The boxes are packed; a new tenant is already lined up to take over the beautiful turn-of-the-century apartment in hip Prenzlauer Berg. For thirty-six-year-old Franziska Sattler-Morrison, an exciting new chapter awaits: she is moving to her husband Kurtis’s home country of Canada.

Sattler-Morrison, who graduated as a vertebrate paleontologist and evolutionary biologist, is already looking forward to her new life in Vancouver, which is situated in British Columbia on Canada’s west coast: “It’s an absolute dream: living beside the sea, with orcas and seals virtually within eyeshot, while also being so close to the mountains, in a mild Pacific climate.”

Until recently, she worked on the Freie Universität Berlin campus as a coordinator for student records and transcripts of records. She was responsible for compiling transcripts of records for international students who were on exchange to Freie Universität Berlin. She has been working in student mobility since 2012, first as a student assistant and then as a permanent employee starting in 2017. Aside from her job at Freie Universität Berlin, Sattler-Morrison has worked as a science communicator, organizing different events that bring science to a lay audience and hosting her own podcast in English called “Science with Milk, No Sugar,” where she interviews researchers about the highlights and challenges of their everyday lives. This is something she would like to continue doing in Canada.

She is not the type of person who would consider herself a homebird. Rather, Sattler-Morrison, who was born and raised in Berlin, prefers to stray from home to meet new fascinating people and enjoy one-of-a-kind experiences. This was the case when she worked as an au pair in London for a year-and-a-half after finishing school as well as when she spent an exchange year studying at Montana State University (USA), where she even got the opportunity to excavate fossils.

It was saying goodbye to Freie Universität Berlin, where she was surrounded by beloved colleagues and students from all around the world, that hit the hardest. After all, she had spent about half of her life so far on campus in Dahlem, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in geology, followed by a master’s degree in biology with a focus on evolutionary biology, and where she later became an employee. Plus, it was through her work there that she met her now-husband.

An exchange student from Canada who came to her office for advice brought her and her partner Kurtis Morrison together. He was working at a start-up in Berlin when the two of them met. He had previously gone on an exchange to study in Leipzig, and returned to Germany after completing his MBA. “We were both invited to the same Halloween party by friends,” she reminisces. “Not exactly the most romantic atmosphere,” she laughs. Nevertheless, sparks flew. The pair married in Berlin in 2023.

Their lingua franca is English, which Sattler-Morrison speaks perfectly. But that’s not the only reason why she feels enthusiastic and confident about beginning her new life abroad: “Back in 2017, when I went with Kurtis to meet his family and friends in Canada for the first time, I felt accepted into the fold right away.”

Sattler-Morrison can well imagine working for an institution like the University of British Columbia when she moves to Canada – although Freie Universität Berlin has set pretty high standards. “Throughout my entire time both as a student and as an employee I always felt like I was receiving the best possible support from my instructors and my supervisors. They were always super encouraging and gave me the freedom I needed to grow. That’s what the ‘free’ in ‘Freie Universität’ means to me.” A prime example of this freedom was when she was writing her master’s thesis and was able to undertake research on one of the best-preserved intact Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, an external institution and natural history museum.

She says that these experiences shaped how she approached her work in student mobility. “Sometimes students don’t pass their classes and obviously feel frustrated. It brings up quite a lot of emotions because they worry about jeopardizing their degrees at their home institutions. That’s when you have to take care of them, console and reassure them, and offer them constructive advice. It’s a little bit like being a chaplain,” she smiles.

Sattler-Morrison would also be interested in honing in on another one of her areas of expertise in Canada, namely science communication. “I always loved doing my job at Freie Universität Berlin. I never pursued a career in academia, even though I was fascinated by paleontology. But what has always really inspired me is bringing science to a wider audience outside of scientific institutions.” As a freelancer she also boosted visitor engagement at the Museum für Naturkunde by spearheading and coordinating the outreach event “Kaffeeklatsch mit Wissenschaft” (“Coffee Break with Science”).

Sattler-Morrison is optimistic about the future: “I love getting to know new people and making new contacts.” She is looking forward to staying in touch with colleagues at her old place of work through Freie Universität Berlin’s Alumni Network. Professional networking platforms like LinkedIn also offer the perfect opportunity for making new contacts in Canada. “I have no hang-ups about reaching out to interesting people and chatting with them over a cup of coffee.” No matter what lies ahead in Vancouver, we’re certain that Franziska Sattler-Morrison will succeed at whatever she turns her mind to next.

Mareike Knoke