Covid-19 has certainly brought physical mobility and travel between Australia and Germany to a temporary halt. However, virtual mobility still allows for collaboration and for joint PhD projects to continue - and of course we are ready to travel again once it is possible and safe to do so. We spoke to some students and PhD candidates impacted by Covid-19 about their projects, plans, research and how the pandemic impacted their German-Australian experience.
Nick Chan and Sarah Lentz– international PhD as a team
Nick Chan is in the final year of his Phd between the University of Melbourne and the University of Bayreuth
Sarah Lentz is in the final year of her Phd between the and the University of Bayreuth and University of Melbourne
Nick and Sarah don’t actually work on one project, but as part of the joint PhD program between Universität Bayreuth and the University of Melbourne, both approach the same topic from two different perspectives – playing to their strengths and complementing each other. Whilst Sarah spends the majority of her candidature in Bayreuth and only 12 months in Melbourne, Nick does the opposite. As a matter of fact, him and his wife were supposed to be in Bayreuth at the moment working with his secondary supervisor Prof. Thomas Scheibel, whilst Sarah was meant to be in Melbourne and working in Prof. Greg Qiao’s lab. The connection between the two supervisors was established as part of the Bayreuth-Melbourne Polymer/Colloid Network and both researchers not only have complementary skills, but their labs also allow for different experiments. Nick explains, that he learned a lot in Bayreuth, as his background is in Chemical Engineering, whilst Sarah gained her MSc and expertise at the Fibrelab in Bayreuth focusing on biomaterials.
Nick visited Bayreuth for the first time for the annual Bayreuth International Summerschool, where he also met his future supervisor and got interested in the complementary research approach. He also said, that the short visit helped him make his decision to go to Bayreuth, as he noticed that - contrary to his prior fears – everyone speaks English and the welcome services made it very easy for him to get around. Bayreuth being a small town not made it easy to get familiar with the town itself, but also helped him to focus on his studies during his first PhD visit.
Sarah has already spent nine months in Melbourne and had to leave early to get back to Germany, before flight connections stopped. She says that her and Nick are in constant communication and are also working on an additional project next to their PhDs together. The ‘tandem PhD’ has helped both candidates to navigate cultural differences and bureaucracy, as well as their complementary skillsets have allowed them to support each other throughout their PhD.
Kai Mayer - PhD in Melbourne
Kai Mayer is another candidate in the joint Phd between Bayreuth and Melbourne and had planned on being in Melbourne the moment. He explains how the pandemic has impacted him and how he still continues his joint PhD journey:
Kai Mayer was supposed be working on his PhD in Melbourne right now
“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit exactly during the hot phase of preparing for my first stay in Melbourne as part of the joint PhD between Bayreuth and Melbourne. In this project, novel recombinant spider silk fusion-proteins will be used to selectively promote the adhesion of endothelial cells to surfaces made of these proteins. Combined with the extraordinary mechanical properties and shown potential for drug release of recombinant spider silks, this would pose a revolutionary coating material for vascular stents. At my institution in Bayreuth, the focus is on the production of these new fusion proteins. This step is close to being finished and only the last characterizations of the proteins are pending. Despite all the hurdles the pandemic poses at the moment, close collaboration with my supervisor in Melbourne, Daniel Heath, is still a given. We meet every 6 weeks on zoom to discuss the latest results and to craft plans for the steps to take next. Eventhough, the pandemic prevents us from collaborating in the most efficient way (preferably in the same lab), we can still make sure that we are prepared in the best way possible once restrictions are lifted and a trip to Melbourne is possible again. “
LLM at La Trobe University, Melbourne
Tizian Göbel also wanted to be in Melbourne at the Moment. The law student has been awarded a scholarship by international law firm Milbank to complete his Master of Laws (LLM) at La Trobe University. The course takes one year and was supposed to have started in August 2020.
Tizian Göbel has been awarded a scholarship for his LLM at La Trobe University
Actually, I would have wanted to be in Melbourne right now, doing my LLM at La Trobe University in Melbourne. However, Corona has – luckily - only postponed and not cancelled my trip and the current plan is to start there in March.
I’ve decided to go to Melbourne, because I find the combination of living and studying oversea – the personal challenge in Australia – and the academic aspect of it very attractive. Especially after the difficult time at Uni, I want to do something for myself again and at the same time advance my career prospects. I also find Melbourne, as city of sport very appealing and having it a base for exploring the whole continent and that for a whole year. – A good timeframe, and afterwards I’m probably looking forward to coming home again.
I think one benefit from the LLM is definitely the opportunity to improve my English on a higher level, that will give me the confidence to work internationally. Milbank – the law firm sponsoring my scholarship – also works entirely internationally. I’ve been very lucky to being able to work for them before the LLM starts – one of the benefits of the Corona pandemic. I also think that getting an insight into another law culture is important – and a perspective you can only gain by living overseas for a while. You can’t really learn this sitting at your desk – you have to live and experience it overseas.
Alex Vollebergh - Engineering internship at Bayreuth University
Alex Vollebergh took part in the internship program between Universität Bayreuth and La Trobe University
Alex was in his final year of an engineering degree at La Trobe University when he decided to do his internship in Germany. He was supposed to spend six months working with the Fraunhofer group in Bayreuth, however, had to return to Melbourne after eight weeks due to Covid-19. When the Prime Minister issued a warning to all Australians to return home, it only took him one week to get home. The internship program between LTU and UBT allows undergraduate students to do an internship as part of their degree and Alex wanted to use this opportunity to gain insights into life and work in another country. In preparation, he even studied German. After only having left Australia twice before – both times for organised study tours through his University – coming to Bayreuth for six by himself was at the same time appealing and intimidating. Alex highlighted how much he appreciated the help of the international office at UBT and his colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute. They helped him find a room in share house in the city centre and navigate Bayreuth and German bureaucracy – according to him, one of the most challenging parts of his stay. Despite the shortened duration of his stay, Alex enjoyed his time in Bayreuth and said that he learned a lot about different work cultures and ways of doing things. When he returned to Melbourne, he wrote a thesis drawing on knowledge and skills that he’d acquired in Bayreuth.