The Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) conduct secondments as a part of their PhD program. Below you can read more about How Markus Youssef experienced his secondment in the laboratory of Prof. Kaprio at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM).
During his secondment in Helsinki with the group of professor Kaprio, Markus has learned a lot about how to the utilization of twin models can explain the heritability and sexual differences of a given trait. “My “bread and butter” research usually focuses on the transcriptomic aspect of sexual dimorphism in cancer”, he says. “As such, the secondment came as great enlightenment regarding the genetic aspect of this topic”.
Another positive consequence of Markus’ secondment that he highlights is the facilitated collaboration with other ITN students. It even led him to develop a promising side project.
“Besides the science part, my cultural and personal development grew tremendously. Getting to know a new working- and living environment is a lifelong asset that I will remember far into the future: the friends I made, the mentors I met, and the unique interdisciplinary science I witnessed here in Helsinki are hard to overestimate: I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity.”