My experience with the Marie Curie Postdoctoral fellowship programme has been exceptional. As someone with a double PhD in Animal Production and Food Sciences and a PhD in Food Chemistry, I was keen to develop a world-class expertise in Food Safety with the guidance of Professor Christopher Elliott at Queen’s University Belfast. The fellowship allowed me to choose my research topic, supervisor, and location. With the support of Professor Elliott and the assistance of the Queen’s Research Development team, I was able to submit a compelling project proposal on developing rapid analytical methods to detect plant toxins in food. These toxins can be introduced into our food through co-harvesting or processing, and if consumed, can cause poisoning in humans and animals. I studied and worked in several countries, and I can say that Queen’s ASSET Technology Centre has a unique facility with over 40 platforms that can be used to conduct various kinds of research. I joined a team of experts who provided invaluable training and assistance to help me excel in my field.

* project funded by the UK Guarantee before the UK association to Horizon Europe

"The MSCA Individual Fellowship will give you the opportunity to develop your career and skills while establishing new collaborations with the best researchers and research institutes in Europe. In my case it allowed me to do research at Queen’s University Belfast with Prof. J. D. Holbrey (top 100 chemist’s in the world) and with industrial partners in the Queen’s University Ionic Liquids Laboratory (QUILL). Contacts with chemical industries developed during my MSCA fellowship have produced network partners with Shell (UK/Netherlands) and Solvay (UK/Canada). In turn this gave me the experience, confidence and capabilities to apply and succeed in obtaining a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship and start my career as a fully independent researcher at Queen’s University Belfast."

Project website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/655334

"I decided to apply to MSCA IF since this fellowship is one of the most prestigious doctoral level fellowships in Europe and would provide me with good opportunities to promote my own research according to a career development plan. I was working on a EU project with excellent colleagues at Queen's University Belfast, and this experience taught me that Queen's University Belfast would be the best place to develop my specific career goals through a dedicated MSCA IF focussed on my own research idea.  Queen's University Belfast has an excellent program for staff training. I learned a lot how to write collaborative research proposals and research papers, how to establish collaborative researches, how to develop leadership, etc. Such core research skills are essential to my research career development, and QUB have many excellent training programmes in house. I strongly feel supported completing my fellowship at QUB through a strong supervisor (Dr Hans Vandierendonck) and access to facilities and resources. Belfast is good place to live. Especially, local people are very friendly, nice and supportive. There are many nice parks in Belfast, so I can walk in the parks in my free time if it does not rain!"

Project website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/798209 

“Cross-country mobility is key in the MSCA Fellowship: diverse cultures, personalities, and places enrich research and training in an unique manner while ensuring career-progress and work satisfaction. Being a MSCA Research Fellow at Queen’s Belfast enabled my professional advancement through extensive internationalisation of my research, access to inter-disciplinary expertise and networking with other fellows. The University offers fantastic research facilities, great training and personal development opportunities and excellent administrative support. Queen’s has been exceptionally generous and inspirational scholarly environment; and Northern Ireland – an amazingly hospitable and friendly home to me and my family.”

Project website: http://law.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/research/research-projects/project-sites/themis-project/

"I applied for a Marie Curie fellowship as I felt this prestigious fellowship would provide me a unique opportunity to carry my own research project, acquire new skills and expand my network. Queen’s University Belfast hosts a large research cluster with strong multidisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art facilities, which make it uniquely suited to host this project. Additionally, QUB has in place several initiatives to support and promote the career progression of its research fellows. Belfast is a vibrant and lively city; there is always something new to see or do. And it is also very affordable. People are extremely friendly and the whole country is full of outstanding natural landscapes and cultural treasures. And the weather is not so bad!"

Project website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/844197

"My experience as a MSCA Fellow has been both challenging and fulfilling. I applied to the MSCA IF for two reasons: because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and because I learned that my research interests were perfectly aligned to the key research strategies of Queen’s University Belfast. I found out that the School of Psychology at QUB had the facilities, the expertise, and the flexibility necessaries to allow and support researchers from other disciplines (and countries) to carry out their own work. Moreover, my research has been influenced not only by other researchers but also by people external to academia, which has been complementary and gratifying. My family and I love living in Belfast: the quality of life is great compared to other capitals in the world: you don’t have long commutes to work, it’s cheaper than other big cities in the UK, and the air is clean."

Project website: www.qub.ac.uk/sites/contact-virt/