Line Hjort has just completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen with a grant from the Danish Diabetes Academy.

Line’s project title was ‘The impact of diabetes and obesity in pregnancy on offspring DNA and later health’.

We asked Line to reflect on her time as a DDA-funded researcher with seven questions.

What was a highlight in your time as a DDA-funded researcher?

The networking possibilities! These have been so valuable for my career.

What was a low-point in your time as a DDA-funded researcher?

COVID-19. It was quite scary not knowing when things would go back to normal again, and not being able to plan research ahead for a very long time. Looking back now, it seems so long ago.

Who were your most important collaborators?

Peter Damm, Gernot Desoye, and Louise Groth Grunnet – the dream team of mentors!

Which DDA event that you attended was your favourite, and why?

It is difficult to choose because there were so many great ones. However, I would say that the two symposia within the field of diabetes and obesity in pregnancy, which Peter Damm and Gernot Desoye arranged during Gernot’s visiting professorship, were key for establishing collaborative projects that have been very fruitful.

If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before starting your research project, what would it be?

Remember that it is okay sometimes to say no to proposed projects/task/collaborations.

What is next for you?

I have just started a new postdoc position within the BRIDGE program at the University of Copenhagen, where I am based at the Center for Basic Metabolic research (CBMR) in the Lab of Romain Barrès. I will be studying epigenetic reprogramming of immune cells from children exposed to many infections early in life.

Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

I hope to be an associate professor, located somewhere in-between academia and the hospital sector, where my research can bridge between clinical and basic science. Specifically, I want to continue my research of how early life adverse exposures are linked to later disease development, with the focus on vulnerable populations.

We wish Line all the best in her future career.