"The E-MENU opened the door to a professional researcher degree program and professor"

"In May 2020, after finishing Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, I wasn't entirely sure what my next step would be. At that time, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, job opportunities were scarce and, to be honest, I didn't feel I was ready to launch into self-employment," confesses Paola Mogna. However, it was a family member who, almost unwittingly, gave her the answer she was looking for: "In times of crisis, Education is the best investment".

After spending some time researching on the internet about masters and programs of study from postgraduate program, she finally decided on the Master's Degree European in Food, Nutrition and Metabolism (E-MENU) from the School Pharmacy and Nutrition. "As an alumnus of the University of Navarra, I knew that this decision would mean staying in the same city where I have resided for the past four years. However, that very status as an alumna led me to appreciate the excellent professional and human quality that characterizes the professionals," she explains. 

During the year of Master's Degree and, especially during the completion of the TFM, she realized how much she enjoyed doing research, so it didn't take her long to decide that she definitely wanted to stay doing thesis . "The field of research and academia are not the easiest to get along with: currently there is a lot of skill and little funding, which makes entering the world of research an uphill struggle. However, I believe that having taken the E-MENU opened the door for me to start a professional degree program as a researcher and also to train as a professor". 

A link between the Degree and the thesis doctoral program.

For Paola, the Master's Degree has been the "perfect complement" for the training of the Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, given its approach of research, so it was an excellent link between the Degree and the thesis . In addition to knowledge, the training of Master's Degree provided her with the necessary skills to face challenges in an autonomous and critical manner: "Everything I have learned has helped me to develop more confidently as a professional and I apply it daily in the work of my thesis ". 

Her work, developed at research center in Nutrition, deals with the application of omics technologies, specifically metagenomics and metabolomics, as tool in the diagnosis and personalization of the treatment of metabolic diseases (specifically obesity and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). "In my case, the Master's Degree has prepared me both in theoretical knowledge focused on metabolomics and in basic issues of academia referred to how to publish, how to find quality scientific information and methodologies of research". 

One issue that Paola highlights is that during the year of Master's Degree she had the opportunity to connect with many professors and researchers at the University, who not only led her to solidify the decision to do the thesis , but also acted as mentors along her professional path. "In this sense, the Master's Degree has also served as tool networking and has helped me make contacts that I know will be important in the future."