Student testimonial

Siddharth Joshi: It was an amazing experience to witness how best efforts are being made to understand the nature of these microscopic worms

In August 2024, I completed my master’s thesis in Nematology as an exchange student from Ghent University. As a Master student in Nematology, I was more interested in plant and nematode interactions. However, I was fascinated by the diverse applications of the field and how it brings all members of nematology lab together from environmental and animal parasitology to plant nematode-interactions. It was an amazing experience to witness how best efforts are being made to understand the nature of these microscopic worms.

Siddharth Joshi
. It was an amazing experience to witness how best efforts are being made to understand the nature of these microscopic worms
Siddharth Joshi
Fig. Wild potato accession screened for their resistance to potato cyst nematodes, under glasshouse conditions
Fig. Wild potato accession screened for their resistance to potato cyst nematodes, under glasshouse conditions

I studied and screened wild genotypes of potato against virulent population of Globodera pallida, I spent most of my time in the Agrosystems Research group and collaborated with Nematology team. During this period, I acquired valuable lifelong skills in scientific writings, programing languages such as R and Python, research collaboration and critical thinking. The continuous challenges and feedback from my supervisors, thesis committee and promoters were instrumental for my personal and professional development.

My work ranged from direct activities in the greenhouse, where I grew wild potato genotypes and took care of them for three months to lab experiments. The support and guidance I received from my supervisors, technicians and many others were pivotal. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such a resolute and innovative community.