Far sighted career plans
After his master’s degree, Hao Yuan, a Chinese national from Beijing never thought that his study would lead him to Denmark. Yuan found himself considering continuing his study as a PhD in Petroleum Engineering at DTU.    Hao Yuan finished a bachelor degree on Material Science at Beijing University of Chemical Technology before moving to Denmark. “Before my masters study, I had no connections to anyone in Denmark. Compared to other EU countries, Denmark is quiet and secure. That is the main reason why I chose Denmark in the first place.”
He finished his master’s degree on Petroleum Engineering at Technical University of Denmark in 2009, and has now been a PhD student for over a year.  His decision to continue his education in Denmark was not without effort.
“I contacted my current supervisor directly months before I graduated”, says Yuan when asked how he made contact with his present employer. His advice to others is this: “Make yourself known to the professor. Let him/her know that you are up for the challenge, that you are devoted to the career and the most importantly, and that you are able to work closely with him/her.”
His resolve and decision to become a PhD student stems from his ambition to become a petroleum engineer – an ambition which requires a strong academic background. 
He believes that a PhD from DTU will further enhance his employability as after he completes his studies. Yuan also believes that it is a valuable to experience to learn other cultures for a period. He plans to use this experience combined with his education when he returns to China at some point in the future.

Highly specialized and satisfying work life
Hao Yuan works with four colleagues: “In our project we have different tasks for different aspects the study. My task involves literature review and simulation. As our supervisors are working on multiple projects, we must meet frequently to update the team and learn of new developments. During a typical work day, Hao Yuan spends half of the time working on literature reviews simulations or writing papers. The other half is split equally between teaching and meetings with supervisors or co-workers.
“The job holds several highly satisfying ingredients,” proclaims Yuan. “The creativity and productivity in scientific research is quite rewarding, as is the achievements in teaching and educating new students. We also solve problems and carry our research not performed by anyone else in the world.  This leads to publications in international scientific journals. 
Our students, often entering our courses with limited knowledge at the beginning, are often able to perform some very sophisticated modeling at the end of the course,” says Yuan of the 50-60 students attending his classes.

Do you have any advice for other expats looking for work in Denmark?
Revel in the security and quality of life in Denmark. It is easy to concentrate on the job and be quite productive because of the local work and life culture

Are you a member/participant in networks for expats in Denmark?
Yes, it is called Association of Chinese Students & Scholars in Denmark (ACSSD).

What is the most interesting thing you have noticed about working in Denmark?
Everything moves at a harmonious pace and is not tense, leading to high productivity.