Interview with Helen Sepman

What was the best part of the exchange to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam?
– I had an amazing experience working with friendly and knowledgeable people and gained my first real hands-on experience with toxicity testing in the lab.

What surprised you the most during your stay, both in terms of research and culture?
– Beyond the well-equipped labs, I really appreciated the relaxed atmosphere. Informal after-work borrels made it easy to chat with people and feel welcome.

How will the exchange contribute to the SUCCeSS network’s future research?
– Working with experts from different backgrounds helped me move my project forward and provided experimental validation for my models. It has also already sparked ideas for future collaborations within our research group.

If you could go back tomorrow, what would you like to explore further or do differently?
– Since I mainly worked with single-chemical toxicity testing, I would love to continue investigating and improving the setup for testing complex environmental samples that was being developed at VU during my stay.