Meet the PhD committee

Moving across the ocean from the U.S. to start my PhD at VITO was both an exciting and challenging transition, and I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to navigate a new country, language, institution(s), and educational role. I am excited to use my experiences to advise and support other PhD students—whether by sharing practical tips or simply being a friendly, non-judgmental resource for asking questions. 

Additionally, since I live in Ghent, I haven’t had many opportunities to connect with my fellow PhD candidates at VITO, and I see this committee as a great way to build those connections and expand my interaction within VITO, especially between different research units. Finally, throughout my undergraduate and master’s studies, I was actively involved in advisory committees and held leadership roles, but since starting my PhD, I haven’t had the opportunity to pursue similar roles here in Belgium. 

Joining the PhD committee is a great opportunity for me to continue growing as a leader while contributing to a supportive and engaged PhD community at VITO.

As PhD researchers at VITO, we are simultaneously affiliated to a university and VITO. Therefore, I think the PhD committee has an important role to play in many ways. For example, making new VITO PhD-researchers familiar with working at VITO, and to connect these PhD students, as we might have similar questions or concerns. 

At the same time, I think it’s also important to have fun during your PhD and to get to know other PhD researchers in a better way. Organising social events can therefore certainly help with this. Therefore, by being part of the PhD committee, I hope I can contribute to making the PhD experience of fellow VITO-PhD students a very enjoyable one.

I believe in the power of collaboration and support each other; all of us have superpowers that we can use to make the lives of others easier. We are people from different parts of the world with different backgrounds that will enrich our experience as Ph.D. students at VITO. We can find support and resources to navigate the four-year journey as a community. We are here to pursue our PhD; it is lonely work, but let's make this a unique experience we can make the most of.