{"id":11,"date":"2019-05-26T12:49:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-26T10:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uchceu.es\/dentistry\/?p=11"},"modified":"2021-05-25T09:16:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T07:16:57","slug":"chirag-sheth-interview-with-the-academic-coordinator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uchceu.es\/odontologia\/en\/chirag-sheth-interview-with-the-academic-coordinator\/","title":{"rendered":"Chirag Sheth, an interview with the Academic Coordinator"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been quite some time since Doctor Chirag Sheth<\/a>, microbiologist specialized in immunology and fungal diseases joined our University staff. So, it\u2019s about time we get to know him a bit better. As academic coordinator of the Dentistry Degree, Erasmus+ coordinator, lecturer and active researcher, he is always running from one place to another. Luckily for us, he managed to find some time to have a chat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Professor
Doctor Chirag Sheth teaches in our Faculty of Health Sciences<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chirag moved to the UK as a student, starting his undergraduate degree in Canterbury. He stayed there till after his PhD, and then decided to move to Scotland for his post-grad in Aberdeen. In between these degrees, he gained practical experience<\/strong> by participating in a work placement: \u201cI took out a year to go and work at GlaxoSmithKline. It is a company that is active in the pharmaceutical sector. I was working on new drugs, more specific, drugs to control chronic pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

A passion for science, research, and teaching<\/strong><\/h4>\n

After his post-doc, Chirag worked a year in wine-research and then started to work for the \u2018Consejo Superior de Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edficas<\/strong>\u2019. This is a research institute of the Spanish government. \u201cLike so many students with a similar degree, I graduated thinking I was going to be a full-time researcher<\/strong>. I ended up, just like many others, discovering that what you dream of often doesn\u2019t include mundane aspects if life, such as paying the rent.\u201d Chirag never expected to end up as a professor at university, but he has grown to like it.<\/p>\n

Chirag, what is it like teaching in an international university like CEU?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think that one has to demonstrate a big capacity of empathy and flexibility to work at CEU Valencia. Here you have to interact, you need to be keen to interact because you have to share your knowledge, your experiences.<\/p>\n

“the quality, engagement, and difference our students receive in education\u00a0 here make them more desirable in other countries.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Being a teacher working in a Spanish line is completely different to being a teacher in such an international and diverse environment like the Dentistry degree<\/strong>. We are constantly being challenged, changing the way we perceive our culture and the way we do things. This keeps us constantly thinking about more than just ourselves, it forces us to look out. And because of that I find it an honor to work here because it improves my understanding of the world<\/strong>, my interaction with different people, and it also teaches me not to judge things, not to pre-decide things: you just have to be constantly open.<\/p>\n

It is obvious that students present different challenges as they come from very different backgrounds<\/strong>, they have different expectations and motivations. And teachers need to incorporate all of these into their teaching. It is not as simple as just presenting a strategy and expecting everybody to get on board: I always adapt my teaching<\/strong> based on what students say and through a deep understanding of their motivations. I love teaching in this international program<\/strong>, I wouldn\u2019t exchange it for anything in the world.\u00a0It keeps me alive, it keeps me going and it really is a passion, it is a passion project!<\/p>\n