Erika Uddström’s interest in neuroscience originated in an unlikely place: at a dance school in Sweden.
Born and raised in Finland, Erika Uddström moved to Sweden after high school to explore dancing and learn the Swedish language. During her first couple of months at the dance school, Erika found herself wondering about the intimate connection between the brain and the body – and realised she wanted to do something completely different:
“I had this idea that through dancing, I could subjectively study the brain, because every movement we make is connected to it. But then I realised that I wanted to know exactly what is going on in our brains on a deeper molecular level,” Erika explains.
Erika eventually contacted the coordinator of the master’s programme in Neurochemistry with Molecular Biology at Stockholm University, and she was advised to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she was eventually accepted into the master’s programme, which she completed in 2024.
Erika’s main scientific interests lie within the neurobiology field:
“I am really interested in the fundamental aspects of neurobiology. Neurons are such interesting cells, and I feel there is so much to explore even in the most basic aspects”, she says. She will start by exploring this interest in her first rotation in the Walter Lab at the University of Copenhagen, focusing on synapses.
Erika is well versed in moving abroad for new opportunities. In addition to moving to Sweden after high school, Erika did her master’s thesis in Germany, and she completed a research internship at the Sun Lab at Aarhus University just before joining the NAD PhD programme. Erika deeply values establishing connections to researchers around the world, one of the reasons she chose to apply for an NAD PhD fellowship.
The open exchange of ideas and a dynamic work environment is one of the things Erika really appreciates about working in research. This also informs her approach to the pre-PhD year:
“I really want to explore these rotations with an open mind – I should explore now when I have this opportunity. I try to trust the process, and I believe that I will meet new people and learn about ongoing projects and that I, through that, will see where my project could fit in,” Erika explains.