This the first interview (#1) in a new series of Postdoc highlights aka Postdoc Superheroes. My goal with this series is to let everyone in the Alternative Postdoc community meet each other, make connections, and get inspired.
In this first interview, I am talking with Dr. Chantal Lucini who is working as an academic in Austria but also does so much more (spoiler: bodybuilding is involved). We have met on Instagram, and she is an active member of the Alternative Postdoc community.
Read about her journey through undergraduate and graduate studies, and beyond, which took her from Italy to Austria.
Enjoy the read!
| Quick notes on Chantal: | |
| Name | Dip. Ing. Dr. Chantal Blanche Lucini |
| Countries she has academic experiences from | Italy, Austria |
| Chantal in keywords | tenacious, kind, calm |
| Chantal as a scientist/researcher/academic | see above 🙂 |
| Currently excited about | I’ve recently read Heisenberg’s biography which was extremely inspiring as a scientist |
| Chantal’s typical day: | Wake up at 5 AM Training 6-7:45 AM Writing, teaching, lab or administrative stuff 8AM-5PM Cooking, eating, writing for the blog, online coaching, relaxing until 9PM Sleeping 😉 |
| Contact Chantal at | Insta https://www.instagram.com/bearystrongchantal/ Web https://www.dp-uni.ac.at/de/forschung/neurodegeneration/forschungsbereich Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Bearystrong Business https://bearystrong.com |
Thank you for agreeing to this interview Chantal. Could you tell me, what kind of student were you as a kid?
I was very diligent. I did love life sciences, especially chemistry and biology, as well as Italian literature. I was an outsider at the Swiss school in my hometown in Milan (Italy), as I did not like the people there: very superficial and money-oriented.
What did you study in your undergrad program?
I have a bachelor in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the University of Milan and a master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria). I moved to Vienna for the master, two years after meeting my partner Stefan.
Why and how did you decide to go into a PhD?
Before PhD I worked for a company in the field of quality management. I was not happy with the kind of work I did, and as I saw a PhD position in a lab where I already did an internship, I applied for the position.
What was your PhD program experience?
Mixed: I think I learned a lot of methods and met some great people who are still friends but I think I was overwhelmed having to structure all the work by myself.
Normally a life science PhD in Austria lasts 3 years where you are mainly working in the lab and have some lectures that you should attend. If you are lucky enough you have the chance to publish your work but you can just write a PhD thesis too.
What have you decided to do after your PhD and why?
To be honest, I was open for all kinds of positions. When I finished my PhD it was a real struggle to find a job. It took me one year to find my first postdoc position.
I had the luck of getting a position at the Children’s Cancer Research Institute in Vienna working on tyrosine-kinase inhibitors resistance of single and double mutants of the BCR-ABL oncogene, the driver of chronic myeloid leukemia and some forms of acute lymphatic leukemia.
What PhD has given you (knowledge, skills, mental aspects, etc.) and how you use it now?
A lot of methods that I still apply in the lab; practice as a lecturer; the ability to search and apply scientific information; writing skills; stress and frustration resistance.
What are your other superpowers (passions, side (or main) hustles, hobbies)?
I love bodybuilding and would love to compete in the bikini class in 2021.
Besides that I own a strength sports coaching business together with my partner: we help people get stronger, healthier, and find a way to enjoy the process. We also write a blog featuring our recipes and our knowledge about training, nutrition, and lifestyle.
What is the hardest in doing what you are doing?
Currently I am trying to balance research, writing and teaching as well as finding enough time to train and take care of our clients and business.
What do you do to achieve balance?
I have a very structured day where I reserve time slots for each task. I highly rely on routines and habits in order to get simple things (like meal prepping) done quickly and without thinking too much about it.
I highly rely on routines and habits in order to get simple things (like meal prepping) done quickly and without thinking too much about it.
What are you the proudest of?
My biceps 😛
Joke aside: I find it difficult to be proud of something I’ve achieved. Probably, our blog is currently the thing I am the proudest of.
It looks to me, that you have achieved so much, and do so many important things. Why you find it difficult to be proud of your achievements?
I am emotionally not very attached to the things I do.
Do not get me wrong: I care about my students, my research, and my clients a lot, but I do not get crazy, for example, if I do not hit a PR [personal record – the highest number of kilograms lifted], or an experiment fails. I achieve things, I am happy then, I move further to the next goal without looking back too much.
Who was the most influential person in your science journey, and how so?
My current boss, Assoz. Prof. Dr. Peter Engel. He is the head of the Bioscience Division at the Danube Private University in Krems (Austria) and head of the Academic Senate, where I am currently working.
He teaches Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Pharmacology and is one of the most kind and intelligent persons I know. He is sincere, kind, and working hard but also enjoys life.
What advice would you give your younger self starting a PhD program?
Work harder, ask more questions, be more critical.
I would also advise to keep life around PhD as simple as possible. Do ONE thing besides research that you really like (sport or other hobbies) and that helps you get your thoughts away from the PhD. Building a routine for your everyday life helps a lot in getting minor stuff done quickly without thinking too much about it.
Do ONE thing besides research that you really like (sport or other hobbies)
Most important: talk to someone if you have problems or do not feel mentally ok/burned out, and talk to your colleagues if there are any issues in your working group. Don’t stay alone with your (negative) thoughts.
…talk to someone if you have problems… Don’t stay alone with your (negative) thoughts.
What are your future plans, upcoming projects, what is next?
Hopefully having enough data to publish some research from our Neurodegeneration Research Group; expanding our coaching business as much as possible and stepping on stage 2021.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I love what Alex is doing: there is too little community and networking from postdocs around the world, especially from different sectors and she is creating such a platform which is great 🙂
And I hope that the pandemic ends soon to travel to Tokyo (because I love Japan!) and visit her.
oh, thank you! I also hope that you can visit soon!
Where people can find you?
Insta https://www.instagram.com/bearystrongchantal/
Web https://www.dp-uni.ac.at/de/forschung/neurodegeneration/forschungsbereich
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Bearystrong
Business https://bearystrong.com
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