Alumni days: Pratikshya JOSHI (Plant Breeding - ST2AE, 2022, Beauvais)

Why did you choose France?

After my undergraduate studies in the United States, I wanted to study in Europe for my Master's degree, so I looked into programs in several countries. Among them, I found the Erasmus Mundus Plant Breeding program very interesting. We were able to choose the countries for our first and second years of study, and I liked the courses offered by Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle in France.

- What has been your career path since graduating from UniLaSalle?

As part of the Master's program, I did my second year in Spain and then went to Sweden for my Master's thesis internship. At the end of my studies, I returned to my home country.
After finishing my studies, I took a one-year break to decide on my future and started looking for PhD programs or jobs that interested me. Finally, I found an exciting PhD project at INRAE in Dijon and was accepted into the program, which I started in 2023. I'm now in the second year of my thesis, which is trying to understand how pea plants adapt their uptake of water and minerals in response to drought and nutrient deficiency.

- What would you like to see in the future?

I'd like to work in the field of communication between scientific research and the public, so I'm thinking of science communication or science policy. I don't have a specific goal for any particular country. I've had a great time in all the countries I've visited during my studies abroad, and I'm also thinking about what I might do when I return to my home country, so we'll see what the future holds.