Research visit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

Applicant: Alina Mikhailova
FB 13 - Biology, PhD Student

During my research stay at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology from September 1st to 15th, I had the great opportunity to work with Professor Tom Bourguignon’s group and the termite genome sequencing consortium. The primary focus of my visit was to collaborate on sequencing and analyzing termite genomes, a key area of my PhD research. We had very productive meetings where we discussed the progress of our ongoing projects. One of the key results from this visit for me was finalizing the plan for my last PhD thesis paper, which I worked on closely with Professor Bourguignon and our collaborators. Their feedback was really helpful and gave me new ideas to push my research forward.
A highlight of the stay was the fieldwork I got to do. I went out to look for termitophilous beetles, which live in close association with termites, and learned a lot about their relationship. I also got to explore termite colonies and better understand how they’re structured and how termites work together. Seeing their complex social behavior up close was a great experience and really expanded my knowledge of termite biology.
Overall, my stay at OIST was both exciting and very productive. It allowed me to work closely with international experts, gain valuable fieldwork experience, and make progress on my PhD research while enjoying the Okinawan tropical life. Thanks to this opportunity provided by Santander, I was able to make significant progress on my research and gain new skills and insights that will benefit my work in the long term.