Nuria Rubio, our ESR 12 spent mid-September her secondment at the University of Sheffield (UoS), United Kingdom. She aimed to work on the links of biofilms with other ecosystem compartments, such as snails and fish, in the context of ecosystem functions and services. During her secondment, she collaborated with our ESRs Niamh (ESR9) and Susanna (ESR13), and during WP4 and WP5 workshop, she met Amina (ESR7), Liyan (ESR10), Saul (ESR11), Elvia (ESR14) and Susan (ESR15) to expand upon their case-studies. You can read her experiences in this short report.
I am Nuria Rubio, ESR 12 in the PRORISK network. My project aims to link the condition of biofilms in rivers to the provision of ecosystem services. In mid-September I went to the University of Sheffield (UoS) for a one-month secondment, aiming to work on the links of biofilms with other ecosystem compartments, such as snails and fish, in the context of ecosystem functions and services.
I had a very warm welcome to Sheffield University by fellow ESRs, Niamh (ESR9) and Susanna (ESR13), and Professor Lorraine Maltby. They provided a nice and friendly working environment and encouraged me to attend different events at the university like the School of Biological Sciences student symposium and mixer, and the Ecotox journal club, and I was very excited to discover that Hans Krebs did his Nobel-winning research at the university.
My secondment at the UoS helped me to integrate the results and objectives of my PhD project into a broader ecological context and develop links and potential collaborations with Niamh and Susanna. I learnt a lot from them and Prof. Maltby, particularly in terms of computational modelling and ecosystem service theory and regulation. Additionally, I met Amina (ESR7), Liyan (ESR10), Saul (ESR11), Elvia (ESR14) and Susan (ESR15) for a WP4 and WP5 workshop to expand upon our case-studies, which included an amazing field trip to Derwent River in the Peak-District National Park.
Sheffield is a very interesting and vibrant city, with plenty of sightseeing opportunities, green spaces, and cultural events. During my stay, I attended a few talks from the UoS Festival of the Mind in Barkers Pool, saw the ballet at the Lyceum, a concert at the O2 academy, and visited landmarks such as the Peace Gardens and the Sheffield Botanical Gardens.
I enjoyed the multiculturality and progressiveness of Sheffield, but what struck me the most is the warmth and friendliness of the Yorkshire folk, I felt truly welcome there and grew very fond of the city. My sincere thanks to all colleagues and personnel at UoS, and to the support by the EU Commission under the MSCA-ITN (Project No.: 859891) for the opportunity.
Our ESR Chander Kant Negi spend his two months secondment at Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo in May and June 2023. He focused there on toxicogenomic assays. About his experiences, you can read in this report.
We wish you HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024! May it bring you health, love and ever more success in your life.
