Meet our People
At ONTOFORCE, we’re passionate about creating an environment where learning, innovation, and growth intersect. Our collaboration with the Master of Science in Bioinformatics program at Ghent University reflects this commitment, offering students valuable insights into real-world applications. Recently, we sat down with two of our interns—Robbe and Ayşenur—to discuss their experiences.
Robbe was drawn to ONTOFORCE because of our focus on advanced technologies like NLP, ontologies, and graph-represented data. The technical challenges and the opportunity to explore new fields in data sparked his interest and motivated him to join the ONTOFORCE team as an intern.
Ayşenur, on the other hand, was attracted by her deep interest in bioinformatics and life sciences. She saw the potential in ONTOFORCE’s DISQOVER platform to integrate various data sources and help solve key challenges for life sciences organizations, making it a perfect match for her academic background in bioinformatics.
And the fact that our offices are located in Ghent – easily accessible by bike – was an added bonus.
Both Robbe and Ayşenur agreed that ONTOFORCE provided them with a valuable opportunity to work with new technologies and tools that they haven’t yet encountered in their academic studies. Such as working with LLM providers’ APIs like OpenAI, using frameworks like LangChain to build agentic flows, and mastering the use of DISQOVER. "This is something we rarely get the chance to do in our courses” said Robbe.
Robbe and Ayşenur had high praise for ONTOFORCE’s supportive work environment. Ayşenur highlighted the importance of mentorship, saying, "my mentors and colleagues were always available to provide assistance." She appreciated the collaborative nature of the work culture, where learning is not just encouraged but actively fostered.
This supportive atmosphere, coupled with the freedom to experiment, allowed Robbe to lead his own project. He valued how the feedback wasn’t just about making things work, but also about ensuring scalability, cost-efficiency, and reliability—skills rarely emphasized in an academic setting.
Both interns shared how their experiences at ONTOFORCE helped shape their career aspirations. For Ayşenur, the internship reinforced her interest in data integration and life sciences. She concluded her internship feeling more confident in pursuing a career in this field after graduation thanks to the hands-on experience she gained. "This internship supported my interests and now I’m more certain about my future path," she said.
Robbe, who initially saw himself potentially staying in academia, found his perspective shifting. "I’m definitely more eager to work in the industry now, especially in environments that are open to innovative technologies," he reflected. His experience showed him the appeal of working in a fast-paced, tech-forward organization, further broadening his professional horizons.
The two would recommend ONTOFORCE to future interns. The mix of supportive colleagues, exciting projects, and exposure to new technologies made it an enriching experience. As Robbe put it, "ONTOFORCE is a lovely place to spend a few weeks learning about exciting new technologies and research trends. If I get the chance, I’ll come back."
Interested in joining us? We’re always looking for curious and driven interns to be part of our journey at ONTOFORCE.
