Never stop trying as we all have potential and the difference is the way we use it

Tell us about your background and your chosen research project.

Before starting PhD, I did my undergraduate and postgraduate degree in microbiology from University of Dhaka. I started my research journey during my undergraduate studies while working with rhizobia root nodule symbiosis. I did master’s degree associated with research on the crop insecticidal microorganisms, which is used a biological pest control for crops.

Later on I served as a lecturer in microbiology department in Primeasia University, Bangladesh which was a research platform for me and provided a push to make research based academic career. Therefore, I planned to pursue my higher research degree in plant science.

I had designed my research proposal based on my previous research experiences and applied for PhD scholarships. Now my PhD research focusing on sustainable rice cultivation by looking at the biological nitrification inhibitors in paddy rice cultivars.

Why did you choose to study at Sheffield?

The main reason to choose Sheffield University was its world-class research facilities and academic global ranking. Moreover, Sheffield is a very beautiful city along with its international environment. Therefore, I decided to pursue my PhD degree at the University of Sheffield.

What did winning the scholarship mean to you?

I got the doctoral academy scholarship of faculty of science, which is a blessing in my life. It changed my life totally by giving me opportunity to nourish my research career. It also gave me scope to represent my home country Bangladesh in UK environment.

This scholarship made me believe in myself and it’s an inspiration for my future achievements.

The main reason to choose Sheffield University was its world-class research facilities and academic global ranking.

Safirun Pervin

PhD student, Department of Animal & Plant Sciences

What has your experience of doing a PhD at Sheffield been so far?

The University of Sheffield has a lot of international student community and programs that organize a lot of international events like global café, history walk etc. which gave me lots of exciting experiences.

I have lots of international friends now and now I do not feel it as a foreign country rather it feels like my second home, one the favourite place in the world. Moreover, I am fortunate enough that I got two amazing and helpful persons as my PhD supervisors.

My supervisors are like my guardians here, they guide me to the right path and helped me a lot to get used to this new environment.

What are your future plans?

University of Sheffield is a proper place for international students to develop their career. I will use my knowledge and expertise of PhD research for future research career development in academia.

Do you have any advice for future prospective PhD students?

I believe challenges makes life interesting and overcoming those makes life meaningful. I took every difficulty as a challenge and always tried to overcome those things.

My suggestions for the future prospective PhD students will be that please try hard to get for the scholarship opportunities. Never stop trying as we all have potential and the difference is the way we use it.