Biophysical Society Newsletter - October 2014

3

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2014

OCTOBER

that was very promising, but then was sold to another company, which served a real blow to her progress. She had now spend more than half of her time as a PhD student working on projects that she could not finish. Suurkuusk spoke with her superiors at Pharmacia, and they agreed that the company was responsible for providing her with an opportunity to finish her PhD. She was allowed to continue the project that had been sold, and was even able to publish her findings. Suurkuusk explains, “I was very relieved that I was allowed to continue with this, as there was no time to start over again.” Additionally, because she was now the only scientist in the company work- ing on the project, she was able to explore new aspects of the project that the company had not originally intended to pursue. Suurkuusk com- pleted her PhD in 1999, and then worked as a Product Manager at Thermometric AB, where she stayed for several years, eventually moving into a position as a Marketing Manager. In her current dual position as Product Manager and Application Scientist at TA Instruments Sweden, Suurkuusk spends half of her time on each job. As an appli- cation scientist, she helps with proof of concept for new users of calorimetry and gives theoretical and practical training. In addition, she travels to universities to teach short graduate courses in calorimetry. In her capacity as a product manager, she is part of the team making decisions about the company’s microcalorimeter product line. This team explores what new features and instrumenta- tion are needed, what new accessories could be produced, and how new software features could enhance the product. Suurkuusk also works on pairing microcalorimetric techniques with other biophysical characterization techniques to get more information from a studied system. Suurkuusk finds fulfillment in introducing people to what calorimetry can do. She says, “As a calo- rimetrist, studying interactions between biological molecules, it is fascinating how much informa- tion you can get from the measurement of heat if you combine it with structural data from other

techniques…The most rewarding part is when I manage to show someone what a fantastic tool calo- rimetry is. I was once on a courtesy visit in a lab with one of our users. Before I left I was invited for a glass of champagne to make a toast for the inventor of the fantastic instrument, our calorimeter.” The only downside to her dual position is that she is

Suurkuusk with her two sons at Legoland.

unable to explore new ideas in the lab or delve deeply into a project. When she struggles with this, Suurkuusk finds inspiration in the lives of pioneering women scientists, such as Marie Curie . She elaborates, “I am really impressed by earlier scientists when so much was still unknown and they did not have the tools we have today. Also being a woman in research [in] those days, when all of society was very male-dominated. I admire those who did this pioneering work.” Though science, and especially calorimetry, have been deeply ingrained in Suurkuusk since child- hood, if she were not a scientist, she would have pursued a career in fashion design. She loves to sew and knit as a hobby now, and says, “I have always had a dream to design and make clothes. This was something I did when I was younger. I took several courses related to textile work. Today I have hardly any time for these kinds of activities, but it is something I still like to do.” Suurkuusk also enjoys hiking and swimming in her spare time, and working in her garden outside. Most of all, she loves spending time with her sons, who are 10 and 12 years old. For those who are currently starting out in biophysics, Suurkuusk advocates an openness to unexpected twists and turns. She says, “Have fun, stay curious, and be open minded. Maybe it is from the sidetracks that you learn the most.”

Profilee at-a Glance

Malin Suurkuusk Company TA Instruments Course of Study Biochemistry