Mobility Participant Testimonials

STAFF MOBILITY

Name: Constantia Aristidou, PhD student in Medical Genetics

Sending Institution: The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine

Receiving Institution: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine  University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen has been ranked for many years as the happiest city in the world. This came as no surprise to me after having the opportunity to visit, as an Erasmus student, this beautiful city; a place filled with colour, life, history and, of course, people with a smile on their face cycling peacefully around the city. 
Even though I had some minor hesitations moving to a new place, I felt the most welcoming atmosphere as soon as I arrived. Everyone at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine of the University of Copenhagen was very friendly and made me feel comfortable and part of their team within the first few days. Since Copenhagen is a multi-cultural city, I also had the opportunity to meet people and other Erasmus students from many different backgrounds and countries. While being there, I have received both theoretical and practical training, from expert staff, in Next Generation Sequencing; a cutting-edge technique I am currently using for the purposes of my research project at CSMM. I even performed some of my own project experiments at their laboratories and received valuable help and feedback any time I needed it. In addition, during my four-month visit as an Erasmus student, I had excellent cooperation, communication and support from both my supervisors at the sending and receiving institution.
Besides the academic work during the week, I made use of my free time to explore the city. Copenhagen has many things to offer, a lot of interesting attractions to visit and some of the coziest places to enjoy relaxing time with friends. One of the highlights of my visit was attending “Culture Night”, an event that takes place yearly in October, which offers hundreds of cultural events, including visiting many museums, galleries, cultural institutions, and outdoor music events, in just one night! Experiencing Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations in a different country was also something special which I rather particularly enjoyed.
Applying for an Erasmus+ Traineeship Program at the University of Copenhagen as part of my PhD degree at the CSMM was undoubtedly, one of the best decisions I have ever made. It definitely enriched my scientific knowledge regarding the research area of my PhD project and helped me practise some experimental techniques. Moreover, it gave me the opportunity to expand my network and meet some amazing people, with whom I still keep in touch. I am extremely grateful for this unforgettable experience and would strongly recommend such educational mobility opportunities via Erasmus to anyone. 

Name:  Stella Angeli

Sending Institution:  The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine

Receiving Institution: Neuroscience Laboratory, Centre of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK

I spent four months on Erasmus + Traineeship at the Centre of Biological Sciences in a Neuroscience laboratory at the University of Southampton in the UK. As a member of the group, I gained the opportunity to practice various experimental procedures and perform Molecular Biology techniques on mouse brain tissue, which I will be performing later on as part of my current PhD project at the CSMM.

It was an incredible, educationally enriching period of my life since meeting important people that perform research in the same field, is absolutely inspiring. It was a fantastic experience not only because of the brilliant organisational support from the staff in the department but also because of the great opportunity offered to network and socialise with people. The Erasmus scheme was a highly positive experience simply due to the personal development and maturity that I have undergone. Finally, the realization of achievement fills you with a sense of independence, self-reliance and confidence; you feel ready to overcome new challenges. Without hesitation, I would recommend the Erasmus experience to anyone!