November 15, 2019, by Lisa Chin
Teh Tarik Session 5/2019
Experience sharing
We organised a Teh Tarik session on Thursday 7 November 2019. The session featured a presentation by Nur Izzati Ridzuan, a PhD student at the School of Biosciences, on her research attachment with the Plant-Soil Interaction Group in Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) based at Lancaster University, UK. Izzati is one the two winners of this year’s International Research Collaboration Award (IRCA). The award enabled Izzati to undertake the research attachment for over a month at CEH which is the UK Centre of Excellence for integrated research in hydrology, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere; funded through the Natural Environment Research Council.
During the session, Izzati briefly talked about the background and timeline of her IRCA application and research attachment. The activities undertaken during her research attachment included analysis and extraction of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), identification and quantification using Gas Chromatography, determination of carbon and nitrogen content using elemental analyser machine as well as phosphorus and potassium content using Palintest Complete Soil Kit which is a new commercially available soil sample analysis kit that is sufficiently portable to be used in the field.
“I learned and gained new lab skills, met new people and researchers as well as experienced the work culture there.” said Izzati. She described the experience as valuable in which she was able to develop new skills in soil analysis.
In addition, Izzati shared some tips in applying for IRCA. “Besides strong recommendation and support from your supervisor and the host institution,” said Izzati, “your application needs to be goal focused and purpose driven.”
The session was also attended by Professor Deborah Hall, Vice-Provost of Research and Knowledge Exchange.
Read more
Find out more about Izzati’s research attachment through a series of blog posts.
Coming up next
Find out more about the research attachment of the other winner of this year’s IRCA in our next Teh Tarik session scheduled for Tuesday 10 December 2019 at 1pm in H1B13.
Research attachment in a world-leading laboratory within the Department of Material Science and Engineering at Peking University, China
by Wong Zheng Wei, PhD student at the School of Pharmacy
Apart from the research and personal experiences of the past winner, you’ll also learn more about the IRCA funding opportunity as well as get practical advice and tips towards writing a successful IRCA application.
About the award
IRCA is a competitive award to a funded visit, of up to two months duration, with a maximum of MYR 15,000, at a host organisation anywhere in the world that may act as a collaborator for a research project.
Call for applications is now open for IRCA 2020!
We are offering four awards worth RM15,000 each; two for postgraduate research students (PGRs) and two for early career researchers (ECRs) to promote mobility by undertaking a research visit to a leading international research institution.
Closing date: 6 December 2019
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