This summer, we want to know what happened to the people who helped us create and shape the concept of the PostDoc Office in 2022. Since the PostDoc Office was officially opened it has been a shared effort between researchers and researcher developers to build and maintain a community that allows everyone to shine, be inspired, and exchange ideas with brilliant peers.
What are these researchers doing now?
Today: Snezana Vuletic-Solari. Snezana was part of the first edition of the PostDoc Peer Mentoring Programme. Back in 2022, she impressed her peers (and us) with this question: „In which direction are skills transferable?”
Here are her three answers to three questions!
1) Where did you work during your time in Graz and where are you today?
From 2022 until 2024, I worked as postdoctoral researcher and university assistant at Uni Graz. After two years in Graz, I switched to academic/scientific management and currently work as Advisor for Academic Appointments and Scientific Strategy at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). My day-to-day business involves a) advising the president of the aforementioned Institute regarding academic employment and scientific strategy, b) coordinating the Scientific Board meetings at the Institute and c) coordinating academic networks with other similar institutes worldwide.
2) What's your advice on how to make good career decisions and be satisfied in your work life?
Listen to your gut feeling about which direction to take in your professional life
Take seriously and tackle on time any source(s) of anxiety, uncertainty or dissatisfaction at work, even if (especially if!) you're doing what you love
Value your own work experience and continually work on improving how you "sell" your skills on the job market
3) What's a memory of University of Graz that stands out in your mind?
Two memories stand out for me when I think about my time at Graz Uni. First, my cooperation with Prof. Dr. Christine Schwanecke in the English Department was always a true pleasure because the conversations we had motivated me and made me feel extremely appreciated and useful. Second, I loved grabbing a cup of coffee at the bar on the ground floor and staying there for a bit because it usually meant that I would meet a colleague and some fun conversations (often about our research!) would spark!
Interview date: May 19, 2025. Picture credit: Vuletic Solari (privat)
About the series:
All the interviews are here: Where are they now? The interviews runs from July 21 to Aug 8, 2025. Questions: Johanna Stadlbauer, Research Care