Small steps towards (scientific) independence...

Here we are! Today marks the start of my Research Fellowship from the Academy of Finland. It also marks the launch of this blog to present my research and reach out to an audience beyond my research community.

Being awarded the Fellowship feels like a small breakthrough in my scientific career. I have been working on various proposals during my time as a postdoc and finally my project was ripe enough to be favorably received by my peers. You will find a description of the project in a separate page: REAC-FORTE. In today's blog post, I simply wanted to reflect on the changes implied by my new title of Academy Research Fellow.

What changes?

• Funding: I now have my own funding source for my salary and also for research costs (including the salary of one graduate student!)
• Independence: My level of independence increased as a result of the new funding source and I am now a Principal Investigator (PI).
• Responsibilities: As PI, I am in charge of the project and I am responsible for its execution.
• Supervision: Even though I have been co-supervising and teaching in the past, I will become a full-time supervisor of a graduate student, which is a challenge I am really excited to take on.

What stays the same?

• Research Environment: My base remain the Finnish Meteorological Institute, allowing me to benefit from a continuous support and build on the research I have been working on so far
• Myself: Despite the mentioned changes, I still feel the same interest for my research. I want to defend the same values of quality and integrity, and I still have the curiosity that brought me here in the first place.

Thank you for your interest in my research. Do not hesitate to come again to follow the developments of the project!