Is there anything unique to the EUI that has positively impacted your training as a researcher? 

 Answer: From its people to the location, the EUI is an extraordinary place to pursue your Ph.D. Located in the Tuscan hills outside Florence, it provides the perfect environment to minimize the distractions of the city and focus completely on your studies. But at the same time, it also offers Florence's magnificent renaissance art and architecture. Wandering around its streets is indeed a wonderful way to recharge your batteries! Hard to beat that, right?  

Anyhow, it is the EUI community that really makes this place special. Researchers, professors and other EUI members come from many different countries with a bag full of international experiences. 

 Juan Castellanos Silván, EUI Department of Economics researcher, from Spain

Is there anything unique to the EUI that has positively impacted your training as a researcher?

 Answer: The Economics department is unique in its combination of a demanding, top-tier Ph.D. programme and a family-like atmosphere. During the first year, we are rigorously trained in the main areas of Economics: micro, macro and econometrics. it is an intense time, with a tight schedule and frequent examinations. This experience creates a strong group spirit among your classmates and a feeling of self-fulfillment at the end of the year. Thanks to the small size of the department, the camaraderie is shared across cohorts and it also extends to the faculty, who are always approachable and happy to discuss ideas with you. 

 Marina Sanchez del Villar, EUI Department of Economics researcher, from Spain

Is there anything unique to the EUI that has positively impacted your training as a researcher? 

Answer: It takes a village to become a researcher. Research is a path full of uncertainties, but in the right company it can be a very empowering journey. At the EUI I found many brilliant and caring people who made all the difference to me: colleagues who became friends, inspiring mentors, and a stimulating environment for both my professional and personal growth. 

Giulia Caprini, EUI Department of Economics reseacher, from Italy

Is there anything unique to the EUI that has positively impacted your training as a researcher? 

Answer: The fact that the EUI is an institution almost solely geared towards Ph.D. research makes it an ideal environment for conducting your research. Staff and librarians go above and beyond to help you, and that removes a lot of barriers and bumps in the long road of a researcher. Workshops, research missions, conferences, you name it - the support is there. Any idea you have, you will surely find a way to make it happen. The institutional support is a luxury that I had not encountered anywhere else until now. The opportunities are endless!

Ana Maria Spariosu, EUI Department of History and Civilization researcher, from Romania

How have you grown as a researcher since you started at the EUI?

 Answer: Since I started my Ph.D. in History three years ago, I have changed significantly as a researcher. Analysis, debate and public speaking are just some of the skills that I have acquired and improved during my experience at the EUI. But I have also evolved as a person, getting to meet new and interesting people, sharing experiences at the privledged environment that the EUI is. But it is not just the EUI. Doing a Ph.D. here also means spending four years of your life in Florence, an amazing city open to different ideas, with rich cultural and gastronomic offers, to name just two. To sum up, my EUI experience has enriched me on both the professional and personal levels, which I think is essential to become a good researcher.

Pablo Cañón García, EUI Department of History and Civilization researcher, from Spain

What aspects of the EUI have been particularly beneficial for your work?

Answer: At the EUI I have experienced such a supportive and engaging work environment. Professors refer to us as researchers rather than students and from the start of my time at the EUI they have treated me as an expert in my field, which has built my confidence in myself as a historian and in my academic career. It is amazing to be surrounded by so many researchers at the same stage of their academic careers and to broaden our learning and horizons together. The international nature of the EUI as well as the seminars and working groups means we are exposed to many different ideas and perspectives. Our seminars and working groups organised and led by researchers themselves are also a great environment to share and discuss ideas and perspectives. Discuss my research with other researchers has helped to shape and improve my research project and my writing and I have used both my professors and fellow researchers as sounding boards when I need to talk through an idea or decide which angle to pursue in my research. 

At EUI I have never experienced competitiveness but rather a collaborative atmosphere where we are genuinely interested in each others' research and support and encourage each other. 

Michelle Louise Toxvaerd Graabek, EUI Department of History and Civilization researcher, from Denmark

What aspects of the EUI have been particularly beneficial for your work?

Answer: For me, the EUI is the right place to do academic work. A vivid community of top-class scholars, interdisciplinary seminars particularly designed for Ph.D. studies, a well-structured programme and beautiful Tuscany prove to be a great combination for a Ph.D. researcher! You cannot get bored here, but you can still focus on your work. You find great peers-to befriend and bounce ideas off of. And nowhere else would you have the chance to establish such a strong genuine and supportive relationship with your supervisor. [...] Prepare yourself to expand your research horizons, and for countless opportunities to improve your academic language and management skills!

Wojciech Giemza, EUI Department of Law researcher from Poland

What aspects of the EUI have been particularly beneficial for your work? 

 Answer: The EUI is at many levels, a unique place. Here you will find a very lively and engaging academic envioronment, which will allow you to develop an accurate sense of critique. Besides, you will also encounter a very helpful and united community, that will not think twice before helping you, whether professionally or personally. 

At the EUI you will find a second home, and have the support and freedom needed to produce the best research you can. With an extra benefit: doing all this while staying in the green hills surrounding Firenze, and enjoying the incredible Italian culture. 

Ines Lameiras Azevedo, EUI Department of Law researcher, from Portugal

What aspects of the EUI have been particularly beneficial for your work? 

 Answer: I came to the EUI with a broad project knowing I would have to narrow it down during my first year. For this I found the wide selection of seminars across faculties beneficial, as these provided me with the opportunity to learn new methods and theories. I was particularly pleased as many of the seminars offered during my first year related directly to my topic, which helped clarify my approach.  

The opportunity to discuss my topic with my peers and professors from different academic and personal backgrounds has been most valuable for my work, be it during seminars, in the cafeteria or even the EUI gym. These conversations have taken my thesis in a more dexciting direction. 

Anne Sofie Nielsen, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from Denmark