Alumna story. Anneli Kruve: From Classroom Curiosity to Global Research
Where did your interest in chemistry begin?
It actually started right in school, where I had a very engaging chemistry teacher who conducted many chemistry experiments with us. I remember that chemistry seemed relatively easy, and my chemistry teacher noticed this and started giving me interesting tasks separately. He did this with all the bored students so that they would also have something to do.
Then some of us were sent to chemistry olympiads, where the tasks were even more exciting. In high school, I reached the national round of the olympiad, where the tasks were no longer just challenging but quite difficult. Nevertheless, my curiosity and desire to learn more about chemistry remained.
Does a teacher play a significant role in a student’s interest in a subject? Yes, definitely! I would say that my teacher had the most influence on my decision to study chemistry.
What was it like to study at the University of Tartu’s Institute of Chemistry? I started in 2003, when the Chemicum did not yet exist, and we studied on Jakobi and Tähe streets. I remember that we had a very comprehensive foundation year, where we studied physics, chemistry, mathematics, and programming. Many didn’t like it, but I am very grateful in hindsight because, for example, I spend at least half of my time at work on programming. Without it, it would have been much harder for me to get into my current field.
On Jakobi Street, we studied analytical and physical chemistry. Analytical chemistry seemed very straightforward to me, so I initially didn’t plan to continue with it. At some point, however, I realized that if I wanted to get as many answers as possible to my chemistry questions, I needed analytical chemistry. I have to know first what chemicals are where and in what concentration before I can start answering other questions. That’s how I ended up in analytics.
I went to the Biomedicum and analyzed amino acids in mouse brain tissue under the guidance of Annika Vaarmann. In my bachelor’s thesis, my interest was in chromatography, which is still very fascinating. I wanted to do my master’s thesis on mass spectrometry.
Did you have an idea as a student of how your career would develop?
Since I participated in national and international olympiads and we were often introduced to scientists at the University of Tartu, it was like it was implanted in my head that science is a cool thing to do. I don’t think I’ve ever thought otherwise. I don’t remember ever wanting to work for a company. I rather wanted to learn more and do science and moved to where I could best achieve that goal. I didn’t think that place necessarily had to be a university; it was enough if it was a place where science was done.
What was your course like during university?
Student life was active, and sometimes I’m still surprised that we managed to study so much. We were close with our coursemates, studied together, went to apartment parties in Tartu, participated in student spring days, and did everything else. It was very exciting for me because I am from Rakvere, and it was very nice to meet people with such different backgrounds. It grew me a lot as a person.
Do you feel that a good company helps with chemistry studies?
I would say that a good company is very necessary. In the natural sciences, you never know what awaits you, so it’s good to help others sometimes and get help from your coursemates at other times. In both ways, it’s much better to study in a supportive environment.
What has your career path been like?
After my doctorate, in 2019, I went to work at the University of Tartu. That same year, the Estonian Research Council announced The Starter Researcher Grant for the first time. I applied and surprisingly got the grant. It was a very nice coincidence.
At some point, I became interested in what opportunities exist outside the University of Tartu. Quite by chance, I had the opportunity to go to Israel and do a postdoc in chemometrics. Since I had already studied statistics and chemometric analysis a bit in my free time, it suited me well. So I went to Israel for a year.
At the same time, I applied for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation scholarship. I was lucky again – I was accepted, and I went to Berlin for two years. There, I used ion mobility-related mass spectrometry in my research, which was not yet available in Estonia at the time.
Then I applied to Stockholm University, and I am still here. I focus on analytical environmental chemistry, which interests me a lot. There is very good interaction between different scientific disciplines here – for example, between environmental chemists and analytical chemists. Since we have many people with different backgrounds, each with numerous international contacts, our networks start to intertwine, and this strengthens our collaboration.
Describe your current job.
Since June, I have been a full-time professor. We have very clearly defined how much each person teaches and how much they do research. I do both quite a lot: about 40% of my time is spent teaching and about 40% on research, with the rest related to administrative tasks.
What is your most memorable project?
I always think that the most exciting project is the next project. Perhaps I am most proud of the European Research Council project that started this year, where we are developing machine learning methods to identify the structure of potentially toxic compounds. This is based on analytical chemistry data obtained from mass spectrometry and chromatography. It’s an amazing five-year project that is just starting to get exciting. I look forward to the final results with great interest.
Among the previous projects, the machine-based quantification of chemicals without analytical standards is also noteworthy. The method we developed has been applied by many colleagues and other scientists, for example, in the comparison measurement organized by the NORMANN laboratory network. In total, the method has been used in more than 40 laboratories. This is already a powerful indicator. I am proud that these methods have been made available to laboratories by the company Quantum Analytics, led by my former students.
How important is a chemistry education in your daily life?
That’s a good question. Of course, relatives sometimes want to know if lemon juice is acidic or alkaline. Practically, a chemistry education is useful for reading medicine or product labels. But the most important thing is the scientific logic that a chemistry education provides. Every topic can be broken down into pieces, which gives an overview of the topic.
What motivates you as a scientist?
If we knew exactly what motivates people, it would be possible to change much more in the world. I can say that I have a great curiosity, almost an inner fire, that drives me to work on things. There is probably some neuroscientific reason for this, which was somehow coded into my brain cells during childhood.
Would you recommend studying chemistry to others?
If someone is even slightly interested in chemistry, I definitely recommend studying it. Some choose a field with the goal of getting rich quickly, but if that’s the only reason, it’s better to choose a simpler field. In the natural sciences, there is actually a shortage of people, so if there is any desire to continue studying, every young scientist is welcomed. Anyone with a chemistry education has the potential to make the world a better place.
Author: Romet Peedumäe
