A global research journey: Vjeko’s guide to MSCA fellow life and work-life balance

To mark the anniversary, ViroiDoc invites its doctoral candidates to share their mobility experiences in a blog series in 2026.

My journey towards this position began many years ago when, after finishing high school in my hometown of Trogir, Croatia, I decided to study molecular biology at a university about 400 km north of where I grew up. Choosing not to enrol in a more common program at a university closer to home was a difficult decision, but it was made much easier thanks to the enormous support I received from the people closest to me.

Although still within the same country, living alone in the capital city of Zagreb during my bachelor’s and master’s studies, far from home, taught me a great deal about independence and responsibility. That period also helped me envision the next step in my academic path and ultimately prepared me for moving abroad.

Coming from a Mediterranean country myself, separated from Italy only by the Adriatic Sea, I did not encounter many surprises in everyday life. One habit that did stand out, however, is the Italian way of drinking coffee—an espresso consumed in less than a minute while standing at the counter (al banco). In Dalmatia, by contrast, drinking coffee is almost a ritual: sitting down, enjoying the sun, and sometimes spending hours over a single cup with friends.

During these first three months of living in Bari, I have discovered a new passion: cooking. Most of my dishes are still pasta-based and fairly simple, but each week I learn new culinary tricks and gradually incorporate them into my own mix of Croatian and Italian specialties.

One thing I am particularly proud of while settling into life in Italy is managing to balance my busy PhD schedule with time for sports and social life. Maintaining both physical activity and meaningful connections with people helps me take care of my mental and physical well-being, which is essential for staying motivated and productive in research.

If I had to capture my idea of Italy through a cultural lens, I would choose the iconic Vespa scooter. This timeless Italian design is one of my favourite everyday sights in the narrow streets of Italian towns. The Vespa has become so emblematic that it has long since transcended Italy itself, symbolizing a lifestyle of movement, simplicity, and charm that perfectly matches my experience of living here.

Vjeko Hrabar is an MSCA fellow within the ViroiDoc Network. Vjeko is working on an individual research project entitled “dentification and characterization of novel infectious circular viroid-like RNAs in hosts belonging to different kingdoms” at the National Research Council (CNR-IPSP) in Italy, while also pursuing his PhD at the Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro (UNIBA-DiSSPA).