Congratulations, Dr. Qingqing Sun!

23rd July 2021 – Qingqing Sun, PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Pau Ballester, has defended her PhD thesis entitled “Aryl and Super Aryl-Extended Calix[4]pyrroles: Synthesis and Applications” (assigned to Organic and Analytical Chemistry Department of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili) publicly on July 23^rd.

The members of the evaluation committee were: Prof. Laura Rodríguez (Universitat de Barcelona), Prof Marcos Suero (ICIQ) and Kaisa Johanna Helttunen (University of Jyväskylä).

Dr. Sun is from Langfang, a small city in China. She obtained her master’s degree in Physical chemistry at the Shaanxi Normal University. In 2017, she joined the group of Prof. Pau Ballester at ICIQ to pursue her PhD. She likes reading all kinds of books and playing badminton.

Why did you become a scientist?

When I was a child, I was very curious about scientific discoveries. I saw that through chemistry research we could find new molecules able to cure various diseases and improve our health.

What do you want to achieve as a scientist?

I would like that my future contributions could be useful to promote the development of new medicines or materials. At the same time, I want to give back to the scientific community and society.

From the lessons learnt at ICIQ, which one do you value the most?

Learning to be collaborative and humble. These are very important traits both in academia and outside of it. I learnt this from my supervisor and group members, they are very wise and were always ready to help me whenever I needed it.

What ICIQ moment you´ll never forget?

The weekly group meetings were something unique. They helped me to learn how to organize a speech and transfer academic knowledge to an audience. Meanwhile, the international ICIQ seminars and webinars provided good opportunities to expand my horizons and enrich my studies.

What advice do you have for someone who’s starting their PhD now?

You should talk to your supervisors and learn from your colleagues if you have any doubt. Try to make a plan at the beginning of your PhD and adjust it according to the progress of the projects. Last but not least, try to find a balance between lab work and personal life.