My goodness! It’s been over a year since my last post?! I’d question what happened, but I think we all understand that 2020 has done funny things with our perception of time.

The hiatus is particularly long on my part because I took three months leave to travel New Zealand, and then I got stuck for an extra two months on a campsite during lockdown – not knowing when and how I would get back to Europe. Although even without a proper toilet and shower, there are worse places to have a lockdown than a friendly campsite that has direct access to a beach…

Upon my return it’s been a series of unfortunate events. Each one on it’s own devastating, but not unbelievable. However, the sheer rate of these events was unbelievable. This series taught me that in order to move forward, I have to meet my reality where my reality is.

So in the spirit of acceptance, I am finally ready to admit to myself, and the internet, some amazing news which I’d been scared to share because I couldn’t believe it…

* * I was awarded the very competitive Marie Curie Individual Fellowship from the Horizon 2020 fund from the European Commission. HUUUZAAAARRRRRR!!!!!! * *

The funding supports talented (and lucky) individuals to work on a research project of their choice for two years. Like all research funding, the proposed project must be state-of-the-art yet achievable. The Marie Curie fellowship stands out because there is a strong focus on supporting the development of the fellow so that by the end of the two years I’ll be captivating you with my dazzling-brain and eloquent explanations… These expected achievements seem unbelievable but hopefully it will become a reality that I’ll meet 😉

This success is due to the incredible support from Prof. Melissa Penny, and a jar of fancy peanut butter with agave syrup and cinnamon.

What’s the actual project? Next blog post coming in the next few weeks…
(Provided no more unfortunate events!)