International mobility: a matter of anticipation and perseverance?

From the end of the first year of her Master in Public Health, Marina Kvaskoff began preparing her PhD project incorporating a stay in Australia.

Her thesis which subject is "Endometriosis, genetic polymorphisms associated with nævi and cutaneous melanoma risk" was made in co-supervision between France (University Paris 11) / INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) - IGR (Institut Gustave Roussy), CESP, team 9) and Australia (the University of Queensland  / QIMR (Queensland Institute of Medical Research), team "Cancer Control Group").

Australia was the opportunity to do a doctoral research on skin cancer in the country and especially in the State (Queensland), where the incidence of this kind of pathology is the highest in the world.

After an initial six-month stay in 2007-2008, Marina went back to Australia for a further period of six months in 2008-2009. In financing terms, only the Fondation de France agreed to fund a thesis incorporating a stay abroad. In addition to this Graduate Scholarship, Marina got a support from the Cancer Council Queensland, covering the period when she was in Australia. The French Embassy in Australia supported for its part, the first trip in the framework of the program of "joint supervision" travel grants  (up to 2100 Australian Dollars (AUD)). The second travel was, meanwhile, funded by the SETCI device (support for international co-supervision of theses) of the Ile-de-France region. This device also covered travel expenses of the jury's members  (airline tickets, accommodation...). Thus, “my Australian thesis supervisor and two American researchers (including my current manager at Harvard), who were my two rapporteurs”, have been able to come to France to attend the thesis defence. “I wrote and defended my thesis in English, what I recommend for joint-supervision PhDs, because it allowed me to have an international jury and to establish very early contacts, as well as to have from the beginning a strong relationship with my American manager. What one's should know is that if the thesis is written in English, it is not eligible for a lot of thesis' award. I also got a national fellowship - L'Oreal-UNESCO - which allowed me to attend several international conferences during my PhD, as well as to return to Australia during my postdoc ".

If the anticipation seems to be a feature of Marina's career, perseverance is another one. Thus, she applied a second time to the Marie Curie Fellowship. On the basis of the detailed report received after the first application, which enabled her to know the strengths and weaknesses of her profile, she got finally this funding."This scholarship is really great, it finances my salary, travels and registration to congresses till 2015". Furthermore, this involves a two-year stay in the USA and imperatively, a year,  the last one, in France. "However, I'm already preparing funding for my return. You have always to anticipate, I was able to self-finance me so far, but it took me to be very active, which has not always been easy". Mobility is always a risk, and in particular we do not know if we will get the funding requested, but when we do "all for" we find ways in order it works in one way or another. Perseverance is always an appreciated quality".