Michelle Künzli has found a second home in Hawaii

Michelle spent eight months researching her MSc thesis at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Now the thesis has been written and submitted but Michelle doesn’t want to go back to her everyday life in Switzerland just yet. Her travel programme included Fiji, Australia and Malaysia.

Michelle wanted to go abroad during her Bachelor's degree, but as for many others, Covid put a spanner in the works. Therefore, she wanted to try again during her Master's in Bioanalytics. "How often do you have the opportunity to gain work experience abroad while getting to know a new country and new cultures?" says Michelle.

Michelle worked on lung stem cell research as part of her Master's thesis. Using pieces of tissue called organoid systems she investigated fibroblast function in lung stem cell development. She was able to start on the project from day one, was warmly welcomed in the team and got valuable support from the supervisor and the staff.

Despite the high preparation effort, Michelle would not have missed this opportunity. The lab work, the flexibility, the Hawaiian way of life, the incredible landscape and of course the sea and the beach all appealed to Michelle. "Coming home from work in the evening, grabbing the surfboard and enjoying the sunset over the ocean is an absolute highlight!" she says.

With her MSc Michelle now wants to continue working in research. Her stay in Hawaii shaped this decision and the research project fascinated her, so she wants to go back in the summer to continue working on it. Back to the island that has become her second home.