Exchange Diaries  

Sanjiban Nath | Chemical Engineering

University of Rennes 1, France

Research Area: Fluid Dynamics - Analysis of the dynamics of thin foam films

Duration: 2.5 Months

How did you apply for FT?
There is a popular fellowship called Charpak programme, a collaboration between France and Indian Government in which french universities give scholarships to Indian students. So basically my aim was to apply for Charpak fellowship, for that I started mailing professors according to my field of interests. I sent some 3-4 mails after that I got a mail from one of the professors stating that she liked my CV and I need not to go by the Charpak programme as she herself wants to fund my project. So in this way I got a FT.

Why the professor preferred you over others for this project? What was in your profile?
I did some projects under professors from my department on fluid dynamics only so I think that helped me in developing a good research profile.

Why do think foriegn training is important for a students life?
I would suggest at the beginning of the 2nd year once you enter the department, once you start studying your core subjects explore the professors in your own department, see their works, try to approach them, ask them for projects because through that you get an exposure that what exactly the field of research is all about. After that if you feel research is something that draws your interest then definitely you should strive for foreign internship because once you go abroad it broadens your mind, benefits are huge whether it is about learning about your own subject or it is about forming new connections. It's the fact that the more you interact with different types of people, the more you get to know about things, more dynamic your personality becomes.

What difference you experienced in education there as compared to India?
The main difference I found there and here was the professors were quite friendly there, like in my case the professor was very much involved with me in the project, she showed her own interest because of which I was continuously motivated regarding my work. She used to take report of the work every afternoon and used to pay attention to even minute details of the project. Other than this the education pattern was more or less the same.

How was your experience?
France is one of the dream cities for each and everyone, including me, so it was a great experience. Since the population is not very much and the weather was also very pleasant so I had an amazing time there. The most important thing is that this FT made me clear that I really want to go ahead with this topic of research.

How did you manage your finances there?
My professor provided me sufficient funds to meet all of my expenses. I could even go to some other places because I had some left out funds, so I was able to manage my finances well.

Role of CG in FT?
Since the CG is the first line of one’s CV so that does have an impact but I don't think that would be the first determining factor, if you have managed to put out something on your CV which really attracts the professor then definitely he/she would take you irrespective of what your CG is. So CG is one of the most important aspects but it is not the only thing that matters.