If you want to be the best at what you do, you’re going to have to learn from the best. In the world.

And because ANU is part of the elite International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), our students can do just that.

When PhB student Lachlan Arthur wanted to learn more about research into ageing, he turned to “the number one guy in the world.”

“The IARU Global Summer Program course I chose was called Interdisciplinary Aspects of Healthy Ageing,” Lachlan says. “It was run by Professor Rudi Westendorp, who is literally the best guy in the world in this area. And the course was at the University of Copenhagen, which is regarded as the best university in the world for ageing research.

“So it was all world-class.”

Studying with only a small group of students, from universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Peking University, the National University of Singapore and the University of Tokyo, Lachlan says he was able to make close friends and connect with his teachers.

“You build a pretty tight bond with the other students in the classes, and the teachers too. We went to theme parks with Professor Westendorp and ate breakfast with him. He is a really cool dude.

“He brought in other experts to teach us too, from Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and the University of Newcastle. You only get half a day with them but you’ve developed enough of a contact to work with them in the future.

“They say, ‘Drop me an email and we’ll see what we can do.’ That’s the kind of network-building that is really important in science. It will probably be 20 years down the track when you really need something from them, but they’ll be there.”

Lachlan says that being part of the IARU gives students at ANU a distinct advantage.

“We’re the only Australian university in the IARU, alongside some of the best unis you can think of, and we are just as well-respected as them, all around the world.

“Science is translatable across different societies and different countries so with your science degree from ANU you do have that freedom to work anywhere in the world.

“Take advantage of it and meet as many people as you can, because it’s going to open more doors for you in the future.”

Find out how the IARU Global Summer Program gives ANU science students a global advantage.

Lachlan Arthur (left)