Connor Shine

 

"I was awarded a National University of Ireland sponsored Fulbright award in 2016 to travel as a visiting researcher to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. My host institution while at MIT was the highly acclaimed Edelman Laboratory, established as the Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Centre at the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. My NUI sponsored award allowed me to spend 8 months researching here alongside world renowned engineers and scientists, who work at the cutting edge of medical technology and medical device development. My time at MIT was truly exceptional, and the experience was invaluable to me as I returned to Ireland in 2017 to complete the remainder of my PhD studies at NUI Galway."

 

"I had a fantastic experience at my host institution, and overall in the US. The amazing opportunity to attend and research in a top research facility is something I am extremely grateful for, and the many wonderful people I met while based in Cambridge act as daily inspirations to me in my research, and also in everyday life. I gained so much from my Fulbright experience, both academically and personally. Having the opportunity to travel for a significant period of my PhD is also something that I am very appreciative of. I found the US, and MIT in particular, to be extremely diverse and I learned so much from interacting with and getting to know students and researchers from many different cultures and backgrounds. Having the opportunity to attend a Gateway orientation my first week in Cambridge is something that I will also always remember. It was incredible to meet and interact with Fulbrighters from all across the world, sharing stories of our home countries, our first impressions of America, and of course the cultural differences we were expecting to encounter. Hearing how people came across the Fulbright programme, and the reasons they decided to apply for a scholarship was also something that really interested and inspired me."

"Fulbright is a prestigious scholarship to be on in the US and people were always very interested when I explained how I was over on a sponsored award, and when I described the role of the National University of Ireland, and the work they do in the Irish university system. My experience with Fulbright and NUI has been nothing short of amazing, and the support and encouragement I’ve continued to receive, alongside the network of great people I’ve established through this sponsorship, has been invaluable to me. Since returning home from my research placement, I have been focused on completing my PhD in Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway. I am immensely proud to have represented NUI and the Irish Fulbright Commission in the US and would encourage anyone thinking of applying for a Fulbright award to consider the sponsored awards."

For more information please see the Fulbright-NUI Student Award section
on our Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships page.

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