Help Ciara's PhD in Environmental Science
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Help me pay visa fees and health insurance fees.
Hi everyone,
I hope you are doing okay in this context.
I am a Peruvian biologist pursuing a career in ecotoxicology in the United Kingdom.
I recently got a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) PhD studentship at the University of York given by the United Kingdom Research Council (UKRI) and the Centre for Doctoral Training in Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment Towards Sustainable Chemical Use (ECORISC). I will be working with Kathryn Arnold; she is a leading ecotoxicologist in the UK. We aim to assess how a group of chemicals impact a predatory bird's fitness and population.
I am enthusiastic about the project, and I aim to perform my best during the 46 months of the PhD. My goal as a scientist is to evaluate how anthropogenic activities impact the ecology and the natural history of the species to generate solutions for a more sustainable future.
Currently, I am facing a problem, although the studentship covers the tuition fee and gives a monthly stipend, I do not have the funds to cover my visa fee (£348 /$487.29) and the health insurance fees (£470 per year/ 658.12 in total £2115/ $2961.52). Peru is a country where there is not UK embassy, so a third company does the paperwork for the visa, which cost an average of £100 ($140.02) and due to tuberculosis has a high incidence in my country, I will have to take a TB test (£35/ $49.01). Because of the pandemic, I may have to do a quarantine arriving in the UK that cost around £1750 ($2450.43) and do a PCR test before travelling. I already have the flight tickets for August 15th to be able to find a house before my course start, but I will need a travel bag of £1000 ($1400.24) to sustain myself until the stipend starts. All of these give a total of £5348 ($7488.51).
I asked the University if there is any scholarship available to pay for those expenses because right now, my family and I do not have the funds to cover it. Moreover, I have to pay my master's education loan (finished in September 2020). Therefore I am not in the position to get another. Because of the exchange rate, saving that amount of money in 2 or 3 months is almost impossible (visa application takes about 22 working days). One pound is 5.26 Peruvian soles, and one dollar is 3.80 Peruvian soles; according to the expenses, it is 27958.58 Peruvian soles, the average salary in my country is around 3000 soles.
UPDATE - May 07, 2021
- The University just let me know that they will be covering the expenses for the quarantine, knowing this is a relief because it is a discount of £1750 ($2450.43) from the total expenses. I still have to fundraise a total of £ 3598 ($5038.08) including any possible increase in prices or PCRs done before I travel a total of $5500 (£3928) or in Peruvian soles 20905.50 / 20909.33.
I hope you can help me pay my expenses and fulfil my dream of becoming an ecotoxicologist. I am pretty sure I will honour your support by performing my best during the PhD and my career.
I wish the best to all and thank you so much (les deseo lo mejor a todos y gracias de corazon).
Ciara Sanchez
Below are links about the ECORISC, UKRI and my research page.
https://www.york.ac.uk/environment/postgraduate/ecorisc/
https://www.ukri.org/our-work/developing-people-and-skills/find-studentships-and-doctoral-training/get-a-studentship-to-fund-your-doctorate/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ciara-Sanchez-Paredes
Hi everyone,
I hope you are doing okay in this context.
I am a Peruvian biologist pursuing a career in ecotoxicology in the United Kingdom.
I recently got a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) PhD studentship at the University of York given by the United Kingdom Research Council (UKRI) and the Centre for Doctoral Training in Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment Towards Sustainable Chemical Use (ECORISC). I will be working with Kathryn Arnold; she is a leading ecotoxicologist in the UK. We aim to assess how a group of chemicals impact a predatory bird's fitness and population.
I am enthusiastic about the project, and I aim to perform my best during the 46 months of the PhD. My goal as a scientist is to evaluate how anthropogenic activities impact the ecology and the natural history of the species to generate solutions for a more sustainable future.
Currently, I am facing a problem, although the studentship covers the tuition fee and gives a monthly stipend, I do not have the funds to cover my visa fee (£348 /$487.29) and the health insurance fees (£470 per year/ 658.12 in total £2115/ $2961.52). Peru is a country where there is not UK embassy, so a third company does the paperwork for the visa, which cost an average of £100 ($140.02) and due to tuberculosis has a high incidence in my country, I will have to take a TB test (£35/ $49.01). Because of the pandemic, I may have to do a quarantine arriving in the UK that cost around £1750 ($2450.43) and do a PCR test before travelling. I already have the flight tickets for August 15th to be able to find a house before my course start, but I will need a travel bag of £1000 ($1400.24) to sustain myself until the stipend starts. All of these give a total of £5348 ($7488.51).
I asked the University if there is any scholarship available to pay for those expenses because right now, my family and I do not have the funds to cover it. Moreover, I have to pay my master's education loan (finished in September 2020). Therefore I am not in the position to get another. Because of the exchange rate, saving that amount of money in 2 or 3 months is almost impossible (visa application takes about 22 working days). One pound is 5.26 Peruvian soles, and one dollar is 3.80 Peruvian soles; according to the expenses, it is 27958.58 Peruvian soles, the average salary in my country is around 3000 soles.
UPDATE - May 07, 2021
- The University just let me know that they will be covering the expenses for the quarantine, knowing this is a relief because it is a discount of £1750 ($2450.43) from the total expenses. I still have to fundraise a total of £ 3598 ($5038.08) including any possible increase in prices or PCRs done before I travel a total of $5500 (£3928) or in Peruvian soles 20905.50 / 20909.33.
I hope you can help me pay my expenses and fulfil my dream of becoming an ecotoxicologist. I am pretty sure I will honour your support by performing my best during the PhD and my career.
I wish the best to all and thank you so much (les deseo lo mejor a todos y gracias de corazon).
Ciara Sanchez
Below are links about the ECORISC, UKRI and my research page.
https://www.york.ac.uk/environment/postgraduate/ecorisc/
https://www.ukri.org/our-work/developing-people-and-skills/find-studentships-and-doctoral-training/get-a-studentship-to-fund-your-doctorate/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ciara-Sanchez-Paredes
Organizer and beneficiary
Ciara Marienne Sanchez Paredes
Organizer
Niles, MI
Joanna Larson
Beneficiary