Taking research abroad
As a post-graduate student at Swinburne, I was chosen to be the university’s first ever co-tutelle PhD student – a program that allowed me to work on my thesis at both Swinburne and the Unversité de Technologie de Compiègne in France.
I chose to do the co-tutelle program because I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime. I grew up in a small country town and had never travelled outside Australia. The chance to travel and complete my research at one of the leading universities in France was too good to pass up.
My research was in the development and biocompatibility of a biodegradable cardiovascular stent material, which could one day replace the metallic stent’s commonly used to treat cardiovascular disease. Stents are required when patients have partially blocked coronary arteries; these are the arteries that supply the heart with blood. Cardiovascular stents are designed to open up the blocked arteries and restore blood flow.
It is generally believed that cardiovascular stents are only required for the first six to nine months post-surgery, and after this time the stent becomes detrimental to the patient. Therefore, my research was involved in the development of a stent material that once placed in the artery, would degrade allowing the artery to repair itself.
The reason I’m passionate about my research is that I believe it will ultimately make a difference to other people’s lives. It is very rewarding to know that I have contributed to the progression of a medical device, which may one day improve the success rate of vascular stents.
The highlight of the co-tutelle program for me was simply being able to study in France – I have such fond memories of my time there, and I relished the chance to live in a new country, learn a new language and explore a new culture. The connections that I have made within the scientific community in Europe have paved the way for further collaborations and future job opportunities.
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