The master’s programme did not disappoint me at all. What interests me the most is the interdisciplinary factor - the variety of courses available and the way in which they combine to form a great field of possibilities. The majority of the courses include a lot of group work with students of different educational backgrounds. In this way you can learn from others whilst also having the opportunity to explain your work to those who are less familiar with your subject.  A typical week consists of practical classes, lectures, and social activities. In the practicals, we work on our group assignments. The social activities are either organised by the study association Verum, or just by ourselves. It’s easy to get to know everyone, since the group is so small. Apart from that, the work itself is fun, which I believe also leads to better cooperation during group projects. In many of the social/professional activities, we get to meet people who are currently working in the field of Forensics.

Forensic specialists usually need to do their work under a great amount of (time) pressure. Casework is based on a specific piece of evidence given. In the masters, we learn to deal with this pressure and how to work efficiently. For my research project, I am planning to focus on if and how the mathematical field of Complex Networks can contribute to investigating (financial) crimes. I am very excited about this, because not much research has been carried out on this topic yet!