During my PhD, I had the opportunity to spend several months abroad. I chose to move to Rotterdam, a dynamic and international city known for its modern architecture, vibrant cultural scene, and strong focus on innovation. Home to one of the largest ports in the world, Rotterdam is also a major European hub for science, technology, and healthcare.
My research stay was centered at the Erasmus Medical Center (Erasmus MC), one of Europe’s largest university medical centers. Erasmus MC is internationally recognized for its excellence in clinical care, translational research, and medical education, hosting thousands of researchers and clinicians working at the interface of medicine and engineering.
View from the Erasmus MC office
Within Erasmus MC, the Biomedical Engineering department places strong emphasis on both experimental and computational biomechanics, with a particular focus on cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. I worked closely with the computational mechanics group led by Ali Akyildiz, contributing to research on carotid artery biomechanics and cardiovascular modeling.
At the same time, I had access to the outstanding infrastructure of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), located in the historic city of Delft. TU Delft is the oldest and largest technical university in the Netherlands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading institutions in engineering and applied sciences.
Tu Delft
There, I collaborated with the Cardiovascular Biomechanics Group at TU Delft, a research team renowned for its work on vascular mechanics, computational modeling, and the interaction between blood flow, vessel walls, and disease progression. This dual exposure to clinical research at Erasmus MC and advanced engineering at TU Delft made my stay in the Netherlands a uniquely enriching experience, both scientifically and personally.
