A SENIOR aide to soon-to-be US President Joe Biden was once a university student in Sussex.

Bill Russo said his time at the University of Sussex was "wonderful" and that he was "grateful" to those he met there.

The senior Whitehouse aide graduated from Sussex with an Environment Development and Policy MA in 2010.

From there, he went on to work as an intern for Joe Biden while he was Vice President.

The internship turned into a fulltime job and he began working for the Vice President on President Obama’s National Security Council, and at the US Department of State.

READ MORE >> US presidential inauguration: Joe Biden's Sussex ancestors

Writing on the University of Sussex website, Bill said: "It was one of the first times in my life I could be in a full room of people and be the only American.

"My classmates were inspiring and with the guidance of our excellent instructors, doors were opened to pursue new interests.

"I had arrived with a general sense of what I wanted to focus on for my dissertation, and by the end had decided to go in an entirely different direction.

The Argus: The senior Whitehouse aide graduated from Sussex with an Environment Development and Policy MA in 2010The senior Whitehouse aide graduated from Sussex with an Environment Development and Policy MA in 2010

"I was able to uncover new passions and then follow them because Sussex offered a classroom experience that was built around collaboration and exploration."

Today, "Sussex man" Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States at the age of 78.

Unbeknown to some, the Democrat’s great-great-great-grandfather was born in Sussex... making him one of ours.

William Biden was born in 1787 to Joe and Anne Biden.

While the exact location of his birth has never been confirmed, a diary entry from a distant relative, Henry Biden, born in 1834, suggests the family had roots in Westbourne, near Chichester.

Mr Russo added: "If you had told me the day I left Sussex that this is how the next eight years of my life would play out, I wouldn’t have believed you.

"I’ve been incredibly fortunate to find work that I believe in and that I really think matters and I’m grateful to those I met during my time at Sussex for helping me get there."