Five questions for Andrea Rauda Ardon

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1 Why did you choose molecular biology?

I think I can thank my science teacher at school for that. I found biochemistry very difficult, but she presented it in a way that aroused my curiosity. This interest grew during upper secondary school, and when the time came to apply for university, I met an old friend who introduced me to the molecular biology programme. I’m glad they did.

2 When did you realise you had chosen the right course?

It was during my second year when we started taking more chemistry courses. Green biology isn’t really my thing. But during the biochemistry course, it just felt right and I thought: “Wow!”

I was particularly curious about proteins in general, which are involved in so many different processes and build up the complex systems of cells.

3 You’ve taken part in iGEM. What’s that?

iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition for students. Students are divided up into different teams, which try to find solutions to a problem using synthetic biology. The team from Gothenburg consists of students from both the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology.

4 What have you learned from the competition?

That we can achieve so much as students, and that you don’t have to be a senior researcher to come up with solutions to different problems. It really was inspiring to see. And then the part about spreading knowledge was also fun, teaching things to children and their parents.

5 What are your plans for the future?

This autumn I plan to do a master’s programme in chemistry, and then I’ll see. I used to think that everyone who got a PhD position was incredibly smart, but now I’ve realised that they’re not geniuses, they’re just people who have geeked out on a subject. So I could easily see myself continuing with third-cycle education.

Text & Photo: Camilla Persson