Lise Bitsch, 28, comes from Aalborg in Denmark and is currently working on her PhD in the Faculty of Management and Governance in the Department of Science, Technology and Policy Studies (STePS). A perfect model of the model, she has her BA in Medical Biotechnology from Aalborg University and a UT Masters in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society.
Currently, she is crossing disciplines, in breath and depth, by drawing on insights from social studies on the dynamics of social and technological developments, specifically regarding genomics in asthma and cardiovascular research.
How do your two disciplinary backgrounds relate to each other?
‘Personally, I find that studying one thing is suffocating. I have always gravitated between mathematics and chemistry, on the one hand, and philosophy and social science on the other. Luckily I found the space here at the UT to combine the two. The topic of my research is technical developments in genetic technologies and how they contribute to research on complex diseases like asthma and cardiovascular disease. However, I can approach this subject, not through mathematical models, but through both my technical and social studies background to understand how this research might contribute to societal change. It’s the perfect match!’
What are the challenges and rewards of working across these disciplines?
‘The biggest challenge is introducing myself, especially when I need to talk with researchers of complex diseases. Initially, they are a bit apprehensive, but it really helps when they understand my technical background. The reward is I am able to integrate two subjects that I love.’
How do you hope to bring your experience into the wider world?
‘Once I finish my PhD, I want to help stimulate interaction between the technical and social worlds. Even if different languages are spoken, I think it is a mistake to let the two sides develop without actively engaging with each other.’
Is interdisciplinary thinking particular to Danes?
‘I think there are definitely some very innovative Danish people. For example, there is a group called Technologies in Practice at the IT University of Copenhagen. They integrate an understanding of broad social and technological change to find solutions to the challenges our world faces today. Perhaps what is typical of Danish people is we are, in general, concerned with social justice, equal access and humanrights.’
How did you come to the UT?
‘One day in the lab, I passed a poster advertising the UT Masters of Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society. It posed questions concerning the future impacts of technologies, such as genomics, and promised insights into the nature of scientific and technological developments and their interaction with societal developments. From that poster onwards I was hooked. But, I knew very little about the Netherlands. I thought Enschede would be close to Amsterdam! (laughter)’
Are you the only Danish person on campus?
‘I cannot say for sure, but I have never met another. After nearly five years, I speak Dutch, so I feel pretty integrated. However, there is an indefinable ‘sameness’ that I only feel in the company of Danish people. It has to do with being able to immediately and accurately express yourself, and always knowing what is appropriate in a situation.’
Catherine Ann Lombard
‘It is great to show how social and technical changes occur together. You cannot have one without the other,’ reflects Lise Bitsch. Photo: Gijs van Ouwerkerk
