I arrived in Belgium expecting two weeks of scientific learning. I did not expect to be welcomed by snowfall, glowing city squares, and the quiet kindness of strangers helping me carry my luggage through the streets of Mechelen.
As I stepped out into the cold evening air, snow had just started falling across the city. Coming from Glasgow, I was prepared for rain, but not for the surreal beauty of a Belgian winter evening illuminated by soft red lights and fresh snow. Tired from travelling and carrying heavy luggage, I was genuinely touched when someone stopped to help me without hesitation. It was a small gesture, but one that immediately made a foreign place feel unexpectedly warm and welcoming.
My secondment at KU Leuven formed part of my doctoral training within the INCLUE network. Hosted at Campus De Nayer under the supervision of Professor Raf Dewil, the placement focused on understanding wastewater sludge sourcing and handling within complex environmental matrices, particularly in the context of PFAS-related contamination and treatment strategies.
The experience offered something that is difficult to fully obtain through papers alone: direct exposure to how environmental samples are prepared, handled, and interpreted in real research settings. During my time there, I observed workflows involving pH adjustment, PFAS spiking, centrifugation, and supernatant-based degradation studies. These processes highlighted how much environmental chemistry depends not only on analytical precision, but also on careful sample handling and a deep understanding of matrix complexity.
One of the most interesting aspects of the secondment was gaining insight into PFAS degradation studies, particularly approaches involving ultrasonication-based treatments. Discussions around transformation products and analytical monitoring reinforced an important reality of environmental science: removing a pollutant is rarely as straightforward as making it disappear. Understanding what forms during degradation can be just as important as tracking the original compound itself.
Beyond the laboratory, Belgium itself became part of the experience. Mechelen and Bruges carried a calmness that contrasted sharply with the fast pace often associated with research life. Quiet canals, cyclists moving through historic streets, snow-covered squares, and centuries-old architecture created an atmosphere that encouraged reflection as much as productivity.
Walking through these cities after long days of scientific discussion often gave me time to think more broadly about the purpose of environmental research. Wastewater sludge, PFAS contamination, and pollutant monitoring are highly technical topics, but at their core they are deeply connected to public health, sustainability, and the environments people live in every day.
One thing I particularly appreciated during the secondment was seeing how interdisciplinary environmental science truly is. Engineering, analytical chemistry, toxicology, and environmental monitoring all intersect in ways that become much more visible when working alongside researchers from different backgrounds. It reminded me that solving environmental challenges rarely happens within the boundaries of a single field.
Outside the lab, I also found moments of stillness that made the experience personally memorable. The quiet canals, winter trees, and slower rhythm of the city created space to pause and appreciate how fortunate I am to experience research not only as scientific work, but also as an opportunity to encounter new cultures, perspectives, and people.
The secondment ultimately expanded my understanding of environmental systems beyond what I could have learned from instrumentation or data alone. It reinforced the importance of realistic sample matrices, thoughtful analytical design, and collaboration across disciplines, while also reminding me that some of the most meaningful parts of scientific journeys happen outside the laboratory.
And somewhere between discussions of PFAS degradation, snowy evenings in Belgian city squares, and conversations with researchers from different backgrounds, I realised that scientific growth is often inseparable from personal growth.
