The career of ... Niki Korteweg

Niki is the Medical Science Editor at NRC Handelsblad. She studied Biology and also obtained a PhD in Molecular Neurobiology from Utrecht University in 2000. She then worked as a freelance science journalist for almost 20 years. She writes for NRC on subjects like brain research, psychology, cancer research and infectious diseases.

No need to do it all now

You studied Medical Biology. Very few people have just one interest. Which other study could you have done? I was definitely interested in various subjects at secondary school. I was fascinated by biology and chemistry but also by Dutch and Latin. I loved playing with those long sentences. So, when the time came to decide which study to do, I had a number of different degree programmes in mind. Dutch, for example, but also medicine, and medical biology. I eventually realised that I was more interested in the disease than the patient. So, I chose medical biology.

In your current work as a Medical Editor at NRC, you combine a number of your interests. Did you go straight into journalism after you graduated? No. I’ve found myself at a crossroads a number of times in my career to date. After graduating, I found myself faced with the choice of either doing a postdoc in journalism, or doctoral research on neurobiology. The former won. But then I found myself at another crossroads after I obtained my PhD. I still liked the idea of being a writer, so this time I chose to do work in that field. I started as a Science Communicator at Unilever — a commercial company — in a world I knew nothing about as a brand-new PhD. I learnt a lot there. For example, how to make five-year plans. I continued to make these plans when I later started working for myself.

After Unilever, I became a scientific reporter on medical conferences. Pharmaceutical companies hire you indirectly, so your reports aren’t independent. It’s more like ‘PR with a twist’.

My goal was to write independent journalistic reports. So, one day I took the plunge and called the Editorial Department at NRC. I stammered my way through the conversation, feeling quite awkward. But in the end, an article of mine was published. That was the start of my journalism career. I wrote and also gave lectures and guest lectures on my field. In September 2019, I became an editor at NRC.

In your book Een beter brein, you explore all kinds of ways to improve the brain. What was your motivation for this book? Before writing this book, I had a burnout. It left me with poor concentration and a faltering memory. I tried to find ways to improve my brain. I had a burnout because I worked very hard for years and slept very little. I combined this with two small children and my husband’s struggles with his start-up because of the financial crisis. It all got too much for me eventually and it was a really unhappy time. But perhaps I would have been unstoppable if it had been any other way. I now know that I’ve got my whole life to get things done; I don’t have to do everything straight away! My children are now in their 20s and I always tell them never to skimp on their sleep. It’s fine to work hard, but you need to rest hard too. It’s no different to what top athletes do. You have a duty to take rest too, for yourself and for your employer as well.

I would ban social media if I had my way

Which advice would you like to give students? Be guided by what fascinates you. Don’t think that everything has to be done now or be perfect straight away. And stop using social media if it makes you feel unsettled. It’s not healthy to always be ‘on’ and constantly compare yourself to the best version of everyone else worldwide. And then there’s the huge amount of misinformation and disinformation circulating everywhere. I’d ban social media if I had my way.

I also saw something completely different on your CV: you are one of the founders of STUdance, the Utrecht student dance association. That’s right. As students, we formed a show group with our lecturer at the time. We performed and took part in competitions. And eventually became an association. STUdance still exists today; it’s a thriving dance association with more than 300 members. In 2018, I was even appointed an honorary member, along with the other founders. And I’m still dancing to this very day.

You have written two books. Are you planning to write any more?  Not at the moment. As an editor, I’m still writing about my favourite themes: the intertwining of body and mind and the fusion of the body with technology. I’m inspired daily by the academics I speak to and by my colleagues. You’d be surprised by the interesting subjects that get discussed at the coffee machine. I still love my job.

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