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18 June 2020

My name is Casper Wolf, 25 years old, born in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. I am currently a 2nd year PhD candidate at the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, where my research belongs to the theme “stress-related disorders”. More specifically, I am studying GHB addiction in both humans and animal models.

Where do you live and with whom?

I live in Nijmegen, opposite of Café Samson with my 19-year old flat mate Olivier

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years?

It varied from professional football player to video game developer. I was born and raised in Amersfoort, a lovely city right in the middle of The Netherlands. I had a lovely and carefree childhood, where I was mostly occupied with hanging out with my friends, practicing sports and playing the piano. Not a lot has changed since then actually, although nowadays I spend some more time at bars and cafes.

What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?

Based on the things I was good at during high school and my interest in the human body, I chose the bachelor Biomedical Sciences at the VU Amsterdam. Throughout the bachelor, it became pretty clear that my most favorite topic was Neuroscience. Since I loved living in Amsterdam but was also up for a change, I did my masters in Neurobiology at the other university in Amsterdam, the UvA. As a part of my master’s program, I did an internship at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

Of which of your research discoveries, you are most proud of?

Although I’m still in the early stages of my scientific career, I am most proud of a paper I am currently working on, where we characterize the withdrawal symptoms of patients with a GHB addiction during detoxification, allowing for a more tailored and improved detoxification plan for these patients.

What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?

To finish my PhD in time

If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?

Besides my current mentors prof. Arnt Schellekens and prof. Judith Homberg, I would choose Dr. Carrie Ferrario. During my internship at the University of Michigan, she strongly motivated me and was able to make me perform at my best, while being a great support for me while I was adapting to a completely new environment.

What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?

Patients

What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?

The idea that people should be “always on” regarding their work.

Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?

Big fan of Reese’s peanut butter cups, or a pepperoni pizza with ranch dressing.

What is the thing that irritates you most?

Slow WiFi

Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?

Morgan Spurlock, main character of the documentary Supersize Me.

How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?

After working hours, I often play pool at café Piet Huisman with friends and colleagues, while drinking a nice craft beer together. When it’s above 10 degrees Celsius, I often go and play tennis at the Radboud Sports Centre. I also like to play video- or boardgames or watch a nice movie at the Pathé movie theatre.

Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?

I would advise my fellow junior scientists to reach out to people as much as possible. Keep making new contacts, show interest in people’s work but also in their personal life. Surround yourself with inspiring people and colleagues who want to help you when things are not going as you want them to go.

Please make a selection:

o             Crisper-Cas9 or AI: AI
o             Pipette or Biostatistics: Pipette
o             RT-PCR or Proteomics: RT-PCR
o             Big data or Clinical trial: Clinical trial
 

Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.

This picture was taken in the Michigan Stadium (aka The Big House), the third largest stadium in the world. Me, my girlfriend, and >100.000 other people attended the match Liverpool – Manchester United, who played there as a part of an international football tournament during the summer of 2018. For my fellow football fans: Liverpool ended up beating Manchester United 4-1.