As the recipient of a 2023-2024 Fulbright fellowship to KU Leuven in Belgium, Alex Heyer expanded his dissertation work on the methane reactivity of copper and iron zeolites to investigate methods to abate the greenhouse gas methane in the atmosphere. Alex is a graduate of the University of Virginia and is currently an inorganic chemistry Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University. Alex is passionate about science outreach and is excited to take his experience volunteering in the San Francisco Bay Area to outreach programs at KU Leuven.
Q: Describe your grant project.
Prior to the Fulbright grant, my Ph.D. focused on understanding how a class of materials, copper zeolites, react with methane. My Fulbright project expands my Ph.D. research to tackle the greenhouse gas effect of methane. I’ve been making and analyzing copper zeolites that could potentially filter methane in the air to lower its warming potential. I’ve made different variants of these materials and have studied their composition in a variety of different conditions to learn how they can react with methane. Subsequently, I optimize the materials using that knowledge. Our most exciting results involve a technique where we look at the molecular vibrations of the reacted forms of methane. We’re able to track these vibrations in different materials and under different conditions for optimization. By tracking these vibrations, we can watch the evolution of methane all the way to its abated form.
Q: What inspired you to apply to the Fulbright Program in Belgium?
My Ph.D. has heavily revolved around collaboration with a group at KU Leuven. The exciting research our collaboration produces lies at the intersection of the KU Leuven lab’s expertise in chemical engineering with my lab’s expertise in inorganic chemistry. Several students from KU Leuven have spent time at our lab in the U.S. They gained knowledge on our end of the research while learning about American culture. As I developed friendships with my collaborators at KU Leuven, I gained an appreciation for both their approach to the research as well as Belgian culture. I applied to Fulbright to fully engage with their side of the research and the cultural background of my colleagues and friends. There are other programs that support international research, but I specifically wanted to do Fulbright because of its emphasis on cultural engagement.
Q: What have you accomplished during your time in Belgium? What can you tell us about the initial outcomes of your research?
We’ve coupled two major techniques, one to look at molecular vibrations, and another to look at the electron density around nuclei, to understand how methane is transformed in our materials. This information supports certain materials as better methane removal catalysts. We’ve done these experiments in parallel with actual catalyst testing, and our analysis so far matches what we’re observing experimentally. It also provides information on how to tweak the catalysts for better performance, which we’re working on now.
Q: Describe a typical day in your life.
My typical day I wake up, get ready, and take the bus to the lab. I run experiments in the morning, and I have lunch with my lab for about an hour around noon. We chat about anything from the Belgian royal family to someone’s recent trip to Germany. In the afternoon I often have meetings with my boss to discuss progress or work on my computer to analyze our data. Sometimes at the end of the day I’ll have zoom calls with my boss in the U.S. to discuss progress. I then take the bus home to make dinner. After dinner, I’ll either relax at my apartment or if I have plans, go grab a drink with friends. Leuven has a very relaxed atmosphere to it, and as someone who can be a bit high-strung, the calm routine in Leuven did wonders for my mental health.
Q: In what ways have you engaged with your host community in Belgium?
My biggest engagement was with RainbowHouse in Brussels, an LGBTQ non-profit. They run a bar in central Brussels that raises money for various causes like legal fees for LGBTQ asylum seekers and sexual health resources. I also bartended for an LGBTQ organization in Leuven called Leonardo that provides a social space for expats at KU Leuven. These engagements gave me the opportunity to meet a mix of locals and expats and engage with them on their experience in Belgium from a queer perspective. The two different volunteering experiences really juxtaposed the life of queer Belgians with queer expats. Being the second country to legalize gay marriage, Belgium has a solid record on LGBTQ rights. The queer Belgians I talked to about this seemed to unanimously feel good about growing up queer in Belgium. Many expats seemed to have more of an appreciation for queer liberty. Many came from countries where being queer may not be acceptable or it may even be illegal. For them, being able to be openly queer in Belgium was a blessing. Personally, when I came out to some lab mates over the course of the year, it was very easy. It felt like I was telling them the year I was born or something else innocuous.
