I am a 27-year-old, married researcher with a one year old son. Most of my time is divided between two things: research and family! I am very passionate about Physics, I love what I am doing and I will spend all my life doing research.
Why did you choose Strathclyde for your postgraduate industrial research study?
My story with Strathclyde starts long before my postgraduate research studies. My adventure with Physics started in 2015, back in Lithuania, when I got into the Vilnius University for Applied Physics course. After 2 years of studies there I got “tired” of physics and decided to take a gap year and came to Scotland. And I loved it so much, that I just decided to stay here. My love of Physics came back, and I decided to continue my studies in Scotland.
I chose Strathclyde for a few reasons:
- It had good ratings, especially in the field of research which I was interested in.
- The staff was very helpful with moving between universities. I will never forget the countless emails between myself and staff of the department, who were helping me to change my university over to Strathclyde.
What is the nature of your research and what do you like about it?/ How do you find working in industry?
My research is based on fluorescence studies of sodium silicates, also known as waterglass. Using fluorescence methods I need to characterize them, determine their size and other parameters. I like everything about my research - especially the fact that I have a piece of equipment that only I know how to use and that was assembled for me personally!
Tell us about the support from your industrial and/or Strathclyde supervisor?
I have plenty of support from both of my supervisors! I have been working with my academic supervisor for 3 years already, and he is always there if I need him and gives really good advice and ideas. The same goes for all Strathclyde staff-everyone is extremely friendly and helpful.
Regarding the industrial supervisor-I cannot say a single bad word about him. If I need to know more about the samples, or I have an idea and I am not sure if it is a good one, he will always answer all my questions and help select the correct approach.
What's the best thing about your research?
I think that the best thing about my research is that the project is very multidisciplinary. I perform experiments using various fluorescence techniques, and I also perform a lot of molecular simulations to learn what processes are happening at molecular level. Additionally, I need to have a good cross-reference for determined parameters, so I am using other methods, such as SAXS.
What are the main differences between studying in your home country and in the UK?
The biggest difference that struck me is the student-teacher relationship. Back home you would never address a lecturer using his first name, while here it is very different. Everyone is so friendly, and you don’t feel any pressure when talking to your lecturer or any academic staff.