Ústav fyziky a technologií plazmatu
Abroad studies
Why an internship abroad?
- You will expand your knowledge
- Gain new life experiences
- Make professional contacts
- Improve your language skills
- Gain independence and autonomy
- Make new friendships for life
"Our students most often go on practical internships. They are not bound by constitutional bilateral treaties. Students do not have to enrol and study individual subjects. On the contrary, they can devote themselves fully to their work in the laboratory."
Mgr. Zdeněk Bonaventura, Ph.D.
coordinator of International mobility at DPPT
zbona(at)physics.muni.cz
You can find information about opportunities to study physics abroad and important links in the section for students on the main page of physics.muni.cz – zde. Take a look at the current offer of DPPT partner organisations where you can easily go for Erasmus+. Don't hesitate and apply! Read further below about the experiences of older students who have travelled abroad during their studies.
The current Erasmus+ study visits for Autumn 2024, Spring 2025, first call
Visit czs.muni.cz to find all the information you need about the Erasmus+ programme. The conditions of participation can be found here. One of the criteria for evaluating student applications is the grade point average. Students apply for the Erasmus+ selection procedure electronically from 30 January 2024 to 23 February 2024 via the ISOIS system. The deadline for applications for practical placements is 31 January 2024. Link to the application form is attached here.
"I spent three months at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Belgium through Erasmus+. The institute has a drag-on chamber, a device that simulates the environment of low Earth orbit. I worked on designing a device capable of measuring very small forces exerted by streams of ionized particles. The research aims to use the residual atmosphere in low Earth orbit as satellite fuel. I worked from scratch to select a suitable form of instrument and try to build a prototype. I succeeded and also got a high sensitivity to the predicted strength of the accelerated particle beam. My internship definitely tested my independence. I had complete freedom and had to navigate a new culture, which I enjoyed a lot."
Bc. Pavel Kosík (Belgium 2023)
graduate 2021 – Nanotechnologie
currently student – Plasma physics and nanotechnology
"Thanks to my supervisor Jakub Kelar, I had the opportunity to travel to Canada for a year, specifically to Quebec City, for a research internship in the framework of a project to develop a new generation of organic solar cells (OSC). Environmental issues have always been close to my heart, and I wanted to try working in a new environment. I joined the Centre de recherche CHU de Quebec, Université Laval. My role in the project is the plasma modification of the interfaces between the unitary active layers in the cell and their subsequent characterization. It allows me not only to improve the analyses I have mastered so far but also to try out many new ones. For example, we are currently developing an apparatus for the optical characterization of OSCs after plasma treatment thanks to our collaboration with the Centre d'optique, photonique et lasers (COPL), and the Center for Research on Advanced Materials (CERMA)."
Bc. Lucia Švandová (Canada 2023/2024)
graduate 2022 – Physics – nanotechnology
student – Plasma physics and nanotechnology
"In 2023, thanks to my supervisor Assoc. prof. Hoder, I went to Poitiers in France for an internship. At the PPrime Institute, I worked on the interaction of dielectric liquids with non-thermal plasmas. We were interested in the change of the surface of the droplet due to the flow of ions from a positive corona discharge. Thanks to this opportunity, I was introduced to new diagnostic methods and broadened my expertise. Thanks to the internship, I improved my English, met new people in the field, and experienced the unique atmosphere of France. I also gained more confidence and autonomy when working in the laboratory."
Bc. Alica Takáčová (Francie 2023)
graduate 2022 – Physics
currently student – Plasma physics and nanotechnology
"Thanks to Erasmus, I spent five months in Lisbon on an internship. I decided to go on Erasmus in the first year of my Master's degree. My supervisor offered me an internship with his friend at the Technical University of Lisbon. There, I worked on the solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation using the Monte Carlo method. Although this topic is not directly related to my bachelor's or master's thesis, this internship and the whole stay enriched my professional and personal development."
Mgr. Kryštof Mrózek (Portugal 2022)
graduate 2022 – Plasma physics and nanotechnology
currently Ph.D. student – Plasma physics
"During my Erasmus+ internship, I worked at the University of Eastern Finland at the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences. I continued my research within the scope of my Ph.D. thesis topic, which focuses on the preparation, study, plasma treatment and application of nanomaterials for water disinfection from various inorganic or organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals or bacteria. I chose to do my internship in Finland because it allows me to combine knowledge from different fields of biology, chemistry, environmental sciences and physics and thus significantly expand the results of my work. In addition, Finland is a picturesque country of "a thousand lakes" that encourages hiking and exploring a different social culture."
Mgr. František Zažímal (Finland 2022)
graduate 2021 – Plasma physics and technology
currently Ph.D. student – Plasma physics
"I went on a work placement at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Rhode-Saint-Genèse (about 10 km south of Brussels). During the internship, I was involved in the study and development of a numerical model describing the dynamics of the plasma wall layer on the surface of hypersonic space shuttles and aircraft. The main goal of the project is to develop a new thermal shield for hypersonic flights in the atmosphere. I went there thanks to the recommendation of my advisor Dr. Bonaventura, because of my huge interest in fluid dynamics and aeronautics. The internship also allowed me to pursue other academic opportunities, such as future studies at VKI, as well as the opportunity to visit space companies such as NASA and ESA in the future."
Mgr. Jan Skácel (Belgium 2022)
graduate 2022 – Plasma physics and technology
currently Ph.D. student – Plasma physics
"I went on a practical internship at the Innovent Research Institute in Jena, Germany. During my stay, I spent several months researching the cleaning and activation of glass surfaces using atmospheric plasma generated by different sources. In my research, I use flexible glass on which I apply a conductive polymer. This treated material is further used in the production of flexible electronics."
Mgr. Slavomír Sihelník (Germany 2022)
graduate 2018 – Plasma physics
currently Ph.D. student – Plasma physics
"I spent my Erasmus+ work placement in Germany at RWTH Aachen in the Materials Chemistry group. My dissertation dealt with the preparation and analysis of protective (Nb/W)BC thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering. During the internship, I analyzed their thermal stability. I chose the place of my internship mainly because the group of Prof. Schneider theoretically predicted the interesting properties of the (Nb/W)BC layers studied by me and their potential application in industry. Aachen is a beautiful city with a rich history, home to one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe - the Aachener Dom. It was built by Charlemagne, who is buried there and it became the coronation site of the German kings."
Mgr. Stanislava Debnárová, Ph.D. (Germany 2020)
graduate 2022 – Plasma Physics
"During my studies, I had the opportunity to travel and work with people from prestigious international institutions in Europe and the USA. I went to Bochum, Germany, during my Master's studies via Erasmus, where I broadened my horizons in diagnostics and experimental plasma characterization. During my Ph.D. studies, I traveled to Eindhoven (Netherlands), York (UK), and to California, Colorado and Illinois (USA). In these places, I attended international conferences. I visited the workplaces of colleagues with whom I was then collaborating on research and publishing. To this day, I still consider travel to be an essential part of working in research and development. In fact, I believe that as scientists, we should regularly peer out of our 'pond' and keep up-to-date of where our field is going in other parts of the world."