Amanda nails her thesis – a milestone on the path to a PhD

Congratulations Amanda, you can now call yourself a doctor! Can you tell us what your research has been about? 
"My research has been about the stability of drug proteins in solution. I have mainly looked at aggregation in different situations that proteins can be sensitive to, such as heat and pumping. The results of my research have provided more knowledge about how these situations can affect the protein in the short and a little longer term and what factors are driving instability linked to aggregation."

What are you most proud of in your thesis work? 
"It's hard to say anything specific, I think I'm most proud of the whole that provides more knowledge to develop and manufacture more stable and effective protein drugs. At the same time, I am also very proud that I have made it through the whole journey and of the personal development I have made as a researcher."

Has your project benefited from being part of NextBioForm?
"It absolutely has, the project and my experience would not have been the same without Nextbioform. It has given me the opportunity to gain access to knowledge from both academia and industry, but also provided a context and opportunity for a larger network in the research field. It has been very fun to do a PhD within Nextbioform, we have been several PhD students and we have had the opportunity to attend different types of courses, mentorship programs, and present our research at consortium meetings and conferences organised by Nextbioform, which has been very rewarding."

During your doctoral studies, you have worked closely with companies, what has this given you and your research?
"It has given me access to knowledge and advice from an industrial perspective, as well as to materials and equipment that I have used in my research. I have also had the privilege of collaborating with several people in industry in my doctoral project, which has been very rewarding for the project and for my own development as a researcher."