With scholarship, student pursues becoming “a different kind of doctor”
Aishwarya Sajimon has been sure of her career path since her early teens, when biotechnology became a passion. Now, she is at KTH, studying for her MSc in Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology.
“I love biology because it’s unpredictable,” says Sajimon, who is studying on a KTH Scholarship. “It’s the science of exceptions—close to nature and life.”
At the age of 14, while her friends pursued other interests, Sajimon started reading books and publications about biotech.
“Conventionally in India, it used to be that if you were interested in mathematics, you went into engineering,” she says. “And if you had an interest in biology, you studied medicine to become a doctor.
“I knew early on that I wanted to be involved in research, and be a different kind of doctor.”
During her bachelor studies in biotechnology, Sajimon became interested in production research. She says research is 10 years ahead of industrial production and she wants to bridge that gap.
“Even if something is foolproof in the lab, it doesn’t necessarily work when you change the quantity and environment. For example, biofuel requires a series of processes, whereas petrol is faster and cheaper. To change that we need a stronger sustainability focus—which Sweden has.”
Sustainability main reason for choosing KTH
At KTH Sajimon is studying cell-based bioprocessing, which she explains as a combination of biotechnology and engineering.
“We design the reactors and their function.”
KTH was on the top of Sajimon’s list of universities for its focus on the . And because the master programme is co-structure, meaning she has the flexibility to choose classes of interest.
She says the scholarship she receives is a huge relief that enables her to focus on her studies and future career.
“When I learned I got the scholarship, I was over the moon. Now I can find a part-time job in research—a quality job instead of just any job to make money.”
Throughout studying, she’s participated in extracurricular activities—from sports to dramatics. She loves the active student life at KTH and says the school makes it easy for international students to connect.
“I’m part of the Student Union (THS) and the THS Masters and International Student Group . Just recently, I signed up to be part of the dance team for an annual student event— India Day —celebrating Indian culture. Dancing is a great way to relieve stress. You can’t only read books. Doing creative things gives new perspectives and can help bring crazy and brilliant ideas to life.”
Nicky Rosenberg