MINGZ Funded Research Stay Abroad: Vanesa in United Arab Emirates

27 August 2025

Photo: UHH/Vanesa Belén Díaz Díaz

The MIN Graduate Center offers support to doctoral researchers, including travel grants for conferences and research stays. These experiences not only enhance academic growth but also foster international collaboration. In this report, Vanesa Belén Díaz Díaz shares insights from her research stay at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain, where she had the amazing opportunity to meet her collaborator Dr. Muhammad Latif in person.

Thanks to the MINGZ funds, I had the opportunity to visit my collaborator, Dr. Muhammad Latif, at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in Al Ain for almost two weeks. He is an expert in the field of the formation of the first objects in the Universe. In particular, he has done extensive work on the formation of supermassive black holes, which is the main topic of my PhD research. In addition, his work involves cosmological simulations using the code ENZO, the same code I use in my research. This, combined with his expertise in different physical processes, makes him an invaluable collaborator and a crucial part of my PhD work.

Initially, I applied to stay for nearly a month, in order to work on our publication and also to modify a particle algorithm in ENZO to follow the growth of supermassive black hole seeds in the presence of magnetic fields. However, I was only partially funded, so I shortened my visit to half the time. Given the limited time, we focused on one of our ongoing projects, discussing the results in detail and working towards the related publication. Since I am in the final year of my PhD, doing this was very useful. The project follows Dr. Latif’s previous work (Latif et al. 2022) and aims to study, for the first time, the evolution of magnetic fields in the turbulent medium where the first quasars formed.

To prepare for the trip, I first contacted Dr. Latif to check his availability and to discuss the best time to visit, considering the UAE’s extremely hot weather. He recommended traveling between the end of November and the beginning of February, so I decided to go on January. Regarding accommodation options in Al Ain, they were limited and not within walking distance from the university, so I chose the
most affordable option I could find on Booking.com, located relatively close to the campus.

As I am Chilean, I did not need a visa since we are allowed to stay in the UAE as tourists for up to three months. I also did a bit of research on the local culture and traditions before traveling, as it was my first time visiting a country so culturally different from my own

I think the organization by the host university was excellent. I arrived at Dubai International Airport, and since it takes about four hours by public transport to get to Al Ain, I was a bit worried at first, especially because I did not speak the language. But the university arranged a taxi for me from the airport to my accommodation, something I really appreciated. That same evening, I met with Dr. Latif for dinner and we talked about the plans for the coming days.

UAEU has a lot of facilities for students, I was very impressed by that, and I felt very comfortable there. Dr. Latif gave me a workspace in his own office at the Physics Department, which was great because it allowed us to communicate directly and frequently. Being there in person and being able to ask questions and get immediate feedback made a huge difference. The speed of research improves a lot when you can interact face-to-face, specially when working with code. When I had a question about how to calculate something, or about the code itself, he would just show me on his screen how he does it and explain everything, solving my doubts in just minutes. By email, that same exchange would have taken a lot longer. He was always available to explain things, to discuss science, and to make sure I didn’t have any unresolved questions. He also made sure I was feeling well and adjusting to the time zone. I think his supervision was excellent, and we were able to make significant progress on our publication by working in the figures and the results. Still, I wish I had had more time, because the days went by too fast.

One of the highlights of my visit was meeting Dr. Rim Fares, another professor at UAEU. Although we do not work in the same field, she was incredibly supportive during my stay. As a woman scientist, it was especially meaningful to connect with another woman in academia with more experience. She really looked after me during my time there, gave me advice, and even picked me up every morning from my accommodation to go to the university, something I deeply appreciated. Thanks to her, my experience in Al Ain was even more enjoyable. I also had the chance to meet another PhD student, although she worked in a completely different topic, unrelated to astronomy.

Of course, not everything was science. Some afternoons I took the opportunity to walk around Al Ain. I was really impressed by the culture, how religious it is, and how friendly the people were. The city was very clean, green, and safe. The mosques were beautiful and I also had the chance to visit an oasis, something I never thought I would see in person. Sometimes, while in Al Ain, I would forget that the city is actually surrounded by desert, so walking through the oasis, full of palm trees, felt surreal.

On the weekend, I took the opportunity to visit Dubai. I never imagined I would get the chance to go there so soon in my life, and it felt amazing to realize how research can sometimes bring you these unique opportunities. I explored the historical neighborhood, the Gold Souk, Palm Jumeirah, and went to the beach, where I saw (from the outside) the famous “seven-star” hotel, the Burj Al Arab. In the night, I watched the spectacular Dubai Fountain show, an incredible display of music, lights and powerful water jets set in front of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

In summary, this visit was extremely helpful for my PhD research. Dr. Muhammad Latif is not only an expert in the topic I work on, but also in the tools I use. Being under his supervision for two weeks was invaluable, especially now that I’m approaching the end of my doctoral studies. The overall experience was wonderful, even at the end of my stay, the university arranged a taxi back to the airport, showing how much they cared about my comfort and well-being. This was also my first time visiting a country with such a significant cultural difference, and I was pleasantly surprised by how enriching the experience was. I learned a lot, met wonderful people, and saw beautiful places. Al Ain and Dubai left a lasting impression, and I would be happy to return in the future.

I would like to end this report by thanking MINGZ. Without their funding, I would not have been able to visit my collaborator and work with him in person. Their support, both financially and in preparing for the trip, made this experience possible, and I am truly grateful.