In July 2018, I travelled to Beijing to take part in the Global Fellowship Programme between ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and Tsinghua University. This programme involved 36 participants from both Universities. During the first week, we attended many workshops and team-building activities, which culminated in a group project centred around an idea to tackle climate change. My team (2 Tsinghua, 2 ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ students) did not win, but it was a memorable experience and I gained invaluable friends!
The programme involved many feedback and self-evaluation sessions as well. These were extremely valuable as I was praised for skills that I was unaware I had but also identified some weaknesses as well. For example, my fellow team members suggested that I should not be afraid to express my own opinion and lead the team. We also had a chance to present a poster about our own research which was a unique opportunity to share my idea and research and receive constructive feedback.
For the next three weeks, I was a visiting researcher in the Tsinghua- BP Clean Energy Institute Centre working on Energy Systems Modelling. One of my supervisors took the research group (which consisted of 3 German, 1 British student and myself) to a Chinese restaurant and guided us through the Chinese cuisine. I felt very welcome and enjoyed the delicious dinner! The students from ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ that remained for the placement all became friends and forged enduring relationships. We played card games almost every night but we also visited the Great Wall with its breath-taking view, the Lama Temple and many Chinese monuments.
I highly encourage students to attend this programme. I had the opportunity to work alongside some brilliant people and expand my research, experience a different culture and make some good friends. A PhD is more than scientific research. It is also about self-development and awareness, personal flexibility, networking and much more that I have yet to discover!
"The students from ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ that remained for the placement all became friends and forged enduring relationships. "