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The PhD Life Raft Podcast

Doing a PhD is tough.  The PhD Life Raft is here to help get you through.

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The PhD Life Raft

It can be hard to know where to turn during a PhD, especially as universities can often feel like pressurised environments where it seems important to always been seen to be at your best. 

Hosted by Dr Emma Brodzinski PhD (supervisor, examiner and once part-time PhD student), The PhD Life Raft will focus on sharing insights and experiences around  some common issues like anxiety, procrastination,  precariousness, imposter syndrome, and work-life balance (spoiler alert – yes, it is OK to take time off at the weekend!)  We will talk to students, supervisors and experts in the field of wellbeing and mental health and share actionable tips and additonal resources.

The PhD life raft sadly can’t offer any quick fixes, but it will offer a space to discuss pressing issues; explore possible strategies; and provide sources of support for your journey. 

 

Dr Emma Brodzinski

Host

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Productivity is an issue that PhD students often struggle with and this week’s episode offers lots of practical advice to help you through!  Dr Kate Litterer is a Productivity Coach, independent scholar, and author who lives outside Boston, Massachusetts in the...

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Emma Brodzinski

THE PHD LIFE RAFT PODCAST

It can be hard to know where to turn during a PhD, especially as universities can often feel like pressurised environments where it seems important to always been seen to be at your best.

Hosted by Dr Emma Brodzinski PhD (supervisor, examiner and once part-time PhD student), The PhD Life Raft will focus on sharing insights and experiences around some common issues like anxiety, procrastination, precariousness, imposter syndrome, and work-life balance (spoiler alert – yes, it is OK to take time off at the weekend!) We will talk to students, supervisors and experts in the field of wellbeing and mental health and share actionable tips and additonal resources.

The PhD life raft sadly can’t offer any quick fixes, but it will offer a space to discuss pressing issues; explore possible strategies; and provide sources of support for your journey.

Emma Brodzinski
Elisa Webb describes herself as a student, teacher, writer - her debut novel Darkling Park was published with Patrician Press. In this week’s episode she shares her journey through building a successful career; through burnout and depression; and on into a Practice-based Southern Gothic Imaginative Writing PhD. We talk about the experience of crisis/crossroads and how Elisa decided to make returning to study for a PhD a positive step forward. We talk about being a first generation student going to university. Elisa discusses the advantages and disadvantages of being a mature student and juggling caring responsibilities with researching. She also shares some top tips to help with focus and clarifying your thinking. You can find out more about Elisa’s work here: https://contactanauthor.co.uk/author/869/elisa-webb ---------------------------------- Do you want to Detox Your PhD? Find out more about The PhD Life Raft course here: https://emmab.kartra.com/page/detoxyourphd
The Challenges and Possibilities of Being a Mature PhD Student with Elisa Webb
YouTube Video UCVVWxhoL1DFiXHiJSI4J9Kg_VTB_75W2qIw
This week I talk to Professor Vernon Trafford about what a PhD examiner is looking for in your thesis. Vernon Trafford is Professor Emeritus at Anglia Ruskin University, UK and Research Associate at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He has held visiting professorships in India, Scandinavia, Singapore, South Africa and consultancies for the British Council, OECD, UNICEF and the World Bank. His publications, conference presentations and workshops relate to the nature of doctorateness. In this conversation Vernon talks about his own unconventional route into academia. We then dive into the issue of examiner expectations of a thesis. Vernon outlines 4 different stances which your examiner might take - they may be attending to the philosophical underpinnings of the entire piece of work; they may be looking at evidence of scholarship; they may be seeing to identify post-doctoral capability as a supervisor or researcher; and/or they may be looking for maturity of understanding by candidates of what they've done. We talk about the role of independent chairs within the Viva and why you shouldn’t listen to the viva horror stories! Vernon outlines features that mean your thesis is more likely to pass and the importance of explaining what your research was about and what your “contribution to knowledge” is. He also talks about the importance of smiling and if working towards making the viva as pleasurable activity as it can be. You can find out more about Vernon’s work here: http://vernontrafford.com/ You can find his book Stepping Stones to Achieving Your Doctorate here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stepping-Stones-Achieving-your-Doctorate/dp/0335225438/ref=la_B0034PPLCA_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365518855&sr=1-1 ---------------------------------- Do you want to Detox Your PhD? Find out more about The PhD Life Raft course here: https://emmab.kartra.com/page/detoxyourphd
What does a PhD Examiner Look for in a Thesis? with Vernon Trafford
YouTube Video UCVVWxhoL1DFiXHiJSI4J9Kg_1TreoePKNnE
This week’s episode picks up on some of the themes from last week in terms of negotiating caring responsibilities alongside completing research work but it also explores the importance of supporting diversity and inclusion in academia. Jen Leigh is a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education and Academic Practice within the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Kent and, amongst many other things, the Vice-Chair (People) of WISC (Women in Supramolecular Chemistry). In this episode Jen talks about her journey through two very different PhD experiences and what she learnt about the importance of choosing a good supervisor and of having a supportive community around you. Jen outlines the work of WISC and explores the equality, diversity and inclusion issues that the association addresses through activities such as mentoring schemes and skills workshops and we discuss this as a model with the potential to be rolled out into other disciplines - bring on the revolution!! Here are some helpful links: WISC's website www.womeninsuprachem.com The essay in Angewandte Chemie https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202015297 WISC tweets as @suprachem with a dedicated public engagement account @labXX Let’s connect! Sign up to our newsletter here: https://emmab.kartra.com/page/newsletter Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/phdliferaft/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVVWxhoL1DFiXHiJSI4J9Kg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phdliferaft/ Twitter: @thephdliferaft
Finding Community as a PhD Student with Jen Leigh
YouTube Video UCVVWxhoL1DFiXHiJSI4J9Kg_b2s4_cBdUwM
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