100 Years of DAAD Alumni: Erik Wilhelm

Which DAAD program did you receive funding through?

Erik Wilhelm: I was a Bachelor student in the Chemical and Process Engineering program at the University of Waterloo when I received the DAAD Undergraduate Scholarship.

And where did you go with this support?

E.W.: Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)

When you think of your DAAD experience, are there any  stories, memories, or reflections that come to mind?

The time I spent in Hamburg created a momentum which ultimately led me to my doctoral studies at the ETH Zurich, a Post Doc at MIT, and a Professorship in Singapore. The spirit of the experience still thrives within me thanks to the horizon expanding time I spent on my Undergraduate DAAD Scholarship at the TUHH.

What impact did this experience have on your career? Your life?

That’s difficult to measure, but would certainly need a logarithmic scale – somewhere between a 8 or 9 on the Richter scale. Without the deepening of the language skills made possible in Hamburg, it’s difficult to imagine that I would have made it to Switzerland, and that doctoral work was incredibly formative.

There are also the many connections I made there, both personally and professionally, many of which persist through to this day and have helped me immensely in my career.

More broadly, I really value the way in which my international experiences have helped reduce my barriers to trying new things.

Is there anything you wish you had known before you went to Germany?

The ‘jumping into the deep end’ was integral to the experience, so I’d do it the same way once again – change nothing, regret nothing.

What advice would you give a young scholar thinking of applying to a DAAD program?

Do it. You’ll never regret the cultural and academic connections you will make. Be sure to choose an institution aligned with your interests.