Researchers talk about how their time abroad has enriched their studies, research or personal lives.
Jonathan Mijs – Boston
As a student, I spent six months studying in California. I then earned my PhD at Harvard and did research in London. A Marie Curie grant brought me back to Europe.
I chose ESSB for its research group which, like me, studies the link between people’s social environment and their beliefs about inequality. I really enjoy the friendly and supportive work climate at ESSB, and I appreciate the humour on the work floor.
Given my international experiences, in my research I often pursue questions like: How do things work here? What sets this environment apart? My travels have also brought me a diverse network, allowing me to work together with people with different perspectives. That enriches my work and inspires.
I can highly recommend studying and working abroad, and I am always willing to help students or colleagues seeking an international experience, in the US or elsewhere.
Türkan Ertuna Lagrand – Ankara
During my career I studied and worked in Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands. Since 2017, I work as a Senior Lecturer at Erasmus University College, where I teach various courses on EU Law. Having experienced different social, legal and political contexts made me realize that there are, in fact, endless alternatives to what one deems to be natural. This brings with it an open-mindedness which has been very important for me in my teaching and research.
Today, I value immensely, the friendly atmosphere in the faculty! Though, it did require some getting used to. Coming from a very hierarchical (academic) culture, I remember that when I started my PhD in Rotterdam, I would stand up when professors would enter the room. And it took me a few years before I could address them with their first names, instead of their titles. Now those awkward moments help me relate to first year students at EUC from abroad.
Novika Purnama Sari – Java
In 2017, I received a grant from the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia to do my PhD on autism. I chose to do my PhD at ESSB because I was impressed with the work of Professor van IJzendoorn, the professor I was going to work with. In addition, my husband thought it was important that we go to a country where we could still eat Indonesian food. Well, that's easy to do here!
One big cultural difference I experienced is that there is little hierarchy in the Netherlands. In Indonesia, it’s almost impossible to say ‘no’ to a superior. Here, professors are accessible. I like that. Besides, Dutch people like to have opinions and they are very direct. It teaches me to become more and more self-confident in speaking up.
This year, I’m chair of the PhD Council of Erasmus Graduate School of Social Studies and Humanities (EGSH). Together with other representatives of the EGSH community, I advocate the interests of PhD candidates.
Laura Ripoll Gonzalez – Queensland, Australië
My studies and research led me to move from Spain to France and China. Love finally brought me to Australia, where I obtained a PhD (University of Tasmania), researched, and lectured at Griffith University, Gold Coast.
Eager to collaborate with top researchers in Public Administration, I co-developed a project with researchers from ESSB on place branding as a governance tool to promote sustainable regional development. After successfully receiving an EU Horizon 2020 grant, I planned to move to the Netherlands with my family. Due to the pandemic, however, the latter could not happen. Fortunately, I was able to start in December 2020 remotely, which allowed us to even expand our research! Our comparative study now includes cases across the Netherlands, Spain and Australia. We are on track thanks to the dedication of the team and help of EUR.
Hopefully, we can still come to the Netherlands in 2022. The kids and I are already trying to learn Dutch.
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This interview previously appeared in Spark magazine. This magazine is for students, alumni and partners of ESSB and showcases the positive impact that the faculty's education and research have on society.