To broaden and develop our teams’ collaborative skills while offering visiting students the chance to expand their scientific networks and gain cultural experiences, BRT encourages students to join our team for internship opportunities. These internships aim to facilitate idea exchange, foster professional growth, and create opportunities for collaboration.
Meet our winter intern joining our team from Australia, Zoe Cilento!
Hello! My name is Zoe, and I have spent most of my life in the sunny city of Ipswich, near Brisbane, Australia. I have just completed my Bachelors of agricultural science degree, majoring in horticulture, at the University of Queensland (UQ) and am fulfilling a dream of mine by doing a bit of travel before undertaking further study next year. I have a passion for agriculture and its endless opportunities, hands-on approach, and potential for good. I am particularly interested in crop genetics and plant biotechnology but overall love learning new things.
I have already had a number of invaluable experiences, including a summer spent monitoring some of Australia’s best cotton farms under an experienced agronomist, a winter research project undertaken at UQ’s vertical farming facility, and ongoing work for UQ as a research assistant on a large-scale project focusing on nitrogen cycling in Australian broadacre systems.
In 2025, I plan to undertake an honours project looking at identifying sugarcane cultivars with resistance to ratoon stunting disease using molecular tools. And after that? I am still figuring out my career but excited to see what the future holds!
I believe the work of the BioResources and Technology (BRT) Division is a practical and fascinating way to solve many of the current global problems. This opportunity to be involved with the team is excellent and I believe that the work of BRT aligns well with my future goals and aspirations. I am passionate about improving the lives of people across the world and am interested in seeing more of the socio-economic side and practicality of implementing such research, especially in developing nations. During my time with BRT, I hope to develop both practical lab along with communication techniques that will further my career.
Outside of study, I like to keep up a range of interests, including (but not limited to) arts and crafts, fitness, amateur beekeeping, cooking, church and theology, and language learning. I love being outdoors, exploring new places and meeting new people. It’s my first time in Europe and while I’m still adapting to the dramatic change in weather, Prague is a magnificent city. I would love to get a real sense of local life and pick up a bit of Czech over the next two months. Here’s hoping for my first white Christmas!
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