Being a Marie Curie PhD
By Aslihan Ural
Since October 2020, I have been a PhD candidate in Wageningen University, funded by the EU Marie Curie ITN Programme within the scope of the FertiCycle Project. In the FertiCycle Project, we as 15 PhD candidates are working on new bio-based fertilizers from novel techniques for production to use, their environmental impacts and market opportunities. In this newsletter article, I’d like to share my experience on “how to be a Marie Curie PhD” with you.
Marie Curie projects give you opportunity to do lots of activities during your PhD; such as working in an international and multidisciplinary group, having variety of trainings (e.g., from in-depth to general skills courses), visiting other institutions work research (called secondments), attending many meetings, giving many presentations and more! All of these activities do not only improve your communication skills, but also force you to learn effective time management – just by experience! 😊 So far, I have completed many trainings provided by the FertiCycle Project and gained more credits than I need to finish my PhD (> 30 ECTS).
Photo from my 3-months secondment at Ghent University.
In addition, you can become a Marie Curie ambassador and tell about your experience to others. That’s why I shared my story and insights about “being a Marie Curie PhD” at a Wageningen University Online Career event on 25th May. This event was mainly for Wageningen alumni or last year students of BSc and MSc. I mentioned so many advantages of this programme (e.g., networking opportunities, gaining presentation skills, experience different working conditions at various institutions, trainings by the experts on our research field, and travelling). On the other hand, I shared challenges and demands of the ITN projects (e.g., travelling so much can be exhausting sometimes, many small tasks of the ITN project besides the PhD research).
Nevertheless, it is a unique experience, thanks to the EU Marie Curie ITN Programme!
Please find my contact details for further questions and some relevant information below: