“There were three reasons why I chose to pursue a Master's in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology at VU Amsterdam. First of all, the programme seemed very open-minded, since it welcomes students from all kinds of backgrounds – something I think is crucial for interdisciplinary research. In addition, I like the combination of both regular courses and a research internship. During the first year you develop scientific skills, in the second year you apply those skills to research projects. Lastly, the programme has a great network. You get the resources of two universities, as well as other scientific institutions, companies and hospitals in Amsterdam. In addition, I was happy with the programme coordination."

"I found the Systems Biology track of this Master's programme very interesting. I thought it was really exciting to simulate the biological process by mathematical models. It was a totally new perspective for me to understand biology. I specifically focused on how machine learning and artificial intelligence has been used in the field of biology, since I believe that it's important to catch up with those frontiers in science." 

"The internship is a challenging aspect of this Master. It not only requires your scientific expertise, but also soft skills such as communication, cooperation and project management. It's a big switch from a student to a researcher! However, I got a reliable and patient supervision team. They gave me detailed and honest feedback on both my good work and my mistakes." 

"The advice my supervision gave me during my Master's still benefits my current work as a PhD researcher at RIVM and Wageningen University. After my PhD I hope to continue doing research, either in academia or in the industry. I especially enjoy doing research on application work, since I'm interested in how science can make an impact in society.”