Testimonials

I studied my Ph.D. in the Geography Department at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) between 2015 and 2018 under a cotutelle agreement (with a supervisor in both centers subscribing the agreement -the UAB and the Universidade Federal de Janeiro), and thanks to a scholarship from the National Council for Scientific Development and Technological (CNPq) of Brazil. The high standards of the Ph.D. program in the Geography Department of the UAB enabled me to incorporate an innovative theoretical and methodological framework into my research on the use of new technologies and territorial development. Moreover, the UAB structure made it possible for me to take courses that complemented the training and the learning process, an apprenticeship that, in my present role as a professor at Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, in the Department of Public Administration (bachelor’s degree) and in the Master’s in Territorial Development and Public Policies, I share with my students and colleagues. My Ph.D. in the Geography Department at UAB has proved to be fundamental for my academic career.

Professor, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro

I was a student of the Ph.D. Program between 2018-2021. The commitment, empathy, assertive communication, and friendly environment of the Geography Department at the UAB helped me to think beyond what I expected, and move towards new perspectives, authors, theories, methodologies and rediscover my area of study. Thanks to the support of my tutor, I was able to strengthen my skills to cope with frustrations, adapt to the changing environment, and successfully handle stressful situations. The annual monitoring commissions, where the members of the committee contributed with their critical and timely point of view, helped me to adjust and improve my research. At the UAB, despite the pandemic, I was able to access transversal training from the Graduate School and the Department of Geography that completed my training process both, professionally and personally. Today, from Paraguay, I work as a consultant in the area of Disaster Risk Management with a differentiated approach in various civil society organizations and as a researcher (candidate level) at the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT).

Researcher, National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT)

I have very fond memories of my time as a doctoral student in the Department of Geography at the UAB, both personally, and academically and professionally. With the support of funding received within the framework of the Formación de Profesorado Universitario (Ministerio de Universidades, Gobierno de España), I was able to develop my research on the different dimensions of daily travel time in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region. I feel very fortunate to have been able to carry out my doctoral research in an internationally renowned geography department, composed of researchers with a very diverse profile and who are at different stages of their careers, always with a good atmosphere, and which has the necessary resources to support doctoral students at all times. Moreover, I would also like to emphasize the importance of being part of a research group during the development of my doctoral thesis, as not only it allowed me to share the learning process with other colleagues, but also to join interesting projects outside the doctoral thesis. In short, a highly recommended experience!

Postdoctoral researcher Ramón y Cajal, Department of Geography. Universitat Rovira i Virgili