As a researcher, I’ve always believed that expanding our horizons and actively engaging with the world is essential. It helps us stay humble and reminds us of the importance of diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.
Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Maastricht University in the Netherlands for a research visit. Thanks to the warm welcome from DexLab and Dr Tim Hilken, I quickly felt part of this inspiring and friendly community.
During my visit, I got the chance to tour DexLab, a collaborative space that supports the SBE community with state-of-the-art technology and resources. The lab brings digital research and education to life, using tools like mixed reality, robots, and generative AI in workshops and projects. As someone researching augmented reality, I was genuinely excited by what I saw. I had lots of great conversations with the researchers working on their projects there, learning about their work and exploring potential collaborations and future projects that could happen in this wonderful lab. These discussions gave me a fresh perspective on my current research and research trends.
One of the most unexpected and exciting moments for me was having the honour of meeting in person the professors who wrote some key publications in my research area, which I had read a hundred times (well, maybe not literally hundreds), and having the chance to talk with them. I am really grateful to them for being so generous with their guidance and always willing to share their thoughts, offering feedback that helped me reflect on my own work and future career paths, and patiently answering some of my silly questions.
The opportunities and encouragement they gave me were truly priceless. I also took part in many activities in Maastricht SBE, including a research seminar led by Professor Kathleen Cleeren and the staff coffee mornings, where professors, faculty, and fellows got together to catch up and share ideas. In these activities, I also met some of our lovely PhD peers, and we shared fun stories from our doctoral journeys, and I invited them to visit Edinburgh sometime in the future (when Edinburgh gets warmer)!
In this visit, I’m especially thankful to Dr Tim Hilken, who kindly invited me, helped me connect with others, and made time in his busy schedule to meet with me every week. We talked about papers, exchanged research ideas, and brainstormed future collaborations. These conversations were invaluable to me and helped move our ongoing project forward while also sparking many new ideas.
Overall, I am deeply grateful for this amazing opportunity. It was definitely one of the highlights of my PhD journey. I want to thank Business School PGR Office for funding the visit, my supervisors for helping me connect with collaborators, and Dr Tim Hilken, DexLab, and everyone at Maastricht SBE for their warmth and generosity.
The visit was truly inspiring, and I hope to bring back fresh ideas to UEBS and continue exploring exciting research directions. I also want to encourage every PhD student to take the opportunity to go on a research visit, step out of their comfort zone, and perhaps discover exciting opportunities!