Alberte Wollesen Breum obtained her MSc in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Copenhagen in 2021. Since then, she has been working as a research assistant in the Clemmensen Group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen. The group works at the intersection between neuroscience and metabolism research, focusing on central regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.

Alberte characterises her neuroscience interest broadly as gaining an understanding of how the brain and the rest of the body interact. She loves basic research and the opportunities it provides for delving deeply into the mechanisms of the body.

After doing her bachelor’s and master’s thesis and working as a research assistant in the same lab, Alberte is excited to experience different research environments and learn new techniques, one of her main motivations for applying for an NAD fellowship:

“I am excited to go new places, get into deep waters and learn something new – and see how things are done in other labs.”

Alberte also highlights the opportunity to do a PhD with several supervisors: “Even though I can only choose one primary [PhD] lab, I can establish a connection with a co-supervisor and acquire contacts during my lab rotations.”

Alberte will do her first lab rotation with Clinical Professor Gitte Moos Knudsen of the Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet, where she will focus on gaining experience within brain imaging on animals and humans and insight in clinical research.

Originally from Greece, Anastasia Tsopanidou obtained her MSc in Immunology and Inflammation from the University of Copenhagen in 2021.  Since obtaining her degree, Anastasia has been working as a research assistant in the Nedergaard Lab at Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen, investigating how the neuromodulator norepinephrine influences neuronal excitation in a rodent model of prolonged social stress.

Currently, Anastasia is interested in sleep, especially REM sleep. Why do we have different sleep stages, and what makes us go from one to another?  How are sleep and cognition related, and how does this relationship change in for example neurodegenerative diseases and depression? Anastasia is also interested in the intimate relationship between sleep and temperature:

“Can we manipulate temperature and improve sleep quality? Or the fact that we have global warming and this is clearly affecting our sleep – what does it mean for our cognition?”

Anastasia hopes that the NAD programme will allow her to gain new perspectives on the topic of sleep through lab rotations and lab collaboration:

“I do not have a perspective on for example what happens to the metabolism and what happens to the immune system – or the clinical aspect and how sleep is studied in humans. I think that the NAD [programme] is a really good opportunity for developing a network between different labs, and for me, personally, to rotate between different labs and get these different perspectives. Having more than one supervisor is meaningful and can be more translational as well.”

In her research, Anastasia describes herself as curiosity-driven and fascinated by pursuing answers to her questions:

“I would like to stay in research as long as I have questions to address and as long as I am fascinated by what I do.”

Anastasia will do her first lab rotation with Associate Professor Birgitte Kornum of the Kornum Lab at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, where she will delve deeper into the relationship between sleep and immunology.

Ann Kathrine Christiansen obtained her MSc in Molecular Medicine at Aarhus University in 2022. Since then, she has worked as a research assistant at the Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit at Aarhus University Hospital.

Ann Kathrine is especially interested in neurodegenerative diseases and the psychiatric and psychological perspective within neuroscience. She did her bachelor’s thesis on Parkinson’s disease, her pre-master’s thesis within depression research and her master’s thesis on frontotemporal dementia.

Ann Kathrine is deeply motivated by doing research with a clear disease perspective. While she has worked in basic research so far, the translational perspective has always been present:

“Methodologically, I have mostly been working on the molecular and cellular level. I have been working in basic research, but it has been basic research with a clear link to a disease gene or a protein that we know are affected in the disease in question.”

Ann Kathrine is excited to rotate between different labs during her first year at NAD:

“It is an opportunity to gain insight into how other labs work in addition to new topics and techniques. Because I have not been in lots of different labs yet, it is a good chance to explore what else is out there, but also to be sure about the [PhD] lab that I will choose in the end. I think it is a unique opportunity for expanding my scientific horizon and my network.“

Ann Kathrine will do her first lab rotation with Professor Yonglun Luo of the DREAM Group, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, where she will focus on learning the CRISPR gene editing technology in a project aiming to develop lipid nanoparticle delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy of Alzheimer’s disease.

Birna Ásbjörnsdóttir obtained her MD from the University of Copenhagen in 2019. Since completing her degree, she has worked as a medical doctor in a variety of neurological departments, most recently at the Memory Clinic at the Danish Dementia Research Centre. Birna’s interest in neuroscience was sparked during her bachelor’s studies, and she did her bachelor’s thesis on REM sleep disturbances in Parkinson’s patients and her master’s thesis on opticus neuritis in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Birna is interested in neurology, especially neurodegenerative diseases and genetics. She plans on becoming a neurologist – ideally in a position with equal opportunities for doing clinical work and research:

“Neurology is a very research-heavy specialisation, and I consider it part of a doctor’s plight to stay up-to-date about new methods and treatments. It is very important to have a strong basic research foundation. (…) Ultimately, I think that makes you a better doctor.”

