Stories from our students and alumni

My name is Brenda Carreño Jiménez, I am from Mexico City, Mexico. I studied Chemistry as an undergraduate in Mexico. Later, I focused on Materials Science during my master’s and doctoral studies. My PhD was performed in a double degree program between UNAM-Mexico and the University of Groningen-Netherlands. I chose the Science and Engineering program because it perfectly complements my research. The first part of my project focused on obtaining and characterizing new piezoelectric ceramics. Then, the Science and Engineering program allowed me to study some engineering applications, such as actuators, sensors, or energy harvesting devices.

Within the Science and Engineering program, there are three different domains. I choose to go deeper into the domain of mechanical, material, and robotics, focusing on piezomaterials, sensors, and actuators, under the supervision of Prof. M. Acuautla Meneses. The program gave me the tools to study piezoelectric materials from an engineering perspective. I am very grateful to my supervisor for encouraging me to learn about electrical and mechanical engineering, which complement my chemistry and materials science background.

I enjoyed the multiculturality and multidisciplinary environment. I appreciate the advice from my colleagues physicists, chemists, chemical engineers, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers. They have always supported me. This program allowed me to attend different congresses, seminars, and workshops. Additionally, I could collaborate with other research groups and learn new approaches. In addition, this program offered me courses on interpersonal skills. I took several workshops on managing my time, managing my research group, and how to be a good supervisor, which helped me to develop complementary skills to build the researcher-teacher that I will be. 

I am now a postdoc staff in the University of Rennes, France. This position was thanks to being part of the University of Groningen and the Science and Engineering program, which allowed me to connect with researchers from all over Europe, applying all the knowledge and skills learned at RUG. For this reason, my advice for the new students is to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Science and Engineering program, such as the facilities, knowledge, and mentoring.

I’m Krishna, a graduate of the Nanoscience Master’s program (2021-2023) at RUG. From India, I completed my Bachelor’s in Technology, specializing in Chemical Science and Technology as major that combined engineering fundamentals with fundamental chemistry and physics and additionally completed a minor in Mathematics. After my undergraduate studies, especially after my research internship and my final year project, I found fundamental and experimental science extremely interesting. The Nanoscience program at RUG offered a nice combination of both coursework and lab-based practical’s, covering a range of topics in biology, chemistry, and physics. I pursued to do my masters in Nanoscience at the RUG as I thought it aligned perfectly with my interest towards experimental science and would also provide me with the necessary foundation for a Ph.D.

The program although intensive during the initial coursework, combined with the hands-on research was immensely rewarding. The short, tightly-packed, focused coursework modules taught me the importance of time management, while the extended research projects (lasting over a year) allowed me to develop critical thinking and scientific independence. This independence wasn’t only academic, it also extended to my personal life. Unlike my undergraduate studies in India, where dormitory living known as hostels with meal services are common, upon traveling for my masters, I had to manage everything independently, from cooking to accommodation. I strongly believe that this experience strengthened my adaptability and personal growth. It’d be fair to say that I enjoyed my masters more than my bachelors owing to the more hands-on experimental approach in the program.

I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics, at Groningen again. The independence in designing experimental devices, operating the various setups combined with the expertise of my supervisor who emphasizes on being critical, I stayed for a Ph.D. here at Groningen. The independence in steering my Ph.D. projects and the broad range of skills I’ve learned are something I value a lot. For instance, I’ve been involved in every step—from fabricating samples to measuring and analyzing data—without being confined to just one part of the project makes my work dynamic and thus engaging. What I truly appreciate is that each day brings something different, and the feeling of learning something new all the time. The Nanoscience Master’s program undoubtedly prepared me for this step providing me with critical thinking and the necessary fundamentals that I now use daily in data analysis and experimental design. For students wanting to pursue fundamental/applied science as a career, being one myself I feel that what kept me in the field is the joy of learning something new and not being bound to the same task-list every day and choosing something you enjoy or believe you’ll grow to love over time might help.

My long-term goal stems from the same reasoning that led me to do masters in Nanoscience and is to continue in fundamental science, ideally continuing with a postdoctoral position after my Ph.D. and hopefully establishing my own research group. Alternatively, I’m also open to a career in industrial R&D where I still get to pursue research related to practical challenges.