Scientist and KI alumna Elza Evrén is pursuing her passion for human spaceflight

What is your background/education experience?

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a Master’s Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Sorbonne University in Paris. I did my PhD at the Center for Infectious Medicine (MedH) at KI.

How and why did you choose to study at KI?

I was interested in doing my PhD in Sweden because of the good working conditions and learning opportunities compared to other European countries. I chose KI as it is the best biomedical research institute in Sweden.

Describe your experience, including any highlights from your time at KI.

I really enjoyed my time at CIM, and the international working environment with colleagues from all over the world, all very passionate about research. I especially liked learning new methods using the state-of-the-art machines available at CIM, such as flow cytometry and cell sorting (FACS). A highlight of my PhD was to be a member of the FACS team responsible for the maintenance of the machines and the troubleshooting support to the users (big shout out to the CIM FACS-team!).

After you graduated from KI, what was your next step, and how did you find this opportunity?

After I finished my PhD, I did a short post-doc in the Helmholtz Institute in Munich. I was however very interested in getting a position in the space sector to pursue my passion for human spaceflight. I started to follow professionals on LinkedIn who worked in the field and reached out to them to learn more about the opportunities for someone with my background. It turns out that the European Space Agency doesn’t only hire astronauts and engineers! I eventually found a position fitting my profile and moved to the Netherlands to start working at ESA.

What is your current role?

In my current role as Payload Integration Manager, I coordinate the journey of scientific experiments (called payloads) to the International Space Station (ISS). I work closely with national space agencies, universities, and internal ESA teams to transform ideas from initial concept to successful execution in orbit and oversee their return to Earth.

Describe a day on the job.

On a regular day on the job, I hold meetings with science teams from European institutes to discuss their projects to be implemented on board of the ISS. I help them define the requirements of their experiments and interact with other teams within ESA or the space industry to support the development of their projects according to the defined requirements.

How did your studies at KI help your future career?

Doing a PhD at KI, I had the opportunity to interact with different stakeholders in the research field (other labs, startups, companies), which taught me how to communicate ideas in a clear and efficient manner, as well as to collaborate with professionals from different backgrounds. I find this very useful in my current position.

What are your future aspirations?

I would like to keep working in the space sector and help scientists send their experiments to the Moon and Mars!

What is your advice to current students?

Follow your passion and even though you don’t get what you want the first time, keep trying.