As a researcher, Birna is driven by the hope of making a difference for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases and their next-of-kin. In the research process, she especially enjoys the opportunities for creativity and invention that research brings.

When asked what motivates her about joining the NAD programme, Birna highlights the structure of the programme with the preparatory pre-PhD year and the collaborative aspect:

“I hope that the NAD programme opens up for more and better collaboration between clinicians and basic researchers. (…) Sometimes, we speak slightly different languages – and yet not.”

Birna will do her first lab rotation with Professor Jørgen Nielsen of the Neurogenetics Clinic & Research Lab, Danish Dementia Research Centre.

Camilla Trang Vo obtained her MSc in Biochemistry from the University of Copenhagen in 2021. Since then, she has been working as a research assistant in the group of Maiken Nedergaard and Hirase Hajime at Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen, investigating how glial cells influence neuroplasticity in the brains of mice.

Camilla is also very interested in how neuromodulators, for example dopamine, are involved in affective disorders like depression. She believes that the effect of neuromodulators on glial cells could shed new light on the development of treatment:

“The prefrontal cortex, or at least the huge size of it is – so to speak – what separates us humans from animals and makes us more complex thinking. Its function is regulated by neuromodulators, and it has been associated with affective disorders like depression and schizophrenia, and it is definitely a field I would like to investigate further. (…)  When it comes to depression and other affective disorders, I think we should not necessarily focus our investigation entirely on single neurons. Astrocytes, which regulate larger neural circuits, could also be an interesting target for treatment.”

With a background in biochemistry, Camilla has struggled to gain specialisation in neuroscience, and she expects that the NAD programme will provide her with an opportunity to strengthen her neuroscience profile through courses, lab rotations and new scientific connections.

In her research, Camilla is driven by her curiosity and the hope of making a difference in treatment: “More and more people are diagnosed with depression and other affective disorders (…) I hope that I can contribute to a treatment or gain knowledge for prevention in some way.”

Camilla will do her first lab rotation with Assistant Professor Anna Klawonn of the Circuits of Affective Neuroscience Group at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, where she will be involved in the lab’s work on depression and microglia.

Originally from Indiana, USA, Carolyn Goddard obtained her MSc in Human Biology from the University of Copenhagen in 2021. Since completing her degree, Carolyn has worked as a research assistant at the Toft Sørensen lab at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen. In addition, she has done an internship at the Technical University of Denmark.

Carolyn’s main research interests are translatable models, neuroplasticity and novel therapeutic strategies, but she is still very open to new topics and perspectives, which is part of the reason why she was drawn to the NAD programme:

“I think one of the one of my main characteristics as a scientist is that I really enjoy making connections between different areas of research or different topics (…) I get really excited when I learn about new topics, and I haven’t necessarily specialised deeply into one thing. I’ve really enjoyed learning about how to apply my skills to different topics, and I thought that this sounded like a really ideal programme for me because you get to experience different labs and hopefully make collaborations.”

As a researcher, Carolyn is motivated by making new connections and discoveries: “When I come across a pocket of research that’s either relevant or sort of tangentially related (…) to what I have been doing before, I just feel like I have an aha moment. As I go deeper into research, I just am continually excited by these underlying connections between different conditions.”

Carolyn will do her first lab rotation with Professor Winnie Jensen of the Neural Engineering and Neurophysiology Group at Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University where she will be assisting the lab’s work on chronic pain models in Danish farm pigs.

Cecilie Madsen obtained her MSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Southern Denmark in 2021. Since then, she has worked as a research assistant, most recently in the Disease Stem Cells Models and Embryology Group at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Broadly, Cecilie is interested in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases:

“Until now, I have mostly been focused on Alzheimer’s disease research, but I think the interaction between the brain and the immune system in general is very interesting.”

The disease and treatment perspective is the main motivation driving Cecilie in her research. Even though the horizon for developing effective treatment for neurodegenerative diseases seems quite far in the future, Cecilie thinks that just having a small impact on a discovery that could potentially change patient lives makes all the hard work worth it.

