Katrin Hohwieler

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Position: PhD candidate in Koala Conservation Genetics

Interview:

How do you assess your country's political, economic, environmental and social situation at the moment?

Australia is a very ambivalent country. They attract millions of tourists with their iconic animals but continuously destroy pristine habitat for urban development and coal mining. Where I work and live, in South-East Queensland, land clearing happens in unbelievable speed and unbearable dimensions. However, the people become more and more aware of the dramatic consequences of such political decisions and start raising their voices. What would Australia be without Koalas, without Wombats, without their stunning forests?

What are your professional activities and what skills are important?

I want to look into genetic consequences of habitat disturbance and destruction in Koalas. To get genetic samples, we collect Koala scats in the field. Their poo is very small and hard to see, which is why we work together with detection dogs that are trained on the Koala scat scent. Working with so called conservation Canines requires team work on a whole new level. It is about non-verbal communication, trust and being a determined leader. Those dogs amaze me every day and make my fieldwork the best thing in the world.

What is your philosophy of life?

I believe that you can learn anything, if you just want to. Sometimes, fear and self-doubt hold us back and make us miss out on the most incredible opportunities and experiences. Sometimes, the prospect of living in ease and comfort is tempting but there’s nothing more rewarding than challenging yourself. There is an easy way of becoming a bit more adventurous: every time I have to make a decision, I try to choose the more exciting and challenging option. 

Ataharul Chowdhury, Dhaka

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Hossein Malekinezhad, Yazd

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Hossein Malekinezhad studierte drei Jahre lang an der BOKU, sein Fachgebiet ist Hydrologie und Wasserressourcenmanagement. Nun arbeitet der 49-Jährige im Iran an der Universität in Yazd im Department Wasserbewirtschaftung und hat dieses Department auch vier Jahre lang geleitet.

Mohammad Matinizadeh, Teheran

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Assistant Professor (Nature Technology), Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR)

DI Michaela Sterl

Kontakt: michaela.sterl@alumni.boku.wien

Palästina

Dr. Kornelia Schriebl

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Die Kärntnerin Kornelia Schriebl absolvierte an der BOKU das Diplom- und Doktoratsstudium „Lebensmittel- und Biotechnologie. Von 2006 bis 2011 war sie am Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), A*STAR in Singapur als Lab Manager im Bereich Downstream Processing beschäftigt. Seit 2011 ist Sie bei der Firma Sandoz Austria im Bereich Downstream Processing beschäftigt.

DI Michaela Sterl

Kontakt: michaela.sterl@alumni.boku.wien

Dr. Prakit Sukyai

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Prakit Sukyai kommt aus Bangkok und studierte drei Jahre lang an der BOKU Lebensmitteltechnologie mit dem Fokus auf „enzymatic regeneration systems“. Nun ist der 34-Jährige in Thailand an der Kasetsart University am Department für Biotechnologie beschäftigt mit Fokus auf „nanocellulose“, „biodegradability of bioplastic“ und „nanocomposites“.

Dr. Tien-Thanh Nguyen

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Tien-Thanh Nguyen absolvierte an der „Hanoi University of Science and Technology“ sein Studium in Lebensmitteltechnologie und wurde danach Lektor an seiner Universität. 2007 bekam er ein Stipendium, um an der BOKU seinen PhD in „Laboratory of Food and Biotechnology“ zu machen. Nach drei Jahren kehrte der nun 31-Jährige als Teamleiter an seine Heimatuniversität zurück.

Interview

1. What is different in your home country than in Austria? What did you miss from your home country when you were in Austria?
   Austria was the first foreigner country I had been, so I realized many different things from my home country Vietnam. The atmosphere, the traffic condition, the culture and working condi-tions were something I realized differently. Living in such a big but rather quiet city like Vienna, sometime I missed the noisy and crowded streets in my home city Hanoi. Fortunately, nowadays it is easy to get Vietnamese/Asian food stuffs in several districts in Vienna, so actually I could cook Vietnamese food myself.
2. Why did you decide to go study in another country?
   Being a lecturer in a university, which requires not only theoretical but also practical knowl-edge, was the main reason for me to decide to study in a developed country as Austria.
3. How well have you accustomed yourself to the new surroundings in Austria? Did you have many social contacts? Has something got really grown on you? And then was it hard to accustom yourself back home?
   I was lucky as working in an international friendly lab, where I had many nice colleagues; with them I could share a lot of experiences in working as well as many discussions on cul-tural and foreigner language. I tried to learn Austrian – German from them for better commu-nication with the people outside of the lab. Living in an international student house, I had nice neighbors from different countries, who helped me to understand more about other countries` culture. It is very interesting. Moreover, the Vietnamese student community in Vienna helped me a lot at the beginning and also for the whole time I stayed there.
4. What was different in your working and private life in Austria? Maybe there were rituals and habits you would never do at home?
   My working habit does not have any different in Vietnam and Austria. However, living in the heart of Europe made my habit of travelling more opportunities. I love to explore the new area; it can be a village in mountain areas or a big city somewhere in Austria or other countries.
5. Do you think that the experience abroad has broadened your horizon? Have you got to know other perspectives and attitudes? For example?
   Yes, of course, these abroad – experiences can broaden my horizon, it has opened other op-portunities in international cooperation in research and education. Myself, I am trying to strengthen the research cooperation between our groups and LMBT to set up, develop and apply what I have archived from my PhD in Vietnam condition.
6. Would you advise to go abroad (to work or study)? Which adjectives should one bring with? What should one expect respectively which expectations are realistic?
   Yes, studying or working abroad is a great chance to learn many new things, get new experi-ences and broaden your knowledge. Students should bring with the enthusiasm and friendli-ness with an open mind. However, working abroad also requires from a student an independ-ent or team work skill, the will to hard-working and a high responsibility.