What motivates you to strive for an animal-free world? This time, we ask our (former) colleague Saskia. She joined us as a biomedical sciences intern and enjoyed her work so much that she stayed with us for nearly seven years. But, as all good things come to an end, Saskia decided to take on a new challenge. Before she leaves, we want to know what motivated her all these years and how she plans to continue her passion for animal-free research in the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> \u201cBy coincidence,\u201d says Saskia. \u201cI was studying biomedical sciences and planned to do lab research on human health. But after an internship, I quickly realized that I didn\u2019t enjoy the actual research work. Since I was already four years into my studies, I didn\u2019t want to give up. So, I chose a minor focusing on the role of science in society.\u201d<\/p>\n When it was time to graduate, Saskia found an interesting project: an internship researching animal-free innovations in HIV and AIDS research. It surprised her because, as a student, she knew little about the issue of lab animals. \u201cThis shows how important research is for promoting animal-free methods,\u201d emphasizes Saskia. \u201cInterestingly, Proefdiervrij wasn\u2019t mentioned in the project description. It was only halfway through my introductory meeting with Tjard de Cock Buning, a professor working with Proefdiervrij, that I realized I\u2019d be working at their office.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the long commute from Zaandam to The Hague, Saskia took on the challenge. \u201cI quickly felt at home. There\u2019s a strong sense of camaraderie within the team: we do everything together, and you can really feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n Debby Weijers, director: \u201cI have so many fond memories with Saskia. From her start as an intern to breaking the ice and her incredible work ethic, her openness is one of her greatest qualities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div> Halfway through her internship, Saskia learned that Marja was leaving and Debby would take over as director. Debby, then the advisor science & innovation, was Saskia\u2019s supervisor at Proefdiervrij. Saskia: \u201cI had a lot of contact with Debby and eventually realized she wanted me to stay at Proefdiervrij.\u201d<\/p>\n Saskia was increasingly involved in tasks unrelated to her internship. \u201cI remember telling my parents that I thought they might offer me a job\u2014and they did! Debby came into my office one day and asked if I wanted to continue as a science & innovation employee.\u201d<\/p>\n With a big smile, Saskia recalls her first months. \u201cI grew tremendously at Proefdiervrij. I used to be insecure and struggled to speak up, especially to unfamiliar people. Now, after years of networking and giving lectures, I do it without much thought. I\u2019ve become more confident and spontaneous.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> \u201cThe first lecture I gave, I was sweating profusely. Now, I do it almost without nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> \u201cOver the last seven years, I\u2019ve done many things I\u2019m proud of. For example, the Proefdiervrij Event, which started as a one-time Toekomstborrel<\/em> and is now an annual event with nearly a hundred lab animal-free pioneers. Or the first Hugo van Poelgeest Prize ceremony, which was a success despite being online due to the pandemic. And I\u2019ll never forget Proefdiervrij the Podcast, which I co-hosted with Romy!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div> Romy Penningnieuwland, advisor communications : \u201cIn my six years at Proefdiervrij, I\u2019ve worked on many great projects with Saskia, but the podcast was a highlight. We both had zero podcast experience, but that didn\u2019t stop us. It was often about just doing it, thinking creatively, and finding smart solutions. Saskia excelled at this, and the podcast was a great success thanks to her. I\u2019m very proud of her and our collaboration and even happier that we\u2019ve become good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> The growth of Proefdiervrij is another source of pride for Saskia. \u201cWhen I started as an intern, our field was quite small. Now, we do so much more ourselves. We finance scientific research and are more involved in animal-free innovation at the European level. Looking back seven years, our influence was limited. Proefdiervrij can and does so much more now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Animal-free innovation is part of who Saskia is, but she decided to seek a new challenge this year. \u201cI found it at hDMT<\/a> (institute for human organ and disease model technologies), an organization focusing less on lab animals and more on scientific, animal-free models. I consciously chose to stay within the animal-free field\u2014I\u2019m working on the same problem but trying to solve it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Saskia\"](\"https:\/\/proefdiervrij.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Proefdiervrij_Saskia-Aan-200x200.jpg\" "\\"Proefdiervrij_Saskia")
<\/span><\/div><\/div>How I ended up at Proefdiervrij<\/h2>\n
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My first job<\/h2>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/proefdiervrij.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/400-x-400-Saskia-college-1-200x200.jpg\" "\\"400")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Proud of big and small achievements<\/h2>\n
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![\"Het](\"https:\/\/proefdiervrij.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/PDV_Podcast_Afl-8_Debby-en-Saskia-300x300-1-1-200x200.jpg\" "\\"PDV_Podcast_Afl")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>A new challenge<\/h2>\n