Tom Seijkens studied Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Maastricht University. He obtained his PhD degree in cardiovascular sciences and experimental immunotherapies in 2014 from the University of Amsterdam. Tom presently works as internist-hematologist in training at the Amsterdam UMC, which he combines with translational research in the field of immunotherapies.
During a conversation on work-life balance in academia, we realised that we both had different outlooks on the topic. We wondered what the effects were of being the first person in a family to pursue an academic career on a person’s mindset and success within academia.