In July 2018, I travelled to Beijing to take part in the Global Fellowship Programme between Imperial 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 Imperial 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 Imperial 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 Imperial that remained for the placement all became friends and forged enduring relationships. "