Sandra Zetterström Fernaeus, from Sweden
Senior researcher at Tallinn University, Institute of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Can you tell a bit about your work and why you decided to pursue a scientific career in Estonia?
I was invited to come to Estonia by Professor Tiit Land who was also my PhD supervisor in Stockholm. I finished my PhD in 2005 and worked at another lab in Stockholm for two years. When Prof. Tiit Land got his position at Tallinn University he was starting up a new laboratory and asked me to work for him. I worked at my previous job for two years and it felt like it was time for me to move on to something else. To be honest, I hadn’t really considered a career here in Estonia before I got here. But when I started to think about it, I thought it might be exciting to be part of something that is starting up. I really like that!
How do you compare the environment with your previous places of employment?
There was not really a scientific environment in the beginning as the start-up face of the lab was pretty long. We didn’t have the finances for our research yet when we started. Therefore we had to be quite creative in the beginning. After a year our finances came through and we finally had the money to build up the lab: finding all the machines, set up the equipment, the offices etc. This took some time and only after a year and a half we could start with doing some research. What else was different? The Natural Sciences Department at Tallinn University is much smaller than in Stockholm.
How has your stay in Estonia contributed towards your qualification as a researcher?
On a more personal level, it has been a great experience to be part of the process of making this lab and start-up the research hub. The Natural Science Department of the University is a bit small but in a growing phase. This expanding is typical for the Tallinn University. The rector Prof. Rein Raud is very supporting of the Natural Science Department and wants it to grow. This is also why they are planning for a new building with new laboratories, on site-equipment, more space etc. It is a positive environment and I am quite satisfied with that. At the moment they are completely comparable to what I was used to in Stockholm. Of course, there are always things that you could wish for, but that will be the case everywhere.
If a foreign academic considers coming to Estonia, what kind of advice would you give this person?
I don’t know… I had so much help when I came here. Everybody was very helpful. They helped with registering, going to the police, applying for my ID-card etc. They took good care of me! I didn’t really need to find all the information by myself. If you are not in that position I would say: try to get in contact with the right people.
Please list the three things you like most about living in Estonia and why you like them?
I like the nature here. It is very nice to travel around in Estonia. The people are lovely and incredibly friendly. A third thing would be the city and the surroundings of Tallinn. There are all these nice museums and music concerts. It is all nicely concentrated, so you have very easy access to everything. For me this is nice, because in Sweden I live in the countryside. I am at least one hour from Stockholm. It is easy to go to something in the evening here, I rarely did that in Stockholm.
What are your plans for your future academic career? Are you planning to continue being involved with Tallinn University in the future?
My options are to go and work for either a biotechnology company or a pharmaceutical company. I am planning to go back to Sweden because of personal reasons, but I would really like to stay in contact with Tallinn University. Perhaps I could work here for shorter periods: that would be possibility.