Cecilie is excited to work in different labs during her first year as an NAD fellow, and she considers the rotations a unique opportunity for establishing new research connections:

“Hopefully, it will help me establish my own scientific network so that I am not just dependent on my supervisor’s network. I see that as a huge advantage.”

Cecilie will do her first lab rotation with Associate Professor Niels Skotte of the Skotte Group at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, where she will be working with glial cells and neurons from mice in relation to Huntington’s disease.

Cecilie obtained her MSc in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Copenhagen in June 2022. Since then, she has been working as a research assistant in the Clemmensen Group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, where she also did her bachelor’s and master’s thesis.

Until now, Cecilie has been working in metabolism and obesity research exploring what role neuroinflammation and glial cells play in the development of obesity, and how patients dealing with obesity and/or diabetes are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. In her master’s thesis, Cecilie investigated – in a mouse model – whether a specific obesity-treating compound had potential in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Put broadly, Cecilie is interested in investigating common health conditions and diseases like obesity and Alzheimer’s and the connections between them:

“These diseases impact millions of people, and at the same time, we don’t know enough about them yet. The brain is still in many ways a black box, with so much left to investigate and explore (…) there are still missing essential pieces in the make-up of these diseases before we will be able to find sustainable treatments in the future.”

When asked what excites her about joining the NAD programme, Cecilie mentions the opportunity to experience different research environments during the lab rotations and establishing collaborations:

“[The NAD programme] gathers so much neuroscience, fostering more collaboration, and it opens up lots of other opportunities compared to doing a PhD outside of NAD (…) NAD unites neuroscience and aims to bridge different disciplines, spanning both basic and clinical neuroscience.”

Cecilie describes herself as intrinsically curious, and it is this curiosity that drives her in her research. She is also very interested in the importance of communication when it comes to the broader impact of research and scientific discovery – and the challenges that this poses to researchers:

“There is so much knowledge that is not communicated well enough – both to the general population, but also to politicians and decision makers.”

Cecilie will do her first lab rotation with Associate Professor Vanessa Hall of the Group of Brain Development and Disease at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Christian Holm Steenkjær obtained his MD from Aarhus University in 2020. While completing his PhD through NAD, he has been granted leave from a specialist training position in neurology at Aalborg University Hospital. Christian has experience in working with patients suffering from a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.

Christian is a clinician at heart, and he is motivated to do research that contributes to treatment for neurodegenerative diseases: ”We are moving towards more knowledge about what actually happens in the brain and in the nervous system – knowledge that leads towards finding effective treatment options in the future.”

While research within neurodegenerative diseases in many cases does not contribute to direct treatment options, Christian points out that a deeper understanding of diseases that lack effective treatment can also contribute to the development of tools for a more precise and timelier diagnosis – and better patient communication. Christian emphasises that a strong research background is very important for a doctor in this regard:

“In these cases, the explanation [of the diagnosis] is an important part of the treatment as we do not have a lot of treatment options yet. (…) The bridge from basic research [to the clinical perspective] is key in explaining to the patient where we are in research and why we know whether a particular treatment works or does not work.”

Christian describes NAD as a “think tank” uniting Danish neuroscience and gathering resources and knowledge from the different universities and university hospitals. He especially highlights the lab rotations during the pre-PhD year as a great way of exchanging knowledge:

“Why not send someone out to the different universities in order to contribute with something from where they come from, but also bring something new to where they will do their PhD [project]. I think it is a genius idea.”

Christian will do his first lab rotation with Clinical Professor Jakob Udby Blicher of the Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Aalborg University Hospital.

Clara Aabye Madsen obtained her MSc in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Copenhagen in 2021. Since then, she has been working as a research assistant at the Neurobiological Research Unit (NRU) at Rigshospitalet, investigating the effect that psychedelic drugs have on the brain in pigs.

This aligns closely with Clara’s main research interests:

“I am primarily interested in psychiatric diseases, especially depression as it affects a lot of people and we still do not know how to provide optimal treatment. During my time at NRU, I have also become interested in psychedelic drugs and how they might be useful in treatment for depression.”

Clara has been pursuing a career in research for a long time, and she expects that the NAD programme will set her up for doing a great PhD project by exposing her to different labs and techniques that she can use and combine later in her career.

As a researcher, Clara is curious and persistent, and she loves solving complicated problems: “When you are dealing with a complex problem and you have spent I don’t know how long to arrive at a conclusion and you finally get the result that you wanted – that’s an amazing feeling.”

Clara will do her first lab rotation with Professor Anders A. Jensen of the Anders A. Jensen Group at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen.

