ESR7 – Artem Bielozorov – Testimonial

Artem Bielozorov

ESR 7

Maynooth University

Testimonial

Hi there! My name is Artem Bielozorov, I’m 27 years old and I’m from Ukraine. In 2012 I graduated from Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University and received a Bachelor Degree in Management. One year after I moved to Prague, Czech Republic where I entered Languages and Economics Training Centre, which was a part of Charles University. In 2014 I graduated from the Educational Centre in Prague and entered a Master Program in International Management and Leadership at Lauder Business School in Vienna, Austria.

After completing the Master Program in Vienna, I came back to Ukraine where I have been working as a Digital Marketing Manager in a large software development company for two years.

While working in Ukraine I realized that I wanted to come back to science again and started searching for PhD programs in Europe. However, I wanted a program to be comprised of both academic and business components in order to have gain not only theoretical but practical knowledge as well. When I found the PERFORM project web page which is a part of the Marie-Curie Training Network, I understood that this was exactly the program I was looking for. I applied for the position number 7 which was one out of 15 available options and after having a range of quite challenging interviews I was offered a position of the Early Stage Researcher at the School of Computing in Dublin City University based in Ireland.

Needless to say how excited I was before starting this challenging but extremely exciting scientific journey. By that time, it had been my second trip to Ireland, however, I couldn’t wait to coming back to Ireland again. My host university, DCU, is one of the youngest universities in Ireland, but it has already gained a reputation of a respectful scientific and research centre. And apart from being a PERFORM member, at DCU I became a member of the Business Informatics Group curated by Dr. Markus Helfert, who is a supervisor of my personal PhD project as well.

The PERFORM project is indeed unique in many aspects. First of all, the project is strongly aimed at the academic training of PhD students. At PERFORM we are intensively trained on how to do research, how to design and apply various research methods, how to deliver your knowledge and engage with the audience, etc. And apart from attending lectures at DCU, PERFORM management organizes training sessions for all the 15 students in different countries. We already had sessions in Dublin, Ireland, and Vaxjo, Sweden. Furthermore, we are strongly encouraged to attend various conferences, workshop, and other scientific events. The supervisors provide strong guidance in preparation for these events and PERFORM provides substantial financial support to realize our scientific plans.

Another unique aspect of the project is the involvement of industry partners. Each student has a chance to have a 4-month internship in one of the partner companies in Europe. This gives us a fantastic opportunity to apply our knowledge into real business settings as well as to gain hands-on business insights from practitioners, which will help us create strong, industry-relevant research outcomes.

The points I have mentioned are just two main criteria which make the PERFORM project an outstandingly great opportunity for professional and personal development. Among the other factors, which I personally value, are the treatment of supervisors and project management, easy and well-organized communication processes, and the last but not least, I would give a particular appreciation to the other PERFORM students. Each student has an extensive academic and professional background, but at the same time, everyone is utterly friendly, easy-going, respectful, and open-minded. I enjoy our meetings very much because this is always a wonderful chance to discuss our research progress, discuss scientific ideas and plans for joint publications, and just have a great time together.

PhD title gives a large spectrum of opportunities within industry and academia alike. I have not yet decided what will be my steps after completing the PhD program, but I am sure it will be exciting and interesting work, which will enable me to keep developing professionally and personally.

Recent Posts about Artem