Lucie Peterková

Tell us about yourself:

I completed a bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Biotechnology and a master’s in General and Applied Biochemistry at UCT Prague, as well as a bachelor’s in Teaching of Vocational Subjects, also at UCT Prague. During my master’s I spent a semester on Erasmus at the Technical University of Dresden. I’m currently finishing my doctoral studies in Biochemistry at UCT Prague. For most of my PhD I worked part-time at UCT Prague, and in 2019 I started working as a researcher at the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital. I graduated from both my bachelor’s and master’s studies with honours, and I received the Dean’s Award and the Hlávka Foundation award for my master’s thesis. Last year I won 1st place in the Biomaterials section at the 19th Interdisciplinary Meeting of Life Scientists.

What do you enjoy most about being a scientist?

I enjoy the whole process, from reading papers through planning an experiment and carrying it out to evaluating it – especially if I do it all myself. I see writing papers as the less fun part, although I do enjoy working with language once all the facts are in place.

What do you consider your greatest achievements so far?

Although I enjoy most of the research process, there have been moments when I was pushed far beyond my comfort zone. So I consider my very biggest academic and professional achievement to be that I’m still on track and haven’t run off to a desk full of paperwork or to routine diagnostics – even though there I would probably experience less intellectual frustration. But apparently that’s just part of science…

Why did you choose research over industry?

At the end of my master’s studies, it seemed to me that I might be better at research than, say, selling chemicals or working in a diagnostic lab. There aren’t many opportunities to do research in industry in my field in the Czech Republic.

What would you say to those considering a PhD at UCT Prague?

The choice of institution matters, but I think it’s more important to consider what a PhD means in general. So: get as much information as you can about what awaits you during a PhD (ideally with a specific supervisor) and think about whether it’s worth it to you. Expect it to be somewhat harder work than you think, and it will probably take longer than you now expect. And also consider what you’ll do with it afterwards – will you want to continue in research (and possibly teach/lecture), or rather not? If not, maybe you don’t need to torment yourself with a PhD, and maybe by not doing one you’ll be happier and healthier. Or maybe you’ll find your place in research. If you decide to go for it at UCT Prague, it’s definitely not a bad place.