YERUN award helps academics collaborate on research

Dr Aline Villavicencio, from our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, is one of 26 academics to have been awarded a YERUN Research Mobility Award.

As part of the scheme she will be going to Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona for two weeks in July to work on a joint research project.

YERUN (Young European Research Universities), which includes Essex, is established with the aim of promoting joint initiatives in the areas of research, teaching and staff mobility, and becoming the voice of European young universities in Europe.

Dr Villavicencio, pictured above, said: “This is a unique chance to experience first-hand a different working environment and learn about new techniques and practices, which can later be adopted at the home institution. They also provide opportunities for research dissemination to a wider audience, paving the way for discussions with colleagues and students from the host institution, and opening up possibilities of further collaboration.”

The YERUN Research Mobility Awards scheme will provide support for established and early career academics to conduct research studies at another participating YERUN university for up to two weeks.

As part of the scheme, three academics from Spain will also be coming to Essex.

Currently researching language and teaching methods, Nathaly González Acevedo, from Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, is looking forward to coming to Essex.

“The University of Essex is known for research excellence and for its visionary interests in supporting quality research,” she said. “When contacting Essex, I felt my interest was valued. All the people I contacted were willing to help. I have chosen Essex, because from the beginning I could feel their passion towards research development and excellence.”

Academic, Migle Laukyte, from Universidad Carlos III Madrid, will also be joining us. Her research area is artificial intelligence and decided to come to Essex to integrate a human rights aspect into her research.

“I decided to participate in the YERUN Research Mobility Awards because it’s different from other mobility awards in that it was centred on research and not on teaching or training,” she said.

Also coming from Universidad Carlos III Madrid is Miguel Alirangues Lopez, who said: “One of the aspects that seemed most relevant to me was the fact of establishing a first contact with a research group with interests similar to those of the philosophy group I belong to. As I am in the first few months of my doctoral training, I thought it would be an irreplaceable experience that could mark the development of my thesis.”