What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their own EUI experience?

Answer: Your first-year is incredibly enriching. Your research will evolve in many and, sometimes, unexpected directions thanks to seminars, meetings with your supervisor and other members of the faculty, and fellow researchers. Furthermore, thanks to your first- and second-year seminars, you will become more confident in sharing your ideas with others. There is a great collaborative research culture.

The EUI is an outstanding place to study. Invited speakers from different parts of the world that visit to give talks and lectures enrich the intellectual atmosphere here. Make the most of these opportunities!

My last advice: take the chance to learn new languages and practice them on a daily basis with your friends! And never miss a stunning sunset over the Tuscan hills!

 Elena Rizzi, EUI Department of History and Civilization researcher, from Italy

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their EUI experience?

Answer: The international community of the EUI, in the green hills surrounding Florence, is truly unique, especially during times when populism is growing ever stronger, endangering the European idea. The EUI is not only creating a productive working environment for its Ph.D. researchers but is also enforcing a dialogue that does not know national boundaries. The huge web of expertise and competence coming together here, at the EUI,  is forming a solid knot on which one can grow personally and professionally. And, further aiding this, the EUI offers multiple opportunities for you to build up networks and make new friendships.

Luise Elsaesser, EUI Department of History and Civilization researcher, from Germany

Looking back on the first year of your EUI experience, how has it changed you?

Answer: Studying at the EUI in the past year has transformed my vision of the world hundreds of times. The EUI doctoral programme in History & Civilization has opened for me a horizon of infinite intellectual voyages. During the seminars, conferences and in everyday life at the EUI, I have come across people from all over the world and reflected on different views of historical thinking. While working on the first drafts of my thesis, I have constantly received the valuable support of my supervisors and colleagues. This solidarity has helped me to transform this lonely work into a fruitful and creative process. The contact with new sources, new languages and new people has influenced the character of my work and paved my future steps in and out of the academic world.

Kalliopi Geronymaki, EUI Department of History and Civilization researcher, from Greece

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their EUI experience?

Answer: The transnational and interdisciplinary background of the EUI makes it a distinctive place for young researchers to explore and cultivate various academic interests and personal potentials. The EUI provides a highly tolerant and welcoming environment for different ideas, disciplines and approaches. Seminars are thoughtfully organized and systematically structured. As a researcher working on international legal history, the Ph.D. programme of the Law Department enables me to intensively involve in my own project, and the seminars offered by other departments such as the History Department acquaint me with different methodological toolkits, through which I gradually come to see my topic more sharply. 

Xiaohang Chen, EUI Department of Law researcher, from China

Looking back on the first year of your EUI experience, how has it changed you?

Answer: I can now see how much confidence I gained as an academic, during my first year at the EUI. It was a year of shaping my theoretical knowledge and writing. I was able to challenge my own ideas and perceptions through reading and discussion with my supervisor and fellow researchers. The EUI is the perfect venue to meet people from all over the world and exchange ideas. Sometimes such conversations, even with somebody from another discipline, make you look at your subject with different eyes, and take you to the next level of your work.

My first year helped me narrow down my topic and start thinking about the possibilities of my field of research and work. It ensured I have a more realistic project, plus clearer goals to focus on in the coming years.

 Dima Hussain, EUI Department of Law researcher, from Syria

Looking back on the first-year of your EUI experience, how has it changed you?

Answer: I have a lot of flexibility to plan my research, so I know I am on track, thanks to the clear, progressive framework of the EUI Ph.D. programme. My Department emphasises peer exchange and quality supervision, so I have also benefited from many open-minded discussions during the past year. And I am always amazed at how up-to-date the library is when I look for a new book!

Overall, I feel the EUI provides a very conscious, efficient, and professional community. Then, just when you think it cannot get better, you are in the great city of Florence! I feel inspired by the culture, history and art there, when I temporarily leave my studies and step outside. 

Tianying Song, EUI Department of Law researcher, from China

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their own EUI experience?

Answer: When I applied for an EUI Ph.D., I saw it as a great opportunity but it was not until during my first year here that I appreciated what a fantastic environment it is. The EUI is not just academic experiences and learning processes that expose you to topics and developments in your discipline. It is also, and perhaps crucially, about meeting people that inspire you daily, making friends that stimulate your thinking, suddenly seeing the world from a different perspective, and making a breakthrough in your project while enjoying a coffee overlooking the Florentine landscape.

With everything organised and tailored for Ph.D. researchers, the EUI offers the support and attention for any circumstances, so you never feel alone. All of this provides a wonderful university experience and makes me look forward to getting up to the Badia every day.

Daria Glukhova, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from Russia

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their EUI experience?

Answer: A Career in social and political sciences, as well as in other fields, is a constant way uphill. In this context, the PhD programme at EUI appears as a steep, though joyful climb. The Tuscan hills surrounding Florence are an astonishing place, where paths of many outstanding academics meet, creating a unique environment for free thinkers to challenge their views, beliefs and approaches. Every single day, the community of excellent Professors and colleagues stimulates me to perform high-quality and politically relevant research, which hopefully will not end up only in the Institute’s archives. 

Adam Krzykowski, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from Poland

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their EUI experience?

Answer: The beginning of the Ph.D. can bring about mixed feelings. On one hand, you will certainly be happy to start working on your own project. On the other hand, you may feel anxious given that you will have to fulfil institutional requirements and meet expectations of your supervisor. Balancing these feelings, I believe, is key to successful progress from the first year to the second, and onward.

Further, reading, analyzing data, and carrying out interviews etc. are great learning opportunities on their own beyond their instrumental value for the completion of the Phd. Last but not least, remember that Phd entails trial and error. The mistakes you do on the way of course will disappoint you, but they will also you push to find alternative solutions, test different hypotheses, and integrate different perspectives into your work. Therefore, enjoy the journey. 

 Mario Spiezio, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from Italy

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their EUI experience?

My first year at EUI has been a great one. The testimonials of my colleagues already stated the benefits of studying at the EUI - the food, friends and views  - but these do not seem to do justice to the many other great advantages the EUI has to offer. I feel fortunate to spend four years at this truly European institution and would recommend anyone who wants to pursue a PhD to apply here.

Ofra Klein, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from The Netherlands

Looking back on the first year of your EUI experience, how has it changed you?

Answer: Studying at the EUI has been a unique experience. Three aspects, in particular, have allowed me to improve my academic skills so far. In the first place, the full immersion into a friendly community of leading scholars and engaged researchers from many different backgrounds, which provides a permanent intellectual challenge and ensures the establishment of lifelong connections and friendships. Moreover, the fact that a Ph.D. at the EUI is fully-funded allows one to concentrate on research with no need to stress about how to finance it. Finally, the consistent feedback one receives on one’s research project immensely improves its quality, while pushing you towards developing your critical thinking and academic abilities.  

 Vicente Valentim, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from Portugal

What would you say to a new researcher, about to start their own EUI experience?

Answer: The EUI is a great place to write a Ph.D. and provides a stimulating environment. The institution has impressive resources and services at your disposal to support you, for example various methods seminars and workshops. The sense of community is clear academically, but also socially.

Yet, as advice to incoming researchers, I would say that there can be so much more to your EUI experience than just the EUI itself. You will have the opportunity to explore Florence and Tuscany, to learn Italian, and to make friends outside the EUI. Your experience will be even richer if you do this. Plus it will help you to ground yourself during those days when writing a PhD can seem more like a chore than a treat!

Johannes Rothe, EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences researcher, from Germany