During his internship at the Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Marius Helmsdorf worked on a machine learning project in collaboration with the University Hospital of Northern Sweden. As his time in Umeå came to an end, we talked to him about his experiences at the department, learning Swedish, and life as an intern in northern Sweden.
During his internship at the department, Marius Helmsdorf explored machine learning methods for predicting surgery times while experiencing life in Umeå.
Image Norea ÅhlinMarius Helmsdorf was an intern at our department from April to July through our internship programme.
Marius is 21 years old and comes from Jena, Germany. He completed his Bachelor’s degree last year and has since been taking a gap year. He is planning to begin a Master’s programme in Mathematics, with a particular interest in insurance and actuarial science. During his time with us, he worked under the supervision of Patrik Rydén on a project focused on predicting surgery times using machine learning, in collaboration with the University Hospital of Northern Sweden.
Before he leaves, we asked him a few questions about his time in Umeå.
– It has been good. The environment is very friendly, and I appreciated the shared lunches and fika where people sit together and talk.
During his stay, Marius shared an office with six other interns, all from Germany, which made it easy to get to know others and settle in.
He also highlights the independence he had in his work:
– I liked that I could work quite independently and try out different methods and approaches in the project. It was interesting to explore what works and to see how the work can be applied in practice.
When it comes to the practical aspects of moving to Umeå, he describes the process as manageable:
– There were some things to arrange, but it wasn’t too stressful and overall not a big problem.
– It was uncomplicated to work on the project, and overall it worked well.
At the same time, he notes that communication with his supervisor could sometimes be a bit challenging due to a busy schedule:
– I mostly discussed things with a PhD student in the same research group, who would then coordinate with my supervisor.
– I studied Swedish for one semester at university before coming here. I knew that I wanted to come to Sweden, and I think it helps to get in better contact with people if you speak the local language.
He also feels that his Swedish has improved during his time in Umeå.
– It’s a nice city. It has a good mix of being calm while still having many students.
Marius lived in Böleäng during his stay and commuted to the university by bike.
Outside of work, he spent time on a range of activities, including playing table tennis, going to IKSU, and visiting a local church. He also took the opportunity to explore the surrounding region, with trips to places such as Höga Kusten, Holmön and Tavelsjö.
Marius is considering the possibility of returning to Umeå in the future, for example to do his Master’s thesis.
Before heading back to Germany, Marius will travel around Northern Europe, with stops in places such as Lofoten, Oslo, Helsinki and Tallinn.
Thank you, Marius, and best of luck with your Master’s studies!
This interview was conducted in June 2026, during the final weeks of Marius Helmsdorf's internship at the department.