I feel very grateful to have conducted my PhD studies at CIM among such great scientists, colleagues, and friends. Many people both inside and outside CIM have contributed to this thesis and provided invaluable support and help along the way. This is my attempt to thank you all.
Johan Sandberg, my main supervisor. I cannot thank you enough for believing in me and accepting me in your group. I appreciate the freedom you have given me to explore ideas and develop projects, it has allowed me to grow a lot as a scientist. I have always felt that I could rely on your support and guidance whenever I got stuck. I admire your scientific enthusiasm and critical thinking and I have learned so much from you.
Anna Norrby-Teglund, my co-supervisor. Thank you for your endless support! You have been so much more than a co-supervisor to me. Thank you for sometimes “hijacking” me, it has been great to be part of both groups and has provided me with a microbiological perspective. I have really enjoyed discussing and writing papers with you. You are a role model in many ways, and I especially admire your determination, hard work, and analytical thinking.
Niklas Björkström, my co-supervisor. Thank you for always being available to discuss science and for your support whenever I needed it. Your enthusiasm and your dedication to science are very inspiring.
Stina Oredsson, my mentor. You were the first to introduce me to research and I am so grateful for starting my research career in your group ten years ago. You taught me critical thinking and to pay attention to details and you also gave me a lot of freedom even though I had no prior experience. You have been a great friend over the years, and I really value your guidance and support.
Tim Willinger, thank you for teaching me scientific and analytical thinking and many new techniques. I admire your passion for science and your scientific reasoning.
Mattias Svensson, thanks for being so supportive and nice and for your delicious cakes! It has been great to almost be a part of your group!
Thanks to all co-authors and collaborators. In particular Kristoffer Strålin, for the sepsis samples and great discussions and input. It has been a joy working with you! Also, thanks to Christian Unge, Åsa Parke and Iva Filipovic for your help with the sepsis project.
Without the patients and blood donors this work would not have been possible, thank you so much for your participation and contribution!
Thanks to the past and present members of the Sandberg and Norrby-Teglund groups. Helena, thanks for great times in and outside the lab and for all the secrete pilot experiments J It has been so much fun sharing this journey with you! Joana, thanks for teaching me everything in the lab. All the methods you developed have been invaluable to my projects. Caroline, it has
been so nice to share this PhD journey with you. Thank you for all discussions and long hours in the lab. Majda, thank you for your friendship and all the nice fika breaks! Kirsten, thank you for all the help with the sepsis samples. You are such a kind and supportive person and I have really enjoyed working with you. Laura, thank you for helping me with experiments and for being a great friend. Tiphaine, thank you for nice discussions and company in the lab. JB, thank for always being so nice and helpful and for making CIM more fun! Magda, thanks for your support and sepsis discussions. Edwin, thanks for good input! I admire your enthusiasm for science! Michal, your great humor has brightened up the lab. Tobias, thanks for your enthusiasm and metabolism discussions. Elli, Elisa, and Marion, we have just started to get to know each other but I am looking forward to working with you!
Hana, I am so happy I got to share the beginning of my PhD journey with you. You are such a warm, kind and caring person. Your support and friendship have been invaluable to me.
Natalie, thank you for all the laughs and early breakfasts. I am so impressed by you! Elza, thanks for bringing so much joy to CIM!
Kim, without your support I don’t think I would have completed my PhD. You have an incredible ability to think straight in difficult situations and to put problems into perspective.
You have strengthened me and been such a great friend. I am grateful to have worked with you.
Egle, thank you for being such a wonderful friend and support throughout this journey. You are one of the most brilliant and hardworking people I know, and you inspire me so much.
Thank you for all the fun times inside and outside the lab, the mushroom picking, archipelago trips, and for being a sauna master J
Kimia, thank you for being such a great friend throughout this whole journey and nowadays outside the lab. Thanks for discussions on everything from MAIT cells to parenting and for making sure I knew everything there was to know about pregnancy and babies J Looking forward to more fun times with the kids! Tyler, thank you for your friendship, advice on parenting, and for always having time for a fika or ice cream. Renata, thank you for always being so sweet and caring and a great friend! It has been lovely sharing this journey and CIMs smallest offices with you. Puran, I have enjoyed all discussions over the years. I admire your ambition level and how you get fully absorbed in any new task or interesting topic that comes in your way. Ebba, Martin, and Nicole, thank you for the lunches, for your friendship and great advices. Ginny, you spread so much positive energy at CIM and make everyone feel seen and included. Thank you for that! Emma, your positive energy has brightened me up many times. Themis and Luca, thanks for all the fun we had in Israel and for your friendship!
Margit, you are amazing! I miss our daily 7 am breakfasts, it was the best way to start the day.
Thank you for all your help over the years and for making sure I didn’t overwork.
Lena and Elisabeth, thank you for everything you have done for me and for CIM. Thank you for the lunch company and for early morning chats.
Julia, Themis, Pilar, Elza, Christopher, Laura H, and Anna C, it has been so nice sharing office with you!
All other CIMers! Thanks for being great colleagues and for creating an inspiring working environment.
Lastly, I could never have achieved this without the support and love from my friends and family.
Amalie, even though we live far apart I know I can always count on your support, in science and in life. We have shared so much, and you feel like family. Thanks for all the long hours of studying in Lund, for moving to Jerusalem with me, and for all other adventures we’ve had together!
Maia, you mean so much to me! Thank you for many, many years of friendship, for the adventures and for giving me a home in Israel to return to. Thank you for being there for me, not matter how far apart we are.
Ola, you are the bravest and strongest girl I know! Thank you for teaching me to never take anything for granted and for showing me that you can achieve anything if you just put your mind to it. Thank you for your Palestinian hospitality and for the wonderful times I’ve spent with you and your family in Bethlehem.
Jana, Viktor, Annika, Lisa, Sofia, and Remy, thanks for your friendship and for making life outside the lab so lovely. Thanks for always supporting me and Filippa and for babysitting whenever I get stuck in the lab. And a special thanks to Annika for giving me they idea that became paper III. I am so impressed by the level of your scientific knowledge despite never having studied biology!
Mormor, farmor och farfar, tack för att ni alltid har funnits där för mig och mina syskon. Ni har alltid ställt upp i alla lägen och jag älskar er så mycket! Jag är så glad att jag får dela disputationsdagen och hela den här resan med er!
My siblings, Lovisa, Jakob and Matilda, you are my best friends! Thank you for always being there for me. We are a great team and I love you so much!
My parents, I am so grateful for all you have taught me and for always, always being there for me and my siblings. Thank you for endless support, encouragement, and for always coming to my aid, I don’t even need to ask for it. I love you!
Filippa, I love you with all my heart and it brings me so much joy to follow you when you discover the world. It is good to take a break from research and go out and search for pinecones instead. I am so proud to be your mum!
The rest of my family and friends! I am lucky to have so many wonderful people around me!
Thanks for your support and love!