Emil Winther Westi obtained his MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Copenhagen in 2022. He has recently completed a research stay at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Emil’s primary research interests lie within the field of neuroscience and pharmacology:

“I did my bachelor’s and my master’s thesis at NeuroMet [research group the University of Copenhagen] (…) primarily focusing on the metabolism of the brain, both in animal models and in cells. I have also worked with Alzheimer’s animals and investigated their metabolism. Recently, I have moved towards investigating microglia. While it is not a new cell type, it is not as well investigated as neurons and astrocytes, so I think that is very interesting. I would like to continue my investigation of this cell type, at least during the pre-PhD year, as it is also implicated in stroke.”

Emil is motivated by seeing results and experiencing how the work done in the laboratory leads to new insights. When asked what motivated him to apply for an NAD fellowship, Emil highlights the autonomy that the programme provides in relation to planning your PhD project: “You have a lot of freedom to structure your own research and decide the direction that you want to go in.”

Emil will do his first lab rotation with Professor Petrine Wellendorph of the Wellendorph Lab at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen. In the Wellendorph Lab, they have identified a new class of compounds for the protein target CaMKIIα, constituting 2% of all protein in the brain. Emil would like to experiment with what happens when you either stimulate or inhibit this protein target in microglia where it is also expressed – if time allows. Mostly, he is looking forward to learning more about the techniques employed in the lab.

Jonas Laugård Hald obtained his MSc in Medicine with an Industrial Specialisation in Biomedicine from Aalborg University in 2020. Since then, he has worked as a research assistant, most recently at the Department of Neurology at Aalborg University Hospital.

Jonas is especially interested in research at the molecular level and understanding cellular mechanisms in the brain. Previously, he has done a lot of work on metabolism and epigenetics. Recently, his interests have shifted towards electrophysiology and epilepsy:

“[As a research assistant at the Department of Neurology], I worked with electrophysiology on brain cells. I grew brain cells on plates with electrodes on them and measured their signaling. Then, we tried out different medicaments on them, mostly antiepileptic drugs, and saw how they responded – how they signal to each other and whether they form any patterns. This can be done on regular neurons or on epilepsy models.”

One of the main reasons Jonas applied for an NAD fellowship is the lab rotations, which he considers a great opportunity for trying out new methods and seeing how research is conducted in different labs across Denmark:

“What attracts me the most is trying my hand at new things, both new laboratories and new methods, establishing a network and seeing what else there is out there that I have not experienced yet in regards to research.”

This open-mindedness is also characteristic for Jonas as a researcher:

“As is the case for many others, I am mostly driven by my curiosity – testing new methods and trying out things that have not been done before.”

Jonas will do his first lab rotation with Professor Kristine Freude of the Disease Stem Cells Models and Embryology Group at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen. During his rotation, he will assist in the lab’s work on stem cell models of epilepsy.

Laura De Herde obtained her MSc in Biomedical Sciences with a specialisation in neuromodulation from Maastricht University, Netherlands in 2021. Since graduating, Laura has been working at NeuroRestore in Lausanne, Switzerland. Focusing on the use of spinal cord stimulation in the rehabilitation of paraplegics and tetraplegics, Laura first started as a research intern, and then worked as a clinical trial coordinator and research assistant.

Laura is especially interested in non-invasive neuromodulation:

“I feel like we are using means that are not optimal for the body. (…) Whether it is motor or cognitive disorders, we are using a lot of pharmacological means which have many side effects, whilst we could be using invasive or non-invasive methodologies to help patients get better ‘by themselves’. My interest is in pushing those methodologies forward. Maybe in their combination, but right now, primarily in the non-invasive field – really exploring how we can personalise protocols. For example in depression treatments and maybe in movement disorders – if we can combine it with, for example, spinal cord stimulation.”

When asked what motivated her to apply for an NAD fellowship, Laura emphasises the lab rotations during the pre-PhD year and the freedom to plan and shape your own PhD project: “What really attracted me to NAD is that it is very orientated towards the students and it is trying to bring out their strengths. I love how collaborative it is (…) It allows for creativity and independence, yet not too much – you feel like you are guided through it.”

Laura is curiosity-driven and loves a challenge. She particularly enjoys the problem-solving aspect of research: “I find this problem-solving aspect so much fun. You will set something up, and it may not work from the get-go. You are going to have a problem, you are going to need to find a solution to it. You are going to try that again, and there is going to be another problem. (…) At one point, it (hopefully) works. I find that process extremely rewarding.”

