Shaping Research Careers

On 20 August 2014, ICTP is set to celebrate the success of 39 young scholars who have completed the ICTP Postgraduate Diploma Programme. After a year of rigorous pre-doctoral studies, some of the students are on track to continue their research careers by pursuing higher studies. And, Fatemeh Akbarashrafi is one of them. Akbarashrafi, who will get her postgraduate diploma certificate in Earth System Physics, has been offered a PhD position at the Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

A national of Iran, Akbarashrafi got her masters degree in Condensed Matter Physics, but she decided to do a project related to Earth System Physics after her advisor introduced her to computational physics. When a friend told her about ICTP, Akbarashrafi decided to apply to the Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Earth System Physics because she found the subject fascinating.

Akbarashrafi says that she realised she had a lot to learn when she looked up the list of required courses in Earth System Physics. "But, I have learned so much from my professors about ocean, atmosphere and solid earth physics. Their approach to teaching was very interactive and I enjoyed learning," she says. "They motivated me to be curious about the unanswered questions, and now I want to continue doing research in the field," she adds.

Apart from excellent teachers, Akbarashrafi credits the environment and the facilities at ICTP for her success. " I really liked to study in library because I had access to any book that I wanted," she says. "Also, we (the diploma students) spent a lot of time together sharing ideas and discussing science."

Looking ahead, Akbarashrafi plans to continue her journey in physics research starting with her PhD project that will be related to geophysics and seismology. ICTP, she says, has been crucial to shaping her career so far.