How did the idea come about to spend a few months abroad?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: The scholarship is a great opportunity to go abroad again, gain new inspiration, and step outside my usual environment. I’ve moved around a lot myself. So maybe it’s just in my nature to seek out a breath of fresh air every now and then. On top of that, I went through a personally challenging time last year. That’s why the planned stay abroad was something of a ray of hope for me. Not a complete fresh start, but a small new beginning and a chance to recharge my batteries.

At the same time, of course, there was also a professional motivation. I’m working on my dissertation and wanted to take another, closer look at my topic from an academic perspective. I made a conscious decision to pursue applied research, but the academic perspective still appealed to me. I wanted to see how work is done at a university, how publications are produced there, and what insights I could take away for my own work.

 

Why did you choose Athens?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: Athens was an obvious choice, among other reasons, because my partner and I both had good contacts there. We’re in a long-distance relationship, and the stay was also an opportunity to live together in one place for a while. In fact, we both had scholarships, so it worked out very well.

Professionally, the connection to Athens had developed through a conference. At the “International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation, and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS)” in Rhodes, I had met Prof. Sotirios Karellas. He was working in similar research areas, so there were some overlaps.

 

What is your dissertation about?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: My focus is on integrating a latent heat storage system into industry – which aligns with the focus of my work in the Industrial Energy Systems department. I’m examining this topic at the level of the entire energy system. At its core, it’s about defossilization of industrial heat. Industry needs electricity and heat. Electricity can be defossilized relatively easily, for example, by sourcing green electricity. With heat, it’s more complicated because, in many processes, it’s currently provided through combustion.

We’re primarily focused on the lower temperature range, where heat is often provided via steam. Electrification plays a major role here. Storage systems can help bridge the time gap between industrial demand and the availability of renewable energy. So it’s less about simply maintaining a certain temperature and more about making heat available when it’s needed.

 

Were you able to build on these topics in Athens?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: Yes, there were definitely thematic overlaps. We didn’t manage to publish a joint paper during that time, but we’re currently in the process of finding a common topic that we can pursue further. I gained a lot of insight into my colleagues’ work and was able to have several technical discussions.

My day-to-day work, however, was different from what I’m used to at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. There weren’t any traditional group meetings like the ones we have. I shared an office with another doctoral student and exchanged ideas with him quite a bit. Other than that, though, our paths didn’t cross constantly. I also wasn’t part of a team in the sense that we sat down together every week for project meetings.

Nevertheless, the visit was valuable. I was able to tour the facilities and also visited Demokritos, a Greek research institute that has close ties to the university and can be described as somewhat of a Fraunhofer equivalent. Since we didn’t have a joint project, there were no regular collaboration meetings. But the relationship has definitely been strengthened.

 

What did your day-to-day work look like specifically?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: I essentially continued the work I do at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. The big difference was the routine. In Athens, I went to the university every day. The walk took about half an hour up the hill. That definitely woke me up. Once I reached the top, I often treated myself to a Freddo Latte. It’s cold coffee with ice cubes – very typical in Greece.

This daily routine really did me a world of good, and it helped me refocus. The people there also motivated me a lot, and I felt like I was really able to make progress on my dissertation during that time.

 

What did you take away from this routine for your everyday life in Germany?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: I realized how important it is for me to have a clear work environment. Going to the university every day helped me. That’s not quite as easy here because my commute to Oberhausen is significantly longer. It takes me about an hour by public transportation – depending on the schedule.

That’s why we’ve since set up a virtual office in our Teams channel. When we feel the need for more of an office environment – even while working from home – we can simply join that space and work side by side. We already use it from time to time, and I’d like to do that more often in the future. For me, this stay was yet another good reminder that motivation and routine are closely linked. When your daily structure is right, it’s much easier to stay focused.

 

Were there any hurdles or things along the way to Athens that were more difficult than expected?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: Yes, especially in terms of organization. The DAAD scholarship isn’t an established study abroad program like Erasmus, where all the processes are fully streamlined. In theory, I could have been treated similarly to Erasmus students in some situations. In practice, however, it was sometimes difficult to obtain the appropriate status because I wasn’t on the existing lists.

As a result, I had to figure out a lot of things on my own. There wasn’t that moment when you automatically receive all the information: “Here’s your cafeteria card, here’s your public transit pass, here are your first points of contact.” I did end up getting some things through roundabout means, but it required a lot of initiative on my part.

As a result, the first two weeks were a bit more time-consuming. After that, I settled in well. Of course, I received the key to the office, but I had to organize pretty much everything else on my own.

