Testimony from the 2023 laureate

Ruby, laureate 2023

These past three months have been quite an experience for me as a person and as a researcher. Moving to a country with a language barrier made me very anxious in the beginning but so far it has been great learning few expressions in French.

As a researcher, this was a great opportunity to work with Julien Bras, who in my opinion is one of the best researchers in my field. I met Julien for the first time at Tappi Not-Nano Day in Vancouver and just a few minutes of listening to his presentation, I told myself, “I want to work with him,” and I am very grateful to the French embassy in Vancouver for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. Julien is an awesome supervisor, and I will gladly accept another opportunity to work with him in the future. I really appreciate how welcoming him, and his lab have been to me and the support I’ve received from them so far makes me forget sometimes I have only been in the lab for a few weeks. The most exciting part of working in a different lab has been learning and working with different equipment as I explored different aspects of my graduate project that were more tailored to this new lab.

As a person, I think getting and exchange in France and maybe Europe in general is one of the best things that can happen to you. The culture experiences are amazing, the food is great and the chance to see other parts of Europe was too exciting it was hard to remember I was here to work and not on vacation. I really hope other researchers get to experience this because it has really been the best three months of my year and I would like to say thank you to the French Embassy in Canada for sponsoring me and also big thank you to Dr. Julien Bras, his entire lab, and my supervisor Dr. Johan Foster for making this possible.

Johan, associate professor, UBC, Ruby’s PhD superviser

The opportunity to send our student, Ruby, to Prof Julien Bras’s esteemed research group in France has been an invaluable part of their academic and professional development, furthering Ruby’s ongoing PhD in the field of cellulose-based materials. This program has offered our students, like Ruby, a unique platform to engage in cutting-edge research that is at the forefront of material science. The environment at Julien Bras’s lab, renowned for its innovative approach and state-of-the-art facilities at Grenoble INP, has provided our students with exposure to advanced research methodologies and a global perspective on scientific inquiry.

Ruby’s experience in France stands as a prime example of the profound impact this program can have on a student’s career. Immersing in an environment that is both intellectually challenging and culturally enriching, she was able to contribute significantly to the field of cellulose-based materials. This experience went beyond academic growth, fostering a sense of independence, resilience, and an enhanced ability to collaborate across cultural boundaries.

Julien, Professor, Grenoble INP

Welcoming a PhD student from Canada, and in particular from the prestigious University of British Columbia, is always an opportunity for a French laboratory.

The PhD student, Ruby, has fitted in very well with the group of researchers and brought a fresh perspective to our weekly scientific discussions.

The research carried out has been extensive, of high quality and complementary between the two laboratories.

We are already planning to showcase them at an international conference, and are even considering publication.

We hope that this exchange, made possible thanks to the support of the French Embassy, is the first step towards a longer-term collaboration.