Meet your colleague: Maja Sulstad Johansen

By SUND Kommunikation, sund-input@health.sdu.dk, 6/12/2024

Can you explain what your work involves?

I work on the Generation Healthy Children project, a research initiative aimed at promoting well-being and healthy weight development among children. In this project, we strive to create favourable conditions for a healthy childhood, collaborating with various stakeholders involved in children's daily lives, including the family, school, after-school care (SFO), and of course, the children themselves. Our efforts focus on four core areas: diet, physical activity, sleep, and screen habits.

On a daily basis, I focus on the aspect of the project that deals with children's sleep and screen habits. Together with my colleagues, I study the children's sleep and screen habits and develop initiatives designed to promote healthy sleep and screen routines among the children.

How long have you been working at SDU?

I have been employed at SDU since September 2022, so approximately 1.5 years.

What is the very best part about your job?

It is definitely the great variety in tasks. Particularly, I enjoy both collecting data and then delving into and learning from the data I have helped gather. During data collection, I meet most of the children, and it makes my dataset even more interesting when I have met the children who are part of it.

Could you share a work task you've completed that you're particularly proud of?

The first time I was a supervisor, I was a bit nervous and unsure if I was doing a good job and if the students were getting what they needed from the guidance. So, I tried my best to guide them in the way I would like to be guided myself. In the subsequent evaluation of the module, two students specifically directed their praise towards me. That made me incredibly happy.

What is your educational background – how did you end up in this job?

I have a Professional Bachelor Degree in Nutrition and Health and a Master's degree in Sports and Health. I wrote my thesis under the supervision of Anders Grøntved, who is the research leader in the Exercise Epidemiology research unit. A couple of months after defending my thesis, an opportunity for a PhD in the same research unit arose. Those two events probably aligned well for me, otherwise, I might not have ended up here.

What other career paths have you considered?

I have always been fascinated by buildings and architecture. For many years, I thought I would become a real estate agent or an architect. It was only in high school that I became interested in health sciences, and it was probably a somewhat quick decision to start the Professional Bachelor programme in Nutrition and Health.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy exercising, especially now that the good weather is finally here, so my running shoes are getting a bit more use. Otherwise, I love cooking, DIY projects, and attending as many concerts and festivals as I possibly can.

Have you seen/read/listened to anything good recently that you would recommend?

I recently listened to a very interesting podcast by Morten Münster. It's called “Society is Designed for Morning People, and Night Owls are Running Around with Constant Social Jetlag,” and it highlights the significant impact our individual chronotype has on both our social and work lives. You also get some good tips on how to plan your work hours and social events based on your chronotype to get the most out of them. And it might help morning people understand night owls better, and vice versa.

What is your favorite place to visit or travel to?

Paris. I can hardly imagine ever getting tired of that city. Coffee and croissants at small sidewalk cafes, the beautiful old buildings, and the illuminated Eiffel Tower at night are exactly my kind of thing.

Do you have any special talents that others might not know about?

I'm sure I do. I just haven't found it yet!

---