INTERVIEW With Yulia Arinicheva, PhD student in the Institute for Energy and Climate Research (IEK) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich on the topic of her research stay in Norway ‘I was so lucky with everything!’ The goal of the E.ON Stipendienfonds is to support scientific cooperation between Norway and Germany. Young scientists (students, PhD students and Postdocs) from both countries working in energy research or a related field are the intended beneficiaries of scholarships of the E.ON Stipendienfonds. One successful applicant for a scholarship of the E.ON Stipendienfonds was Yulia Arinicheva, a PhD student in the group ‘Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety’ in the Institute for Energy and Climate Research at the Forschungszentrum Jülich. Member of the Helmholtz Association Member of the © private Tony Qian (right) and his mentor Karandeep Singh You have been at the University of Bergen in Norway for five months. What topics are you working on there? Yulia Arinicheva: I am working on a project dealing with fundamental investigation of properties of ceramics, specifically of rare-earth orthophosphates with the monazite structure. There are many potential applications for such materials in the field of sustain- able energy, such as ion-selective membranes for fuel cells or thermal insulation layers for gas turbines. I am investigating the dependence of certain properties on the micro- structure and the texture of the materials. With a tailor-made microstructure and a de- fined degree of texturing, the desired behavior of the material can be precisely adapted to specific technological requirements. My funding through the scholarship of the E.ON. Stipendienfonds has actually already ended. However, the University of Bergen kindly continues to provide me with an office in order to evaluate my last results and finetune my PhD thesis. I am happy about this, because the atmosphere here is very pleasant and I am able to discuss my thoughts directly. Your PhD project is in the field of materials science. What is your academic background? Yulia Arinicheva: I began studying in Moscow, where I come from, at the People’s Friend- ship University of Russia, and graduated with a Masters degree in Environmental Chemis- try, as well as studying German, with a focus on technical translation. Then, I came to Germany with a stipend from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and received a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the RWTH Aachen University, with a focus on Materials Science. After that, I started my PhD project at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research. Moving to a foreign country can be challenging. What was your experience in coming to Germany? Yulia Arinicheva: I was so lucky with everything! I found a good and inexpensive shared Member of the Helmholtz Association Member of the flat in Aachen before I left Moscow – I was able to conduct an ‘interview’ via Skype. My flatmates and fellow students helped me a lot. It was still sometimes difficult for me in the first few weeks, however after two months I felt very much at home. As a PhD student you learned about the opportunity to win a stipend to go to Norway. What attracted you to this opportunity? Yulia Arinicheva: I already knew the country from short private visits. I also got to know Norway from a scientific perspective when I participated in a course on neutral diffraction at the Institute of Energy Technology in Kjeller. Based on these experiences, I wanted to spend a longer time there. Additionally, my boyfriend, whom I met at the RWTH Aachen, comes from Bergen. Because of this, I had already started taking Norwegian classes at the Volkshochschule Aachen. Can you communicate well in Norwegian? Yulia Arinicheva: I can read Norwegian, but I often have trouble understanding the spo- ken language. That is because of the many Norwegian dialects, which not only involve different word endings and pronunciation, but also completely different words. Everyone speaks differently. I can’t even speak Norwegian with my boyfriend yet, because I am learning Bokmål, the Oslo dialect, but he speaks the Bergensk dialect. What are your general impressions of Norway? Yulia Arinicheva: The country is beautiful. Norway has a lower population than Germany and more nature. In the summer I lived on a sailboat. That is a typical way of life for stu- dents here; the boats are equipped with everything you need and the port is only five minutes from the university. Sometimes we drove to the sea to enjoy the view of the Fjords. I used the colder months for skiing. I enjoyed skiing before in Russia, but it was here in Bergen that I learned how many types of skiing there are, in addition to just alpine and cross-country skiing. I also became a member of Tekna, Norways largest scientific community in science and technology. Through Tekna, I have the opportunity to partici- pate in weekly seminars, tours, or community events, which are helpful for my education and for expanding my professional network. In a few months, you will be finished with your PhD project. What are your plans for the future? Yulia Arinicheva: I would like to stay in research. I am currently applying for Post-doc positions throughout Europe. My preference would be to find a position in a Ger- man-speaking country – Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Member of the Helmholtz Association Member of the Interview conducted by Kristin Mosch.