Organizational psychologist Anna Derwinger Hallberg stresses the importance of psychological safety to think out of the box
Degree from KI: MSc Biomedicine & PhD in Neuropsychology
Current post: Post-doc at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), at the Heidelberg site in Germany.
What is your background/education experience?
I am a licensed psychologist. In 2005 I presented my doctoral thesis on memory plasticity at KI. Later I also became a specialist in first neuro- and then organizational psychology.
How and why did you choose to study at KI?
I chose KI for my doctoral studies and training for its excellence and for the supervisors at that time at Aging Research Centre.
Describe your experience, including any highlights from your time at KI
The research environment at KI and Aging research centre with weekly seminars, intelligent discussions, many different disciplines and backgrounds in the same corridor made these years a solid ground to take steps from into the future.
After you graduated from KI, what was your next step, and how did you find this opportunity?
I stayed at KI for a while before I went into clinical work again and soon became a strategic leader in large organisations.
What is your current role?
Now 25 years later I work as an organisational psychologist in a strategic analytical role at Linköping university.
Describe a day on the job.
I work with an overview of the administration at the university. I work both with data and together with the leaders in the organisation. In that role I integrate my PhD perspectives with my experience as a strategic leader and my expertise as an organisational psychologist.
How did your studies at KI help your future career?
My studies opened doors but mostly it opened my mind to how new knowledge is generated and the importance of psychological safety to make us think out of the box together and create our visions. Our world needs that now!
What are your future aspirations?
I want to share my experience with a new generation.
What is your advice to current students?
Enjoy your time at KI! Network. And if you can, find a mentor in a different field to broaden your experience and your relations. I did and it meant a lot.