2022 update
New Zealand is re-opening its borders to international visitors after a period of closure in order to control the impact of the virus causing COVID-19.
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Laura Veenendaal
Although Laura is one of our own PhD candidates we're featuring her here because her first association with us was as a visiting international intern. She joined us from the University of Twente in July of 2018 for a 6-month Masters internship project. Her degree required an international research experience and Laura chose to join us here in New Zealand for a project focusing on biomaterial development for cartilage tissue engineering applications. At the conclusion of her project Laura won a short-term contract within the CReaTE group as a Research Assistant working on similar research.
“My visiting internship was a great experience for me! I had a great time working in this research group with supportive and kind people around me, and I gained a lot of knowledge and lab skills whilst working on my research project. Besides having a good time at work, I also explored this beautiful country.”
Laura returned to the Netherlands near the end of 2019 and soon after she was offered the opportunity to continue working at CReaTE as a PhD candidate. Due to the world's response to COVID-19, her return was slightly delayed. We were delighted to welcome her back to the group in March of 2021 to research personalised 3D tissue models for exploring cartilage regeneration and integration.
“I was very excited to hear about the PhD project and couldn't wait to come back! My experience during my internship helped me to realise that I really like research and that I would like to complete a PhD. I chose to return to CReaTE because I really liked the working atmosphere in the group and the research performed here in the lab – I knew it would help me kick-start my career as researcher.”