Since graduating from the Life Science programme, Eleonora has worked as a laboratory assistant in antibody production, which means that during the day she takes care of cells living in large bioreactors. These cells produce antibodies that are then used in healthcare tests around the world.
Except working in the lab Eleonora Hedin spends time in her office streamlining laboratory processes.
ImageAlva DahlblomEleonora Hedin discovered the Bachelor's programme in Life Science on one of the university's visiting days. Originally, Eleonora had other plans, but she was attracted by studying in English. Today, she is glad she did, as English is often encountered in the work environment.
"It was intense in the beginning, but when you got into the studies a bit more, it felt like taking a shortcut by studying in English," says Eleonora.
In retrospect, Eleonora thinks it was the right choice to study in English because she often comes into contact with it at work.
”Many things in this industry are already in English, so in retrospect, I can be grateful that I also studied in English. It has actually been very nice to enter the labour market and not have to sit and translate all the concepts and terms because we have already learned them.”
During her studies, Eleonora says they got to try out most things in the lab, which made her feel comfortable at her new workplace early on.
"We did a lot of lab work and we got to try out many practical steps that are widely used in the industry, so when I started working, I already knew the methods that I would later work with.”
On a normal workday Eleonora Hedin can be found in the lab at Nordic Biomarker.
ImageAlva DahlblomDuring the programme, you have to immerse yourself in an area of your choice, and Eleonora says that you get to thoroughly try out all the options before you have to choose.
”It was actually very nice to try out so many different things. You got an insight into several areas and then when you had to choose a specialisation yourself, it became easier because you had the chance to find your area of interest” Eleonora continues.
Today, Eleonora works as a laboratory assistant at Nordic Biomarker, where they manufacture several different tests and reagents used in healthcare. During a working day, she takes care of the antibody cells that live and grow in large machines, but she also analyses work processes to evaluate whether they can be made more efficient.
"The workdays are very varied, sometimes we purify antibodies and other days it's more office work," says Eleonora.
What would you tell someone who is thinking of applying to the Life Science programme?
”It's a good programme if you want to do a lot of lab work during your studies. Although it can be hard to study in English, you save on extra work later, because you have to know some English if you want to work with this. But since it is an international programme, there are many people from outside Sweden, and I thought it was great fun to study with people from other countries and cultures" says Eleonora.
Read more about the Bachelor's programme in Life Science
Age: 25 years old.
Lives: in Mariehem in Umeå.
Family: Partner and two cats.
Education: Received a Bachelor's degree in Life Science in 2022.
Job: Laboratory assistant in antibody production at Nordic Biomarker in Umeå.
Hobbies: Playing football, exercising.
Umeå in 3 words: Student city, close to everything, close to nature.
Myself in 3 words: social, driven, happy.
What I'll be doing in ten years: I have a family and an interesting, socially important job.
Interview & photo: Alva Dahlblom
