MSCA-DN NANAQUA Scholar Jiwei Lu from Austria Shares Their Journey of Securing a Fully Funded PhD at KU Leuven, Belgium

Currently, I am working on nanomaterials to enhance micropollutant degradation in anaerobic digesters, as part of wastewater treatment, and on how to remove the pollution as a PhD researcher in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) NANAQUA (nanaqua.eu).

I would describe myself as a chemist-biotechnologist. I am Jiwei Lu and grew up in Austria and studied for my Bachelor's and Master's in Vienna at both major universities: the University of Vienna and the University of Technology Vienna. I started with a bachelor's in chemistry and changed to biotechnology and bioanalytics for my master's to also go more towards engineering and biology, to gain broader knowledge applicable to various applications.

In my master thesis, I worked in biofuel technology with strict anaerobes and did molecular biology, and I aspired to stay somewhere in this field and therefore could land the position. My chemistry background and utilization of materials science help me for the nanomaterial position and the bioinformatics and higher mathematical studies in the masters

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network Details

The MSCA-DN is a uniquely funded opportunity, with a livable salary and obligatory secondments in different countries, and external internships in different countries that come with a bench fee. I did not write the grant, but I had to be selected for this position (> 1,000 applications for 16 positions in total). I am studying at KU Leuven, and the amount is country-specific and can be found here (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-2-marie-sklodowska-curie-actions_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf)

Educational Background

To land this PhD offer, it was really hard for my professors to find someone with such a unique and interdisciplinary skillset spanning from nanomaterials, machine learning, and biological processes with anaerobes, and therefore I can only recommend getting a broad horizon of your knowledge and picking courses that interest you and expand your horizon. I would not get too specialized too early in the master's program, as it reduces the chances of securing a PhD position. In a PhD, there is enough time for specialization. My GPA for my undergraduate studies was 2.9 (1-best, 5-worst), and for my master's, 1.7. I think grades are important for getting accepted into doctoral programs, but not the key indicator for doing research.

How Did You Find Information About Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network and KU Leuven?

Euraxess.com and filtered for MSCA and depending on the country, some of them have their own scientific scholarship databases e.g. Austria https://www.fwf.ac.at/ueber-uns/arbeiten-im-fwf?sort=jobFirstPublished+DESC.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

No

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network?

In my previous goal, I was planning to join consulting, which is even more competitive than PhD positions, so I did a lot of club activities, served as president, and also did mock interviews to prepare for them. Also, Project Access Austria (https://projectaccess.at/) has helped me with my applications and motivation, and there are Project Access programs in other countries.

Would Potential Students Have Any Problems Not Knowing Dutch/French?

No, Belgium, especially the Dutch-speaking part, is highly proficient in English.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

Unique background, broad knowledge, and experience outside of academia, a publication as third author in submission

Looking Back, Would You Have Done Anything Differently During Your Time in the Program?

I would prepare much better for the interviews. For MSCA DN positions, there is usually also a live interview with travel reimbursement to meet the professors and get to know the location. I did not perform well in the interviews, especially during the scientific discussion. In hindsight, I would have prepared the relevant paper more thoroughly and done mock interviews with a full jury beforehand.

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

Always watch for new positions, as EURAXESS job postings are updated from time to time, and also look at fields that are not directly connected to your knowledge base from your studies. I feel like it is more important to show the ability to do a PhD than to already have the knowledge.