Laura will be doing her first lab rotation with Professor Axel Thielscher of the Neurophysics group at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, DTU, especially focusing on improving her skills within coding and simulation.

Simrandeep Kaur Sidhu obtained her MSc in Neuroscience from the University of Copenhagen in 2022. Since then, she has been working as a research assistant in the Kiehn lab at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen.

Simran is especially interested in research related to systems neuroscience and motor control:

“It is through movement that our brain can communicate with our environment – it is essential in our interactions with our surroundings and crucial for our survival. (…) I am interested in investigating which circuits are responsible for the fact that we can carry out and control movement, but also how these circuits can be compromised in different diseases, for example Parkinson’s disease.”

Simran did her master’s thesis on Parkinson’s disease, and she is interested in doing research related to this disease in the future – but she also wants to see what else is out there. She believes the lab rotations during the pre-PhD year will provide great opportunity for experiencing different research environments, acquiring new skills and establishing connections that might form the basis of collaborations in the future.

Simran characterises herself as extremely result-oriented: “I push through because I want to see results. (…) Of course, you do not always see results, and when you do not, it can be frustrating (…) but in a way, that is also what is motivating about research. Okay, that did not work – what can I do to make it work?”

Simran will have her first lab rotation with Assistant Professor Celia Kjærby of the Kjærby Lab at Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen. The lab’s focus on systems neuroscience aligns with Simran’s interests, and she will participate in the lab’s work on sleep and memory and gain familiarity with techniques like fiber photometry.

Sofie obtained her MSc in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Copenhagen in 2022. Since September 2022, she has worked as a research assistant in the Gether lab at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, focusing on characterising Parkinson’s disease mouse models.

Broadly speaking, Sofie wants to understand the cellular mechanisms behind why some cells in the brain die and others do not in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, which her research has been focused on so far.

Sofie vividly remembers the moment she knew that she wanted to pursue a career in neuroscience research:

“I took a subject where we had to present a scientific article, and I was to present an article by Maiken Nedergaard from CTN [Center for Translational Neuromedicine] at the University of Copenhagen. It was an article about how a system in the brain cleans the brain while we sleep, and how this is important in order not to get sick from for example Alzheimer’s disease. (…)  It was very interesting.”

Shortly after, Sofie went to Montreal, Canada as an exchange student and started taking neuroscience courses – and since then, neuroscience has been her path.

When asked about what inspired her to apply for an NAD fellowship, Sofie highlights the lab rotations and the funding:

“The lab rotations are a great way to test if you connect with the lab where you would like to do your PhD (…) I also think it is very attractive that you have your own funding, which means that you have a lot of freedom to choose. You can choose a lab that does not necessarily have a lot of resources or funding.”

Sofie is an extroverted person, and she enjoys being part of a collaborative and dynamic research environment:

“The best thing about research is that every day you come in to work in the lab, you can learn something new (…) You are part of an environment where new knowledge is generated all the time, and you can always turn to someone who knows something more – I think that is very motivating.”

Sofie will do her first lab rotation with Associate Professor Marina Romeo-Ramos of the CNS Disease Modeling Group at Aarhus University. The group aligns with Sofie’s interests as they also work within Parkinson’s disease research, but from an immune response perspective. Sofie will participate in general lab work with a focus on gaining experience with in vivo animal work and learning new techniques like flow cytometry.

Sopio Gverdtsiteli obtained her MD from Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia in 2019. Sopio has worked within pediatric neurology for three years, and she has experience in working with patients suffering from epilepsy and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Sopio is especially interested in the pathogenesis of genetic epilepsy and other rare neurological diseases.

Sopio has a medical background, so the lab setting is quite new to her. Through the NAD programme, she is excited to gain hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the scientific groundwork that directly influences clinicians in their work.

In her research, Sopio is motivated by how scientific discovery can improve treatment and patient lives – the process from bench to bedside:

“During my work as a medical doctor, I have experienced how the work that is done by researchers directly influences the course of disease, disease management and the day-to-day lives of patients. (…) I want to dig deeper into the mechanisms that lead to various neurological diseases and find out how it influences the work done in the clinic.”

Sopio has an inquisitive mind, and she is fascinated by complex problems. For Sopio, the research process is not about finding definitive answers, but about asking better questions.

Sopio will do her first lab rotation with Clinical Professor Zeynep Tumer of the Department of Clinical Genetics, Rigshospitalet where she will be involved in lab work and learn basic techniques.