DGIST Ph.D. candidate receiving a degree from DGIST and Maastricht University

Gowoon Son, an Integrated M.S. and Ph.D. student in the department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, successfully completed the graduate program of Maastricht University in Netherlands to receive Ph.D. from both DGIST and Maastricht University.

Gowoon Son received her Ph.D. in Translational Neuroscience from FHML (Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences) at Maastricht University. Son remarked, “At Maastricht University, it was possible to gain access to actual human brain samples that were hardly available in Korea. As a result, I was able to expand my thesis research in various directions including Translational Neuroscience,” and further added, “Completing both domestic and international Ph.D. programs was a good opportunity to foster a global mindset as a scientist, and to further participate in international research communities.”

Based on her research experience at DGIST and Maastricht University, Gowoon Son will continue her research as a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Lea Grinberg of the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco), an esteemed researcher working on degenerative brain diseases.

Cheil Moon, the Dean of Graduate School of DGIST, stated, “DGIST and Maastricht University have long been cooperating in the fields of education and research, and such international cooperation has further expanded to the discussion of the Double Degree Course in 2015. As a result, the research and student exchange programs have become more active and fruitful than ever,” where he added, “This course is beneficial for students in the sense that they can experience research and education in two different cultural spheres. We plan to expand the program further.”

Maastricht University was founded in 1976 and has focused on internationalization, such as having nearly 50% of international students and providing most of the course curriculum in English. It is a rapidly growing university that also marked as 12th in QS Young University Rankings 2021. Furthermore, Maastricht is a historic and international city where the treaty pertinent to the establishment of the EU in 1992, was signed.

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