Dr. Marina Vortmann and Dr. Anna Niehues are on their ways

Today, two of our recent doctors said good bye, and we said thank you. Marina Vortmann had worked on the extraction and use of fungal chitin from fermentation waste mycelium in the German ZIM project F2F and in the European ERA-IB project funCHI. Anna Niehues had worked in the funCHI project and in the European FP7 project Nano3Bio, developing computational tools for the mass spectrometric analysis of partially acetylated chitosans and for the in silico modelling of chitin and chitosan modifying enzymes. Both areas of research had been new to us when Marina and Anna started, and they are integral parts of our scientific and professional expertise today thanks to their excellent work. Marina already started her new job in the Product Performance Department of Rottendorf Pharma GmbH in Ennigerloh last month. Anna will continue her career as a postdoctoral researcher in the Netherlands next month; we will share details here as soon as the contract will be formally signed next week. - How do we measure the success of a PhD? In the number and quality of papers produced? Then both were highly successful. In the progress achieved for science and society? Difficult to judge, only time will tell, but we can expect both of their works to contribute a small puzzle piece to the generation of a sustainable, circular bioeconomy. In the personal satisfaction of the candidates with their work and the time of their doctorate? They only can tell. In the level of support they provided to the group, in both scientific and private interactions? Highly successful! In the scientific career that follows? Apparently successful, and quickly so. In truth: in the contribution to developing a mature, responsible, reliable, honest and caring personality - as a member of the scientific community and of society. If you ask me: highly successful! All the best to both of you, Marina and Anna, and: see you at the Christmas party.