From Argentina to Poland – Dr Pablo Cavagnaro
Today we’re happy to introduce our interview with Dr. Pablo Cavagnaro, who admitted that he is enjoying his stay in Poland.
Where do you come from and what made you decide to apply for the POLONEZ BIS program?
I am from Argentina. I met my supervisor here in the USA. We were in the US together and then, we have been collaborating in the framework of some projects. So, he told me about this program and asked me if I would like to apply and I said ‘’yes’’.
We applied with a topic that has some aspect of what they are doing here and what I am doing in Argentina. So, that’s how we applied.
In your opinion, was the recruitment procedure for the fellowship difficult and demanding?
The recruitment was fine, but you know, you need to put some work into the project and make it very clear. You know, every comparative proposal has to go through a similar admission procedure. I have done other applications as well and this one wasn’t particularly difficult. I don’t think it was extremely difficult. It’s ok, because they are giving you money not only for your living expenses but also for research. So, it’s ok. There has to be some evaluation with some level of detail.
Dr. Pablo Cavagnaro – private archive
What was the biggest challenge for you?
There were some challenges when I had to get a visa because there was a miscommunication between the Argentinian Polish Embassy and the University. The Embassy was asking for some papers that I had to ask from the University. There was not a good connection between the University and the Embassy. For instance, one thing I needed was health insurance. Well, I have health insurance here at the University. However, the Embassy told me that I need health insurance from the day that I start travelling. I was told that I need to have health insurance for the whole period of my visa so that we’re able to give you the visa. So, I purchased a one-year health insurance and now I have two health insurance.
Taking into account your POLONEZ BIS experience so far, would you recommend it to other researchers from abroad? Why?
Yes, of course. I already recommended it to someone, as someone contacted me to know my experience. It’s a very good program. In this program you get your living expenses covered, as well as your research project. That is great. You can decide what you want to work on. The salary is good, the interaction is good. You don’t have to know Polish. Most people speak English. There are very good universities here. Yeah, it’s a great opportunity.
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This was a first part of our chat with Pablo, we gonna back to him soon 🙂
