Name: Elena Hoffer (she/her)
PhD: Medical Sciences - Immunology, Karolinska Institutet, 2023
What was your main area of research?
I studied different subsets of T cells in the healthy human skin which play a role in different inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and vitiligo.
What is your current job?
I am the Co-founder & CEO of Alma.Me located in Stockholm, Sweden.
As a CEO and Co-founder of my own company, I literally do everything. It is very similar to a PhD where we wear all the different hats. What I do is product development, sales , content creation, making decisions about which direction to follow right now, business development, organising events, preparing marketing materials. On a typical day, I have meetings, write content, and talk to potential customers and collaborators.
The best part of my job is interacting with other human beings and building meaningful relationships
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
It did not exist, so I created the company myself and with it the position.
PhD graduate ➡️ CEO of Alma.Me
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
I realised halfway through that I often felt isolated and lonely in the lab, and that I wanted to do some work where I can connect with humans.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
My best advice: Start thinking where you want to go next at around half time of your PhD. Clarity around that will help you build a network in that direction. Considering that shockingly 70-85% (dependent on source) of jobs are filled through networking, it's super crucial to start building one.
Building a fulfilling career means investing time and reflecting on what you really want. Take that time and be proactive.