The EU co-funded Scientia Fellows programme promotes training and career development of postdoctoral researchers through international mobility to leading research institutions.
Between 2014 and 2019 over 80 postdoctoral fellows have been part of the Scientia Fellows programme.
The new and major international research fellowship programme – Scientia Fellows II – is about to start. This time, approximately 100 postdoctoral researchers will be recruited to the Faculty between 2019 and 2024.
We asked some of the former fellows to tell us a little about their Scientia Fellows experience. Here are some highlights from the interviews:
Nolwenn Briand
- Fellow at the Scientia Fellows-programme since October 2015.
- Member of the research group "Chromatin regulation in adipose stem cellsworks" in CollasLab, at the Department of molecular medicine-
– What have you learned as a SF-fellow and what do you think your colleagues have learned from you?
We all have very different backgrounds and use various approaches to address the role of chromatin conformation in cell fate decisions. I am now convinced this cross-disciplinary approach is necessary to achieve significant insights in our field.
How does participating in Scientia Fellows benefit postdoctoral candidates?
I think the Scientia Fellow program offers a great scientific environment. There is also the opportunity to participate in various courses on leadership, research management and supervision. This is a good support for career development.
To whom would you recommend a Scientia Fellows postdoc position?
I would definitely recommend it to any young researchers who want to pursue an academic career.
- Read the whole the interview with Briand here.
Enrico Catalano
- Fellow at the Scientia Fellows-programme since September 2016.
- Department of Clinical Molecular Biology (EpiGen).
How does participating in Scientia Fellows benefit postdoctoral candidates?
The participation to Scientia Fellows postdoctoral program offer a huge amount of possibilities and great opportunities for careers of young researchers in academia and industry thanks to different postdoctoral courses that the Faculty of Medicine of University of Oslo organize related to career development, research management and attract external fundings.
Moreover, in the future UiO planned to erect a new centre of Excellence in Life Science commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and completion of the building is projected for 2023. A strategy to change the paradigm of Oslo like a city with a great International center for Medicine and Life Science to attract the highest top-talented researchers and professors.
Why would you recommend a Scientia Fellows postdoctoral position?
I recommend it because Oslo is a great city where you can do research with very good opportunities of funding and research networking. In addition, Norway has a strong relationship with nature and is trying to implement an effective sustainable economic development and research investments are a priority from Norwegian government for the future development of society. The Scientia Fellows programme allows you to scale-up your career with postdoctoral programme and School of health innovation and discover the great possibilities related to the chance of Oslo to become Life Science city within the next 10 years.
- Read the whole the interview with Catalano here.
Alvaro Köhn-Luque
- Fellow at the Scientia Fellows-programme since October 2016.
- Member of the Center for Research-based Innovation (SFI) Big Insight at the Department of Biostatistics at the Faculty of Medicine.
How does participating in Scientia Fellows benefit postdoctoral candidates?
The working conditions are perfect to focus in research with minimal other distractions. Moreover, we have access to a fantastic postdoctoral program for career development. There, you can learn skills that are not normally explained in academia. For instance, how to successfully write grant proposals to fund your research, how to supervise younger scientists, or how to translate basic research into commercial applications.
To whom would you recommend a Scientia Fellows postdoc position?
I recommend it to everyone with interest in the topics offered by the hosts. The academic environment at the University of Oslo is of very high level and I see potential for developing a successful scientific career in order to become a senior scientist. Last but not least, Oslo is a great city to live in, Norway is an impressive country to explore and Norwegians are fantastic people.
- Read the whole the interview with Köhn-Luque here.
Scientia Fellows (2014–2019) received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Grant no. 609020 (FP7)