In2research Placement Host Georgios Nikiforidis, who hosted a Chemical Engineering placement at the Institute for Materials Discovery at UCL East, discusses his experience.
Why did you decide to apply become an In2research Placement Host?
I decided to take part because I think that if I can somehow shape and provide input for students’ careers to help them, I personally feel very proud and complete. In my role, I want to help with these types of causes as much as I can.
What has your participant Kathryn been working on during her placement?
The project is all about microbial fuel cells and Kathryn was very keen. She really wanted to work with fuel cells so this was a very good fit for us. She’s been looking into the cells’ performance and investigating some of the parameters around this energy storage system.
We gave her some papers, discussed techniques and later moved onto discussing analysing and interpreting the data. She was also able to gain experience through our collaboration with the wet lab and take part in some of the duties there.
How have you found your experience of being an In2research Placement Host?
Even though it’s a very short period of time, Kathryn’s growth has been evident and I’m very happy and excited about it. I could see by the end of the placement she was becoming independent. If I can try to make a small difference to students’ lives in the sense that they can learn and get better next year, I’m very happy!
I have found the experience very rewarding and I was very happy to do it. Kathryn did a great job and she was very diligent. It’s a commitment because it’s important to be serious about this as its the lives of young people which are affected, and you really have the chance to do something.
Are you thinking of getting involved again next year?
I have already applied to host again! I was very happy with the programme and how it worked – communication from the team was clear. I think everything was quite straightforward and the programme ran smoothly.
Dr Georgios Nikiforidis took part in our In2research 2023/24 programme – if you would like to learn more about how to get involved in our upcoming programme, applications are open now! Find out more and apply via our volunteering page. Thanks to the UCL Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences for making this placement possible!