 

How time-consuming was the application process for the DAAD scholarship?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: It was definitely time-consuming, though that might also have been because the application process coincided with an already stressful period. What was straightforward, on the other hand, was coordinating with the partner university. I sent an email asking if I could do my research stay there. The response was very positive: They told me to let them know if I received the scholarship. That was basically it.

It certainly helped that we’d already established contact through the conference in Rhodes. If you’re starting from scratch, it can be more difficult. At the same time, it also depends heavily on how much experience a host institution already has with such stays. Some groups regularly receive inquiries from researchers abroad. For others, this is unfamiliar territory, and in those cases, many details need to be clarified first. For example, whether funding from the university is expected. In my case, that was covered by the fellowship.

 

What academic opportunities have emerged from the visit?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: I definitely see potential for further collaboration. There are academic points of overlap with both the university and the research institute. We’re now pursuing that further. Of course, it also depends on how our group positions itself thematically and where suitable areas of overlap arise in the future.

For me, however, the stay was valuable from an academic standpoint simply because I gained new insights. I was able to see how others structure their research, how they approach publications, and which topics are currently relevant there. Even though a joint project didn’t materialize immediately, the groundwork has been laid.

 

Besides your work, you also learned Greek. How did that come about?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: On Mondays and Tuesdays, I was able to take a Greek course with Erasmus students. I was able to put what I learned into practice mainly at the weekly market. It wasn’t enough for much else, but it was nice to be able to handle small everyday situations in the local language.

Otherwise, you could get by just fine with English. What really impressed me was people’s attitude toward language. Greek is a difficult language, but I heard people say much more often: “Why are you even learning that? It’s way too complicated.” No one ever made me feel like, “Now that you’re here, you have to be able to do this.” I found that very refreshing. It also made me think differently about how people who come to Germany and learn German must feel. In Greece, I experienced a lot of understanding and willingness to help.

 

What was your experience of Athens as a city?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: Athens is chaotic, but from the perspective of living there, I thought it was great. There’s this special combination of mountains, the sea, and the old city. There are so many exciting things to do.

My biggest criticism was the cars and the situation for pedestrians. Athens is definitely not an easy city if you’re on the move a lot on foot. The sidewalks and traffic make it difficult. It wasn’t ideal for running, either.

Still, I felt very comfortable there. The people were extremely warm and welcoming. I’d almost say they were the nicest people I’ve ever met. It didn’t feel forced, but very genuine.

 

You also used the weekends to get to know the country better. What were your highlights?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: I really took advantage of every weekend to go on trips. From Athens, you can reach completely different areas within three hours. I saw a lot.

One of the highlights for me was the Peloponnese. I’d say it’s a hidden gem. I was particularly impressed by Monemvasia. It’s been compared to Dubrovnik, but with far fewer tourists and still very unspoiled. I deliberately wanted to avoid Santorini and Mykonos because they’re too touristy for my taste.

Meteora was also impressive. Those are the monasteries perched on the cliffs. It’s crowded there, but for very good reason. And finally, I visited Milos, an island in the Cyclades. The water there was the clearest I’ve ever seen. Someone had told me beforehand, “Go there – it’s really nice.” That was a complete understatement. It was beautiful and truly impressive.

 

You were also training for a marathon in Athens. How did you fit that into your daily routine?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: That was part of this new routine I mentioned earlier. I was at the university during the day and often went running in the evenings. I’m not even sure myself how I managed to get so much done during that time. But somehow it all came together and did me a world of good. After I got back, I took the train straight to Stockholm and ran the marathon there.

 

Looking back on those four months, what did you take away from the experience?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: Professionally, I gained new inspiration for my dissertation, made new connections, and laid the groundwork for potential collaborative research topics. Personally, above all, I regained my focus. I realized how valuable a different daily work routine and a different perspective on my own work can be.

On top of that, there were many little things: the language, the weekly markets, the Freddo Latte, the excursions, and the openness of the people. Greece itself was a big part of this experience. It was truly wonderful.

At the same time, I realized that there were also many things here that I missed – especially my colleagues. So after returning, it was nice to be back at Fraunhofer UMSICHT.

 

Would you recommend a stay abroad to your colleagues at UMSICHT?

Carlota von Thadden del Valle: Absolutely. I often hear from people that they’d actually like to go abroad again, work in another country, and have a different experience. A scholarship like this is a great opportunity for that.

The duration is long enough to really gain insight, but short enough that you can usually organize it well on your own. You can see if a different work environment suits you. You can learn from others, make new contacts, or even realize that home really is where the heart is.

For me, the stay was very valuable. Especially when you’re looking for fresh perspectives, a change like this can provide new inspiration. That’s why I would definitely recommend it to others.