In the context of my PhD research focusing on hydrogels made from self-assembling peptides, I had the chance to undertake a three-month research stay at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. The research stay was dedicated to transmission electron microscopy of the gel systems, which gave new insights in the peptide fibre formation and morphology. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Jacinta White for generously sharing her expertise and life lessons. A huge thank you to James Gardiner and Steven Ballet to make this stay possible and to all of the CSIRO employees I had the chance to work with, you were just amazing. Furthermore, I am grateful to the Doctoral School NSE of Vrije Universiteit Brussel for their financial support, which made this research endeavour possible.
Having the chance to be on the other side of the world, the weekends were easily filled with watching endless coastlines and adorable wildlife. Of course, no Australian adventure would be complete without the iconic Australian hat...
Meanwhile back in Belgium, I will continue the search for relationships between peptide sequences and the fascinating assemblies that can be created, which can be applied as controlled drug delivery systems, amongst others. To be continued!
