Antonios Dafnomilis

After graduating as a chemical engineer from the National Technical University of Athens in 2019, I felt lost on what my next step would be. During my studies I enjoyed a variety of chemical engineering subjects, but I was never able to find a subject that I liked more than others. As such, the prospect of working exclusively in one topic for four years seemed daunting and I knew that a PhD was not for me.

However, I still yearned to learn more, to study more and to become more knowledgeable in my profession. The EngD program was the perfect fit. 
The EngD program in TU Delft is unique. You get the opportunity to advance your education and acquire hands-on experience working with industrial partners. While being simultaneously a student and an employee. I found the first year of the EngD fantastic. I was given the opportunity to tailor my learning by attending many different classes offered by TU Delft. This flexibility combined with the EngD courses allowed me to quickly develop my technical but also people skills. 

In the second year I had the opportunity to work for FrieslandCampina, one of the largest dairy companies in the world, and to further develop my skills in process modelling, design and optimization. Finishing the EngD, I am now confident in my engineering skills, but I have also found my passion, which is to understand, design, analyse and optimise chemical processes irrespective of one specific field. 

I am very grateful that I was given this opportunity. It was a truly wonderful experience. If you are unsure about doing a PhD, maybe the EngD program will be a perfect fit for you as well.