Júlia Díaz i Calvete knows that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can lead to new insights – and she is excited to explore her interests within neuropsychiatric disorders in the NAD PhD programme.
Júlia Díaz i Calvete’s research interests lie within the field of neuropsychiatric disorders and how processes involved in perception, cognition and consciousness may be altered in these conditions. She is also fascinated by neuroaesthetics, situated at the intersection between neuroscience and the arts, and curious about how this field may be promising for developing innovative therapies in psychiatry. Overall, she aims to contribute to improve the mental wellness system from a precision health approach.
Júlia wants to use the pre-PhD year to explore, combine and focus these research topics:
“The pre-PhD year is very attractive to me as an opportunity to link together my different interests and design my own project in which I am deeply invested,” she explains.
Júlia did her bachelor’s degree in Human Biology in Barcelona, where she is from. She knew she wanted to do a master’s degree abroad, but after completing an Erasmus academic stay in Germany, she was not quite sure if she should stay there, where she now had an idea of the research landscape, or go for something entirely new.
Júlia ended up choosing a novel adventure: pursuing a master’s degree in Neuroscience in Denmark. She deeply appreciates how moving abroad and being exposed to different research environments pushes you out of your comfort zone and provides new perspectives:
“I really thrive in these kinds of experiences because it puts me in a different mindset. I am much more open to all the inputs in a different way than when I am back home,” she says.
She will bring this openness with her into the pre-PhD year and her three upcoming lab rotations, focusing on building connections in Danish neuroscience:
“I think the NAD PhD programme is a really nice opportunity to realise the great scientific possibilities around Denmark. That is the way I see that science has to move forward: by building bridges and communicating,” she concludes.