Desiree Salas is one of our beloved colleagues and had the chance to share her story with the Dutch magazine ‘De Natuurkundige’. She opens up about her journey from Chile to the Netherlands, her working life at Confocal.nl, and her future plans at our organisation.
From Chile to the Netherlands
Desiree’s journey to the Netherlands started when she first learned about biophysics as an assistant at her university. Thanks to some helpful connections from the head of her department, she got the opportunity to travel to Montpellier, France for an internship. “Then I got a PhD and moved permanently to France. Without that connection, I probably never would have left Chile.”
After focusing on modeling three-dimensional structures – using two-dimensional images of single molecules – for four years, Desiree moved to Utrecht for a postdoc position. There, she learned more about biology and multiple microscopy techniques at Lukas Kapitein lab. A place where she also met her current husband!
Working at Informed Group
Desiree got the opportunity to explore her true passion when she met Confocal.nl’s co-founder Peter Drent at NWO Biophysics. She joined our team in 2019, when there were only six employees (currently 24). “What attracted me was that the company was still young and that there would be a lot of variety in the work.”
She is currently involved in various collaborations and partnerships with universities and other companies to find new applications for their equipment. The thing she likes most about Confocal.nl is their vision to create a product which cooperates with already existing equipment. “I like the philosophy of Confocal.nl – that you can upgrade what you already have. I think it’s smart and fair, and the price is lower than the competition. And I love the technology we use.”
Read the full interview
Do you want to learn more about Desiree’s story, her full journey towards the Netherlands and the findings during her time in France? Then read the full interview by clicking the button below.