What do you do at VU and how long have you worked here?
I am a Lecturer in the Master’s programme in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology. I am close to completing my second academic year.I have been working at VU for one year and nine months.
What is the best thing about working at the Faculty of Science?
The multidisciplinarity. It is very enriching to be surrounded by people from such different backgrounds and interests. I have found myself talking with people who work on medical applied bioinformatics, fragrances and odorant molecules, academic mentoring, microbiology, robotics, and abstract mathematical problems—all of this on the same floor.
What could be better at the faculty?
The natural light. The curtains come down early in the morning as soon as the sun heats up the space, and they go back up when the sun leaves again (if whoever is in charge of that reads this, please keep the curtains up during daylight, or at least give us some manual control over them. We need all the vitamin D we can get!).
Do you have any work tips for colleagues?
Find an artistic hobby. It could be anything: painting, theater, playing an instrument, making a colorful garden... anything that stimulates the creative side of us.
What do you recommend colleagues to do, see, read, and/or listen to?
To read: Biografía del silencio (Biography of Silence) by Pablo D’Ors. A short, instructive, and beautiful book to get in contact with the calmness of the mind and the benefits of meditation.
To watch: Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, the original documentary written and presented by Carl Sagan in 1980. The dedication and care that went into that series can be felt in every frame. It is a great gateway to spark some genuine curiosity about the world around us.
To listen: Estopa, a fantastic rock/rumba band. Any song will do, you can’t go wrong.
Who do you pass the baton to?
Monika Polakovicova.
Dilemmea’s
ChatGPT for academic writing or ban it from universities?
ChatGPT and its succeeding language models are here to stay, there is no point in fighting against them. I use it, most professionals use it, and last but definitely not least, our students use it. These are tools that we need to discuss openly and teach people how to make good use of them.
What is your favourite university meal/snack?
I really like the halloumi wraps from the canteen in the main building. But you’ll need to go early… they run out quickly!
What do you think is the most beautiful building at VU?
I might be biased because I work here, but I do believe that the NU Building is a great place. If you need more convincing, just come to watch the sunsets from the 12th floor. You won’t be disappointed.