle daily regardless of the weather (yes, even in winter!). I’m all about problem-solving, enjoying good conversations, meeting new people and exchanging ideas. I’m a new board member in our chapter, while my exact role is still being ironed out. I want to help create a chapter where every PhD student feels welcome and engaged. I’m also interested in finding more ways for our chapter to have a real impact on student life.
Additionally we have:
- Mehdi Nourazar elected as Webmaster,
- Zoe Barjot as Council Coordinator,
- Matt Davoudizavareh reelects as Business Liaison,
- Mattias Åstrand elected as Master of Ceremonies and
- Katarina Lindmark as Auditor for 2024-2025.
