Dr. Niklas Hegemann | From Charité Berlin to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Our guest today is Dr. Niklas Hegemann, Medical Affairs Trainee
at a leading global pharmaceutical company.


Niklas's career path is anything but straightforward. He began
with business administration - a choice shaped in part by family
expectations - before a six-month internship at a major
pharmaceutical firm sparked a lasting passion for medical
science. This led him back into academia to pursue a biomedical
degree, followed by a doctoral thesis in experimental cardiology
at Marburg and Imperial College London.


In this episode, Niklas talks about how he leverages his academic
training in data analysis, scientific literature review, and
multidisciplinary collaboration in his current role in Medical
Affairs. He reflects candidly on the setbacks he faced when first
trying to move into industry, the role of mentorship and humility
in finally making the transition, and what it takes to adapt to a
corporate environment after years in academia. He also shares how
he has maintained his ties to the cardiovascular research
community as a visiting scientist and why he sees hybrid career
paths as a real opportunity for scientists today.


The interview was conducted by Dr. Christina Ayazi from ZEWK at
TU Berlin.