Name: Olena Filatova
Place of Birth: Odessa, Ukraine
Date of Birth: August 14, 1989
Studied at TU/e from: September 2010 - September 2012
Master of Science Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Computational Science and Engineering
Current position: PDEng Healthcare Systems Design, Signal Processing Group, EE, TU/e

Why did you choose to study at TU/e at the time?
Because of the high quality of education, a very friendly environment for international students and good opportunities after graduation in a high-tech region. Not a small part of this decision was the Talented Students Program which financed the studies. Coming to study at TU/e was a totally new experience. The educational system is very different so it took me a while to understand that. For example, the ECTS system and choosing electives were things I had never faced before coming here.

What happened after you graduated from TU/e?
I’m still in the Netherlands and still at TU/e. Currently I am following a Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) program in Healthcare Systems Design at the Electrical Engineering Department. Originally I intended to do a PhD right after getting my Master’s degree and I did not know that such a post-Master program or PDEng existed. However, by the time I graduated I wanted to apply my math knowledge in the medical domain. Doing a PhD is still part of future plans.

How did you find a job?Of course, finding a job these days is not easy. In my case the focus was more on academic jobs rather than industrial ones. It took about five to six months to find my current position, but I am very happy with the result.

In my opinion, it is psychologically easier to look for a job in the Netherlands when you are a Dutch or EU citizen because of the organizational issues such as residence permits, etc. From a professional point of view the nationality does not really matter. Dutch, Egyptian, Italian and Ukrainian mix completely fine at our office. Although learning some Dutch helps.

What advice would you give to the current students?
In order to find a job, it is really important to understand what you are looking for. Following workshops by STU and Wervingsdagen about application skills really helps, as well as participating in job fairs. You can orient yourself on the job market and determine if you want to stay or move somewhere else. But the most important advice is: do not forget to enjoy your student years!