T (Troy) Spekking

Hi all,

Since the beginning of April I started working here as a research assistant/technician. Tino isn't getting any younger, so it was time to find a replacement, that’s me. In the coming year he will teach me as much as he can to keep the lab running after he leaves. But let me introduce myself.

Before coming here I was working in UMC, diagnostics of tumors. I always wanted to pull my weight in that particular area for personal reasons. And now that I have I was free to choose something I enjoyed doing more. Prior to that I have done one of my internships here at WUR. Which showed me the world of research. Before I knew it I was being asked to help with all kinds of projects on top of my main tasks. These side projects honestly were more engaging and fun. It was the memory of that time that brought me back to WUR. 

A long time ago I was on the crossroads of career paths. On the one hand was science, logic and curiosity were tempting sides. Especially since this dyslexic brain couldn't deal with the non-science subjects so well. And I was always a curious child with endless questions. However on the other side was Art, creativity and escapism. Fascinated by computer games and the alternative worlds they offered. The good ones were like books and movies that you could control. So I wanted to make my own worlds for other to enjoy. So I took to drawing, digital or paper. But the artistic world was financially unstable and jobs were hard to get in that area back then. And I didn't want to draw lamppost for years before I could build my own worlds. So I downgraded that path to a side hobby. Started writing my own stories and continued enjoying other people’s work in my free time. 

Back to AFI and the real world. I'm happy to be back in the research lab again. And back to assisting people while dodging the difficult process of writing papers. Afterall, no digital world can beat the level of detail this one has. 

See you around,
Troy