Victor Gram-Erichsen
"My experiences and competencies developed at Lund University, as well as the a well-developed understanding of global issues, have been very useful working with policymaking across different topics in an international political environment!"
Alumni portrait of alumnus Victor, from the Master of Science in Global Studies. Interview was conducted in March 2024.
Hi Victor, what have you been doing since graduating from Global Studies?
After graduating from Global Studies, Lund University (and Fudan University, double-degree program) in the summer of 2018, I took some time to recharge, before moving to Copenhagen at the end of the year. There, I found an internship at an asylum rights and integration NGO, but after a little less than a year, I got the opportunity to move to Brussels for the Blue Book traineeship at the European Commission. There I was working on international partnerships with a focus on the Middle East and Central Asia and since the traineeship, I have worked in Brussels, including on digital, labor market and social policies. Currently I work as a Policy Officer responsible for cooperation with ASEAN in the European Commission's Directorate General of Research and Innovation.
Did your time at Lund University contribute to your professional development? If so, in what ways?
Yes. Both socially through the stimulating and international environment, as well as the development of good analytical and methodological skills. These experiences and competencies, as well as a well-developed understanding of global issues, have been very useful working with policymaking across different topics in an international political environment.
What career advice would you give to current students at Graduate School?
If you would like to pursue a career in international politics, a personal tip would be to apply for the blue book after gration. I found it was a great way to get a professional experience in an interesting environment and helped me when looking for a way into the "business". Competition can be tough, so learning an extra language or maybe study/work in a different part of the world than where you are from, are other good options if possible. For me, the double degree from Lund and Fudan has opened a few doors, but so have my student job working in a theater, so it is sometimes difficult to say exactly what works.
What is your fondest memory from your student days in Lund? What do you miss the most about your student days in Lund?
I really enjoyed the open and diverse environment at Graduate School, as well as the freedom to choose which topics to delve deeper ino and focus on. Café Ariman and Love Coffee Roasters are other missed spots close to campus...
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
I am changing jobs this summer and will leave the European Commission and Brussels, to start working for the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen. As the post includes the requirement to eventually be posted abroad, I hope that in five years' time I will be well into my first posting, potentially even in an ASEAN country.