Alumni tell their personal story

My work is to find new ways of interactions

Amalia Kallergi
“I studied Computer Science at the Aristoteles University in Thessaloniki, after which I was admitted into the English-language Media Technology master programme at Leiden University. The programme unites students with divers backgrounds and so exchanges varying fields of expertise. Leiden has an inspiring intellectual climate that stimulated my scientific curiosity and creativity.
The master programme brings together creativity and technology. On the one hand the work is quite technical and you learn to build your own projects, such as software systems, devices and installations. On the other hand, the study is theoretical and conceptual of nature; you are taught to ask creative questions and research them yourself.
My fellow students call themselves artist, inventor or scientist. I like to be called a scientist, because that is the job that I now do: PhD research for Cyttron, a consortium of universities from Leiden, Delft, Utrecht, Antwerp and London that is concerned with bio-imaging techniques. I am a researcher for the Imaging & Bioinformatics group and study human-computer interactions. All interaction between man and machine as governed by an interface. My work is to find new ways of interactions.”

My business card would then say: inventor-scientist-artist

Rick Companje
“During my travels in New Zealand I had so many creative ideas, among which a four-dimensional Earth globe, that I was certain of my desire for further study. I had completed a bachelor programme in interaction design. From across the world I sent my letter of application to Leiden, after which I was invited to an admission interview for the Media Technology MSc programme.
In this programme I have learned to soak up scientific ideas and meanwhile be free to develop my own thoughts and ideas. With three fellow students I was able to develop my four-dimensional Earth globe. It was a great success! We traveled around the world with our globe and presented it at several scientific conferences and events in Europe, United States and India. The Maastricht Museum of Natural History bought one for their collection and it has been on display in NEMO Science Center in Amsterdam for several times.
I now work part-time for the European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, where I co-develop a 3D video camera. My dream job would be to only realize my personal ideas and inventions. My business card would then say: inventor-scientist-artist. It’s just too difficult to choose.”

Network of alumni, students and staff

We have created an online network for alumni, students and staff of the Media Technology programme. It aims at keeping track of what everyone is upto. Feel free to join this network if you are a potential member, and invite others that have not yet joined.