Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA-ITN) Scholar, Dr. Yuying (Sherry) Tan from China, Shares Her Journey of Completing a PhD in Communication Studies at the University of Antwerp, Belgium

Hi, I am Yuying (Sherry) Tan. I come from China. I have just obtained my PhD degree in the field of social science, specifically Communication Studies. After four years of working in technology and e-commerce companies, I found that my core interest lies in improving the digital world with the goal of better serving people and society, beyond commercial benefits. That is why I started my PhD research in social science.

MSCA-ITN Details

I received funding from the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (H2020 MSCA-ITN) to support my PhD research. My host institution is the University of Antwerp in Belgium. The EU MSCA-ITN is a grant scheme for early-stage researchers, such as PhD students. The scholarship is a 3-year full-time working contract. I received a monthly salary in accordance with the salary scale for research staff at the University of Antwerp. In addition to the monthly salary, the EU MSCA-ITN funding was sufficient to cover research-related costs, including conducting research, publishing research articles, attending conferences, research visits and exchanges, and training activities.

This funding aims to facilitate interdisciplinary research, science communication, and communication between academia and industrial partners. During this MSCA-ITN project, I was able to complete two secondments (a total of 3 months) in partner organizations—the eLaw Department at Leiden University, and Textgain, an AI company for social good. In this way, I was able to accomplish my interdisciplinary research through close collaboration with experts in the fields of law and technology. Details about my research project: https://nethate-itn.eu/project/esr8-yuying-tan-sherry/.

Educational Background

I think the most important factor in successfully obtaining this PhD research grant is the match between my previous project experience and research interests and the research project itself. The second factor is educational background. For example, during my master’s studies and my previous work in companies, I developed skills in designing, evaluating, and promoting digital apps. However, I found that the evaluation of digital apps often relies on functionality or other revenue-driven KPIs and lacks assessment of the potential negative impact on users’ well-being. I care strongly about users’ well-being and the social impact of digital apps.

Fortunately, I found this research project funded by the EU MSCA-ITN, which focuses on the design and evaluation of social media apps with the goal of supporting users who have experienced harassment. This research project is a strong match with both my skills and my interests; therefore, I was selected for this position. Of course, I also achieved strong GPAs in my bachelor’s (3.68/4) and master’s (8.78/10) studies. However, I believe that what made me stand out compared to other candidates with similarly strong GPAs was this close match, as I mentioned above.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the University of Antwerp?

I found this scholarship by searching on Google. During my initial search, I came across the website academicpositions.com, which lists academic positions worldwide. I found this PhD position with a scholarship through this website. I carefully read the recruitment requirements and then prepared the application materials strictly in accordance with them.

The required documents included BSc and MSc graduation certificates, academic transcripts, at least one scientific publication, a motivation letter, and a CV. In the motivation letter, I explained how my previous project experiences could contribute to their research project. In the CV, I listed all the projects I completed during my master’s studies. I also listed my personal website on my CV, which presents my research interests and aspects of my personal life.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the MSCA-ITN?

For the written application documents (motivation letter and CV), I tailored them carefully according to the recruitment requirements of the research project. For the interview, I was informed in advance that I needed to prepare a presentation to present my research proposal. I spent a considerable amount of time preparing for this interview.

I reviewed the professors’ previous publications, their current research focus, and the research activities they were planning to work on. I collected this information by checking their profiles on the University of Antwerp website, their Google Scholar pages, and their social media accounts, as well as the research groups they led and the activities within those groups. All of this information helped me gain a better understanding of their research work and enabled me to better demonstrate how my research proposal could contribute to their ongoing work.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

Already mentioned above.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

In addition to passively searching for and reviewing the professors’ research work, I also considered emailing them to express my interest in specific projects and to ask if they had any project description materials for reference. This approach could help me gain a more direct understanding of their requirements.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Conducting the research, identifying the match, and tailoring your experience and skills to show how you can contribute to their research work and team is very important.