Thanks to the financial support from the MAPEX PhD Research Grant, I had the opportunity to complete a research stay from April to June at Stanford University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. This experience was incredibly enriching, as it was my first time working within a non-European institution, providing valuable insight into how research is structured outside of Europe. I actively participated in the department’s activities and established connections with several researchers. Notably, these interactions have led to ongoing collaborations, underscoring the success of this experience. During my time there, my work focused on producing bioconsumables to support the sustainable development of a Martian settlement. Our efforts concentrated on two main areas: the conversion of cyanobacterial biomass into a growth substrate and the production of bioplastics. From a technical standpoint, this allowed me to gain proficiency in a number of wet-lab and in-silico techniques, all of which are instrumental for my future work. 

I would once again like to extend my gratitude to MAPEX for the funding, Dr. Hanna Lührs for her assistance through the process, my supervisors Prof. Sven Kerzenmacher, Dr. Guillaume Pillot, and Cyprien Verseux for their support, and Prof. Nils Averesch for warmly welcoming me in California.