Lena Ammosova went through an extensive study path at the UEF, as she graduated from the Master’s degree programme for Research Chemists in 2014 and continued to PhD and postdoc positions straight after. At the time of the interview she was preparing the move to new challenges, as she wanted to gain experience also from the industrial side and got a job as a chemist in a Finnish company.
Like many success stories, Lena’s career in chemistry started with positive encouragement. Her chemistry teacher saw a lot of potential in her and motivated her to study hard – and the spark that was lit back then, combined with her experiential mind that always wants to create something new and discuss different points of view, led her to study further.
She graduated with The Diploma of Specialist in Chemical Engineering from Siberian Technological State University in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. At the international office, she heard about a Finnish University called the University of Eastern Finland that had extensive research collaboration with her home university, and the international Master’s programme there with an opportunity for a generous scholarship.
From Siberian winter to Finnish winter
–I wanted to go to study abroad to get European education and experience. I think Finland is an excellent opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, since it is a very safe environment to live and study in. I really like Finland because of the high level of education and the nice and polite people. Everything works here, so no wonder Finland is one of the happiest countries. I’ve had fun times meeting people from different cultures, traveling, experiencing Finnish sauna… It’s been a very rewarding social experience.
Lena comes from the far corner of Siberia with normal winter temperatures of –50 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the cold and snow in the winter or the white nights in the summer were not really an issue, and adapting to the Finnish way of life was somewhat easy. However, the chemistry professional has one very useful tip to give.
–You should take enough vitamin D to survive the darkness, she laughs.
Memorable lab experiments
Lena was looking for a research-oriented programme, and when the studies started, Lena was happy to find out that the courses and lab facilities met her expectations – and more.
–At UEF, the equipment is very modern in every branch, which makes it possible to conduct research at a very high level. In this programme, research is well integrated in the studies. For instance, you can publish articles already right after completing your Master’s like I did, when I published my first article based on my thesis.
The freedom of choice is present in the programme, as there are four different fields of chemistry that you can specialise in in your Master’s thesis. The students did lab work in each field – and the various experiments bring out the funniest memories for Lena.
–The most interesting lab work was a “magical” day when we produced a superconductor and saw how a magnet levitates above it – and for me it was very entertaining! Also, I loved to synthesize specific amount of product in Organic Chemistry and perform experiments to distinguish the mass of the salt based on the given data and materials. I really enjoy to “solve puzzles” and “solve problems”.
Interestingly, Lena didn’t especially like any of the Physical Chemistry laboratory courses at that time, but later on it turned out to be her major focus – thanks to the interesting lectures in surface chemistry by Emeritus Prof. Tapani Pakkanen.
–He was really good at explaining things from practical point of view; how you can see the applications in real life. That inspired me to join his Surface Chemistry research group and write my thesis on surface engineering of polymer surfaces, as well as to continue with the same topic in my PhD.
Lena explains that surface science had attracted her by its fascinating properties and reactions that take place at the interfaces. Inspired by nature, you can create water repellent surfaces with “lotus leaf” effect, or adhesive surfaces like Spider man-toes - or you can give surfaces a special selectivity to attract specific molecules. Thanks to those special surface properties, our daily lives are made easier.
Postdoc and new challenges
After PhD, Lena was offered a postdoc position at the UEF in Material Chemistry, in Prof. Mika Suvanto’s group. She was producing functional stainless-steel materials for wear resistance and low friction applications in a collaboration with industrial companies and Business Finland funding. In this project, she modified surfaces by creating textures and also applied functional coating materials.
But now, it’s time for new challenges.
–In January, I will start a chemist position in a company that produces high-quality industrial and marine coatings for protection and surface finishing of steel and concrete materials. I can certainly say that International Master degree program at UEF 100 % helped me to be employed first in academia as PhD and later as postdoc, and further, also in the industry.
All in all, Lena is thankful for gaining a solid basic knowledge that she acquired in the Research Chemists programme, and to the staff and her supervisors at the Chemistry department for all the help and guidance.
–In the Master’s you’re not only learning chemistry, but you also study English, you learn how to communicate with fellow students and colleagues in English, you learn the terminology… I’ve also been learning some Finnish, which I think is a nice way to get deeper adjusted into the Finnish society.
Lena definitely recommends the programme for future applicants.
–It’s a very good starting point for your career and a very high-level European education that is valued globally. Regardless of the name “Research Chemists”, the doors are open to the industry as well.
According to Lena’s estimate, approximately ⅓ of her study group went back to their home countries to continue their career there, and half of those who stayed in Finland are in the academia.
–I know that the UEF Chemistry department has been working on improving research collaboration with industrial companies so that international graduates could find jobs more easily also in the industry after finishing their studies. Hopefully many more would stay since there are many intriguing opportunities!
