My career and research have greatly benefited from my ability to collaborate with various academics and groups, as well as attend esteemed conferences and doctoral school training. These experiences have been invaluable to my PhD, helping me build a significant network and acquire necessary skills. Some of these collaborations have even led to opportunities for publication and further work.

The opportunities to travel and to make connections with other academics and to speak about my research.

To read more about Silvia's project 'Benchmarking and social inclusion in CEE states: the implications of EU-funded activation projects' please click here.

Warwick Supervisor: Alexandra Homolar

Department: Politics and International Studies

Having two supervisors from two different universities and slightly different expertise is definitely helpful in coming up with more innovative research contributions. Also, belonging to two research groups makes you feel a bit more confident than the other PhDs because you realise you have the essence of both research teams in yourself.

Learning how to be more inclusive and cope with a variety of people. Also, meeting many like-minded scholars.

To read more about Sajjad's project '(WALL-EE) Wide-area Adaptive control in InteLLigent cyber-physical power systems exploiting dEEp reinforcement learning' please click here.

Warwick Supervisor: Subhash Lakshminarayana

Department: Engineering

I sometimes found it complex to navigate the different time schedules that the two universities require, as they are two very different models. As a result, I sometimes had to redo the same task with different formats, or take courses at both universities. Although this can complicate time management, I recognise that it is also a way of gaining broader knowledge of the workings and expectations of different universities, providing good experience to support future choices. Furthermore, I find it infinitely productive to have an exchange with my two supervisors, who are both present throughout the process and provide advice from a different starting point.

Without a doubt, having the Eutopia co-tutelle is not only a scholarship but also means being part of a community that expands beyond the two universities that serve as my home.

To read more about Lara's 'Aesthetics and politics of decolonial practices in contemporary dance in three continents: Uruguay, the USA and Italy' project please click here

Warwick Supervisor: Milija Gluhovic

Department: School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures

Broadening and Deepening Learning

Eva-Rosa Ferrand Verdejo, Postgraduate (Research) Film & Television Studies, CY Cergy Paris University and University of Warwick, found that not only did the programme offer the possibility of belonging to two different “fields” (Hispanic studies in France and Film and TV studies in the UK), but it offered access to the resources of two different universities. Through her Co-tutelle programme Eva-Rose will receive a double diploma from two different universities and, in her case, from two different departments.

The Rewards of Taking on the Co-tutelle Challenge

Mara Anselmo-Santana, Postgraduate (Research) Film & Television Studies CY Cergy Paris University/ University of Warwick found that two supervisors, who not only have different areas of expertise but who also work differently, both wonderful and challenging. She found it particularly interesting to have different insights to consider and resources to access. Being immersed in an even more international environment than a single university, broadened her horizons and started honing her professional and personal skills.

International Networks

Laura Vansina, Postgraduate (Research) FT, Politics & International Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)/ University of Warwick found the Co-tutelle program allowed her to combine ’the best of both worlds’. Pursuing a PhD at both the University of Warwick and VUB let her discover the Anglosaxon and continental traditions of academia. During her journey, she would immerse herself in the most valuable pieces of both traditions and broadened her network with peers from all around the globe.