To my surprise, the community I made in my lab was also a significant part of my engagement with Belgian people. I don’t think people often think of lab work as cultural engagement (which wasn’t my plan), but I had such an amazing experience interacting with my labmates, including many Belgians and many fellow internationals. I spent nights out at Oude Markt until 4am with them, many lunches discussing Belgian and American politics with them, a weekend trip out to Wallonia with them, and at the end, goodbye drinks with them. I was originally going to take the train to the airport to go back to the states, and four of them drove me to the airport. They went and dropped off my bag with me and walked me to the gates. The lab environment was really special for fostering these connections.
Q: Can you tell us the story of a particular memorable moment from your time in Belgium?
One of my fondest memories in Belgium was going out with my lab on Halloween. There’s a joke from one of my labmates that, “Belgians are quiet all day long until they start drinking. Then they start saying all the things they wanted to say during the day.” I learned that intimately that night. One guy pulled me aside and asked me questions about the U.S. for almost two hours. He was just really curious about American culture and never had an American he knew well he could talk to about it. Other labmates came up to me and expressed a love of American music, and I asked for Belgian music recommendations which they gave me. I played Belgian drinking games and stayed out with them until about 4am. It was a lot of fun.
Q: Has Belgium been what you expected? In what ways has life in Belgium surprised you, either for its similarities to or differences from your own culture?
Belgium was what I expected in terms of work-life balance. There is definitely more of an emphasis on taking breaks, not working on the weekends, etc. It’s been a lovely difference to take an hour lunch or not worry about working every day unlike in American academia. I think Belgium was overall friendlier than I expected. People are really helpful, and my labmates were all very welcoming to me. I thought since Belgium was in northern Europe, people would feel cold, but it’s definitely not been that way. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised at how fine people are speaking English. I was worried I would be rude if I needed to use English around Leuven, but my impression is that people really don’t mind at all. I’m very fortunate about that. Racial diversity has been a lot different than I expected here. I was surprised at how little people talk about race issues given there is a rise in xenophobia in Europe generally and specifically in Flanders. The people of color in my lab have expressed frustration with the lack of race talk here and admiration that in America, despite the flaws, it is at least a central issue in our politics.
Q: Your family was able to come visit you in Belgium. What was that experience like?
It was my mom’s first time outside the U.S., and she had an absolute blast. She’s a big fan of history, and I think it’s a huge experience for Americans to be in a place that is defined by millennia of history. I also think the architecture stood out to her a lot. My sister and brother-in-law in particular loved the pedestrian and biking culture. They live in Phoenix where it’s a heavy car culture, and they would much rather be able to bike like they could here.
Q: What has been your favorite “discovery” in Belgium?
It has to be Belgian beer. I like beer, but I’ve usually been more of a cocktail guy. Not anymore. Belgian beer has such a strong variety, and man it’s delicious. There is also something beyond special about the waffles (specifically the Liège style. Brussels style is fine but doesn’t measure up in my opinion).
Q: In what ways has your experience in Belgium this year impacted your plans for the future?
I’m currently wrapping up my Ph.D. and applying for postdoc positions. My experience in Belgium has definitely given me an appreciation for the applied side of research and making sure chemistry is used for environmental good. Flanders in particular has great funding agencies for supporting green energy endeavors that I believe the U.S. could learn from. It’s also solidified my appreciation for science as a global effort, and I plan to keep global collaborations a part of my research in the future.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying to the Fulbright Program?
For research applicants, I’d really demonstrate why your proposal has to be done in the particular country and sell why you specifically are the best person to do this kind of work. I would also do a lot of research on the country to work into your application, including things well outside your project. It’s useful for the interview, and it demonstrates you care a lot about the cultural exchange element – as you should! If you can connect casually with someone from the country, that’s extra useful. Wikipedia and books are nice, but it misses a lot of the modern feelings in the country.
