MEDALLOY Induction: part 1
MEDALLOY Welcomes Nine New Doctoral Candidates
On September 23, 2026, Dr Will Ronan (Project Coordinator, University of Galway), Dr Brian Berg (Boston Scientific), Danielle Nicholson (EU Project Support Officer, University of Galway) and Professor Lorenza Petrini (Politecnico di Milano) came together online to welcome nine MEDALLOY doctoral candidates (DCs) to the project — a significant milestone for the network.
Our cohort of doctoral candidates includes Simon McHugh and Pierre Margotin, currently based at Politecnico di Milano; Chiara Bonfanti, Maria Blazquez-Romero and Tommaso Arcaini at the University of Galway; and Sara Bonfanti at Ingpuls GmbH. Also in attendance were Bertrando Bagnoli, Hitha Krishnan and Pietro Bolsi, who are due to begin their MEDALLOY research in early November.
Following welcomes and introductions, Dr Berg delivered a comprehensive presentation on Nitinol’s properties and its use in medical devices. The group then discussed decorum and awareness when working in industry, along with the practical sensitivities needed for a successful secondment — covering roles and responsibilities, financial arrangements, and intellectual property.
The session closed with a lively conversation featuring three MSCA alumni, who shared their experiences of participating in a Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral network. Diego Blunda (BIOMEND, grant no. 101120006) reflected on what he might do differently if he were starting his PhD again. Benedetta Isella, PhD, Head of R&D at Fibrothelium in Aachen, Germany (BioBased Value Circle, grant no. 956621), spoke on the importance of networking and maximizing opportunities for personal and, in turn, professional growth. Eva Camarillo, PhD (DECIDE, grant no. 315902), described her motivation for pursuing a PhD after years of research experience: primarily curiosity, and the chance to broaden her perspective through international research and the cultural richness of network projects.
