Postdoc Spotlight: Lina Massou

Lina is a Research Associate in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, where she provides methodological and quantitative support to other researchers, while she leads her own research. Research and teaching are her main responsibilities. She also leads on 2 modules. Having a background in Applied Mathematics, she completed her PhD in Applied Statistics in Social Sciences.

Her main areas of interest are statistical applications in observational and longitudinal studies. During the last 2 years she has been working on economic evaluations. 
 

How long have you been a postdoc?

I’ve lived in Cambridge for 7 years. I finished my PhD in March 2017. In June of that year, I came to Cambridge for a maternity cover role, then was able to stay. The initial contract was for a maximum of 12 months. 

Have you explored what PdA offers?

I found the weekly newsletter very useful! There’s lots of useful information on training, events, and workshops. It’s also where I found out about the Postdoc Academy’s mentoring scheme.

In the scheme, first I took part as a mentee, and this year I took on the role of a mentor. It is a very useful programme, especially for researchers from a different culture. I didn't have experience of a UK university before Cambridge and wasn’t sure how everything worked. 

I was very keen to get involved - doing a PhD or postdoc can be very isolating! 
 

What made you decide to seek a mentor?

I was looking at how I could get more out of my time in Cambridge, and wanted to work on things like attitudes, ways to improve myself, and boosting my confidence, while seeking opportunities for personal development. 

The experience of the mentor was useful. I had the opportunity to discuss challenges where I wasn’t sure how to cope and was given excellent advice. For example, on appraisals and funding applications, as well as on finding balance within a team. 
 

Did your mentor assist you professionally, personally, or both?

Mainly professionally but also personally. I was assisted with things such as my organisational skills and time management. My mentor was not in the same field, so their advice was more broad. 

Did they meet or exceed your expectations?

Exceeded. I had the chance to have very open discussions. I didn’t know if that would be an option at first. I faced work-related challenges on a sensitive issue, and she gave excellent advice, and it worked out well.

I didn’t feel like I could talk about certain things with my line manager, so it was great to have those conversations with someone impartial.
 

If you were to go back in time, would you prioritise different aspects or have the same focus?

I would keep the same focus but would like to be involved in the programme earlier. I wasn’t aware of anything similar in my own country during my PhD.

Are there any improvements to the mentoring programme you'd like to see?

On being mentored, I had no complaints.

Have you recommended the mentoring programme to others? (or would you?)

Yes, 100%!

Is there anything else you would like to highlight?

Cambridge has a lot to offer, even if it's for just a short time. The most attractive thing for me was living in the city which is quite inspiring. 

It can also be good to hear what other people are doing and see the different areas for collaboration.

I use the facilities at both WestHub and Eddington, which are really good, and I recommend them to other postdocs! 

For training, what PdA is doing is very good! It brings people together, as following presentations there is usually a discussion, where people can talk and find out what they have in common.