Sonja Stiebahl

"Each of the personality types that I was matched with have qualities that are very relevant to my career. For example, the Campaigner has to be persuasive which is important when applying to funding for research projects. A Campaigner is also described as creative and able to work well with other people which is important in research since we work in a team to come up with creative ways to solve new problems all the time. The same goes for skills associated with the Influencer who can work well in a team and on their own and think outside the box. Furthermore, it is very important to be well-organised as most of your work will be self-directed and you will have to motivate yourself. These are also skills associated with a Manager. Overall, all three of these personality types have qualities that are very important and applicable to being a researcher."

"I carry out experiments in the lab and analyse the data I get using programming and statistics. I then write about my results and put them into the context of the literature that already exists. The goal of my research is to better our understanding of disorders of the brain and eventually to find treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. There are many aspects of my job that I greatly enjoy, but the most enjoyable part is the fact that I feel like I am working towards bettering the world just a little bit everyday. This feeling of achievement also offsets the fact that the pay in the beginning stages of my career is not as good as that of peers in other sectors. Usually, a doctoral researcher will earn somewhere between 15-20k p.a., however, tax-free, so that it amounts to a living wage."

"In general terms, what you need to become a researcher is a Bachelor’s Degree in your chosen field, often a Master’s Degree and a PhD. In order to get into good Master’s and PhD programmes, you will likely have to do several internships along the way. For example, I did two summer internships in different laboratories during my Bachelor’s. Other people may be able to help out in a professor’s lab during term time. These experiences will help you make a decision about whether you are suited to research and they will equip you with valuable skills for your future career."

"In my spare time I like to do sports, for instance, I have been rowing in my college’s women’s team for four years now and I enjoy lifting weights in the gym as well. I also enjoy drawing and painting and I’m always up for trying new things. Whenever I can, I try to learn about subjects outside of my work, like topics in the humanities and political sciences. Next to my PhD, I am taking classes towards a MSc in Global Health Policy. And of course, I love meeting up with friends and whenever possible, I love to travel and hike."

"Normally, I come into the lab in the morning and start off by planning my experiments for the day. A lot of the work I do is planning experiments and reading relevant literature to figure out the best way to carry them out. We also often have lab meetings in which we discuss recent findings in our field of research and how they apply to our work. The experiments I actually do vary quite a lot, and they will also vary depending on the discipline you choose!"

"Abitur (German equivalent of A-levels)Bachelor’s Degree in Experimental PsychologyMaster’s Degree in NeuroscienceMaster’s Degree in Global Health Policy (ongoing)Doctoral Degree in Neuroscience (ongoing)"