When you started your Project through the Marie Curie initiative, what were your expectations?

I was eager to exchange ideas and develop new expertise.

When you started your placement, did you imagine that you’d be where you are today 5 years later?

Not really! I wasn't even sure that I would still have the opportunity to pursue my scientific research activities.

If you had to choose the most memorable moment during your Marie Curie project, what would it be?

Probably, this would be the day when I first heard that my project proposal had been accepted!

Three words that sum up your Marie Curie Actions experience?

Mobility, training, independence.

How do you see yourself in 10 years?

It is difficult to say. I will be where research drives me.

Is there a famous researcher who inspires you?

Many different famous (and less famous!) researchers inspired me. I can hardly mention just one, but if I really should I would say Brandon Carter, who was my Ph.D supervisor.

What is your favorite quote by a scientist?

"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible", from Albert Einstein.

Your advice to a researcher who would like to apply for a Marie Curie Action?

Be imaginative and look beyond the borders of your own research field!

Imagine your ideal Marie Curie Alumni Association event. What would it be? Where?

I imagine a conference where scientists coming from very different horizons could have the unique opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas. And what better place to organise such a meeting than the cosmopolitan city of Brussels?

If you could introduce to us another Marie Curie Alumni, who would it be?

Dr Loïc Villain, who works at the Laboratory of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Tours, France.