This book offers a candid and unflinching account of the Ph D experience in a sector marked by precarity, insecurity and intense competition. Throughout the volume, current and former Ph D students reflect on their varied journeys, addressing challenges such as balancing study with family life, navigating ethical dilemmas and managing mental health.
The collection brings together a diverse range of voices from the Ph D community, sharing personal thoughts, lived experiences and ‘in-the-moment’ accounts of life as a doctoral candidate within the context of higher education.
By demystifying the Ph D journey and offering valuable insights, this book serves as essential reading for both Ph D students and their supervisors.
Содержание
Foreword — Sarah Pemberton
Introduction — Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles, and Adam Lynes
PART I
1. Re- entering academia: the unexpected journey — Sarah Jones
2. Entering the fray: the hyper-competitive Ph D environment — Alexander Black
3. Conceptualising a Ph D topic: navigating my way through academia — Mikahil Azad
4. New horizons: moving countries to start the Ph D — Eliska Suchomel Duskova
5. From home to the unknown: applying for postgraduate study in the UK from the global south — Manikandan Soundararajan
Editor reflections on Part I
PART II
6. Navigating the depths of grief: a journey through grief while pursuing a Ph D — Rio Waldock
7. Double duty: undertaking Ph D research while being a full- time lecturer — Charlotte Rigby
8. Balancing act: balancing family life with the Ph D — Suzanne Baggs
9. Managing the mind and Ph D’ing — Abigail Shaw
Editor reflections on Part II
PART III
10. Safety in cultures of precarity: complex trauma and the value of ‘trauma-informed’ Ph D supervision — Lisa Edge
11. Working for nothing: the exploitation of postgraduate students — Kyla Bavin
12. How close is too close? Ethical tensions and reflections in the Breddon Centre — Kavya Padmanabhan
13. Methodology unravelled: safely crossing the research minefield — Liam Miles
Editor reflections on Part III
PART IV
14. ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: the Viva and beyond — Nick Gibbs
15. The whispers of doubt: ten years after the Ph D and pervasive imposter syndrome — Adam Lynes
16. Fifteen years later, at the moral crossroads: retaining purpose and direction in the face of academic capitalism — Daniel Briggs
17. Mentoring moments: a collaborative reflection on supervision — Chelsea Braithwaite, Owen Hodgkinson, and James Treadwell
Editor reflections on Part IV
Conclusion — Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles, and Adam Lynes
Об авторе
Adam Lynes is an Associate Professor in social sciences at Birmingham City University.