It’s been just shy of a month since I came back from my secondment in Oxford, and I am still processing this amazing experience. I had the pleasure and utter honour of working in James Kwan’s lab, one of the most advanced and renowned groups in sonochemistry. There, I had the chance to work with their custom SonoCyl ultrasound reactors, optimized for pollutant degradation as well as for H₂ production, among other goals. With these reactors, I achieved very promising degradation levels for PFAS, the focus of my project. I also had the chance to simulate wastewater treatment plant conditions by running continuous-flow experiments with the SonoCyl reactors.
Moreover, it was very interesting and fulfilling to work with a group that is more focused on the engineering side of sonochemistry. During these four months, I worked very hard, since I had quite a lot of experiments planned and limited time to complete them. I was very ambitious, but all the effort was worth it. I am currently analysing the last samples, and the preliminary results show a lot of potential, which I hope to present in one (or hopefully several) papers.
In this lab, it is tradition to grab some beers at a local pub whenever someone joins or leaves the group, so these gatherings serve as both welcoming and farewell celebrations. It was very nice to get to know my colleagues both at work and outside the lab, and these gatherings really helped the group feel like a team. Having their help with my experiments, and seeing things from their point of view, pushed me to understand my research from a more technical perspective, not only a chemical one. The colleagues in Kwan’s lab were incredibly kind and helpful, and I hope the connections and friendships I formed there last for a very long time, both professionally and personally.
Of course, not everything was science and research! Living in Oxford was, in short, magical. The city is full of history wherever you go, the streets are vibrant with students and professors, and, naturally, the pubs are lively. Every weekend I would be mesmerised by the beautiful old buildings, visit colleges like Christ Church, Magdalen, or Balliol, grab a snack at the Covered Market, enjoy a stroll in University Parks, visit astounding museums like the Ashmolean or the Natural History Museum, or watch tourists try their best at punting on the Thames.
I also made quick trips to one of my favourite cities, London, especially my favourite neighbourhood, Camden. I somehow managed to visit the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Tate Modern all in one weekend (and survived!). Of course, I couldn’t miss a hit musical like Wicked in the West End, or feeding the squirrels in Hyde Park. During my time in Oxford, I also visited amazing cities like Bath, Bristol, and Cardiff. Luckily, most of my secondment took place during summer, so the weather was on my side for those months in the UK.
Overall, this secondment was one of the best experiences of my life, and I truly hope I get the chance to repeat it at some point!