Joseph Chimento (Department of Chemical Engineering), Tsinghua Summer 2017

This opportunity presented itself in an appealing form: fully-funded travel and accommodation at a world renowned university on the other side of the globe. It was only after further consideration when I realised that this was a rare chance to learn a tremendous amount; not only about the ground-breaking research at Tsinghua University, but also about Chinese culture and society which would both broaden and sharpen my global perspective.

My expectations were certainly met and exceeded. Each corner of the Chinese border is completely different; from the ancient homeland of Tibet to Shanghai - the world’s busiest city. The Communist rule has certainly shaped Chinese society, but this paragraph cannot encapsulate a culture. If I were to have stayed for longer I would have visited more of China and learnt the language (it will surprise you how the logical the sentence structuring is!).

As for my research, the independence I had was unrivalled to any other experience. It meant I could create value in areas that the research group hadn’t considered yet. Whether this was developing VBA macros to optimise workflow efficiency or sharing my experience of research in the UK. Sometimes it felt like I was hired as a consultant! Overall my only advice for anyone wishing to do an IROP is make sure you stick with people whose company you enjoy and you’ll be set to have a great time.

"I realised that this was a rare chance to learn a tremendous amount; not only about the ground-breaking research at Tsinghua University, but also about Chinese culture and society which would both broaden and sharpen my global perspective"