“We want to promote and connect young immunologists.”
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Annika Hausmann obtained her PhD in microbiology and immunology at ETH. She now works as an immunologist at the University of Copenhagen and is researching an intestinal disease which an increasing number of people suffer from. As one of the founders of the Swiss Young Immunologists’ Society, she is committed to the visibility and networking of young immunologists in Switzerland.
When you were a child, what did you want to be?
I wanted to be a farmer. In those days, we often spent our holidays in Bavaria and stayed on a farm. During our stays, we were allowed to help the farmers. We spent the whole time outdoors. I simply loved working with my hands surrounded by plants and animals. It inspired me.
“When working on my PhD, I was especially inspired by how everyone was working towards the same goal.”Annika Hausmann
You studied molecular medicine in Germany and then obtained your PhD in microbiology and immunology at ETH. What led you to ETH?
I was interested in immunology, as it focuses on people and pathophysiology. The reputation of ETH research, the high quality of the facilities and access to resources sparked my interest. I was won over by the cooperative group dynamics I encountered during my job interview at ETH.
When working on my PhD, I was especially inspired by how everyone was working towards the same goal – that is to say carrying out high-quality research and advancing our knowledge of a subject. This atmosphere was great. And it was something we were able to pass on to the next generation of students: in the lab, we worked with students, enrolled in the Masters`studies who were actively involved in research projects. It is a sensible setup, which achieves a high research standard and at the same time allows new scientists to receive hands-on training. At ETH this collaborative approach is possible because the Masters’ degree courses in microbiology and immunology focus very much on research.
You have been working in Copenhagen at the reNEW - NNF Center for Stem Cell Medicine since the autumn of 2021. What does your work involve?
Together with my team, I am researching an intestinal disease known as inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. As the name suggests, the disease relates to a chronic inflammation of the bowel which destroys the intestinal tissue. This disease is most common in industrialised nations and an increasing number of people suffer from it. Part of my work involves trying to understand the causes and processes which result in this inflammation. Based on this, we also aim to understand how we can interfere with the intestinal tissue damage, and ideally find strategies to boost regeneration.
To do this, we are working with doctors and patients to allow us to examine tissue samples for potential causal links. This aspect of my work is new to me and I am learning something new every day.
“Over the last two years in particular, immunology has become a very topical subject affecting us all.”Annika Hausmann
You are one of the founders of the Swiss Young Immunologists’ Society (SYIS). What are the visions of this society?
We strive to promote young immunologists in Switzerland or those with a link to Switzerland. We want to promote these young scientists and strengthen networking within Switzerland but also within Europe as a whole. We also see it as our remit to improve visibility amongst major funders and foundations as special interest groups.
Over the last two years in particular, immunology has become a very topical subject affecting us all and it will remain so for some time. Since there have hardly been any in-person scientific conferences recently, it has become much harder, especially for young researchers, to present their work to a wide, established audience and to connect with other scientists.
We aim to change that, for example, by organising a series of seminars, for example, where young Principal Investigators (PIs) from Switzerland present their work and career paths, and by creating opportunities for our members to present their findings at important conferences. In addition to this, in May we are organising the first SYIS Annual Symposium, where our members can come together to connect and discuss their work.
Our society is part of the European umbrella organisation external page yEFIS (the young organisation of the European Federation of Immunology, external page EFIS). We have also recently become an official partner organisation to external page SSAI (Swiss Society of Allergology and Immunology). This increases the range of our network and allows us to represent our members at national and European level.
Who can join your society?
Our association is open to all young immunologists – from Bachelors’ degree students to PIs. The only condition is that your last qualification was obtained no more than ten years ago. We welcome students from Switzerland as well as those currently working or studying in Switzerland. But researchers from abroad who have studied or worked in Switzerland in the past are also most welcome. We believe that some ETH alumnae and alumni are bound to be potential members. So we would warmly invite them to join the external page SYIS!
Do you have any tips for today’s students?
Make the most of the huge range of opportunities on offer at ETH and pursue activities which are not necessarily directly related to your studies. This will allow you to make interesting contacts while also learning a lot for life or your first job! I found that these “leisure activities” really motivated me and gave me a boost for my studies. I would seriously recommend a visit to the Student Project House or one of the many associations or societies linked to ETH to all students. Enjoy yourself, have a good time and meet interesting people - for me, that was always an important aspect of what I did alongside my PhD.