Meet the PhDs

In this episode of Meet the PhDs , I am joined by Edgar Huitema, PhD , a senior lecturer, postgraduate research leader, and creator of The SuperAdvisor , a platform dedicated to helping doctoral students navigate the often-unspoken challenges of supervision and academic life. Edgar has spent more than fifteen years supporting PhD students and training supervisors, giving him a unique perspective o...

In this episode of Meet the PhDs , I speak with Dr Servet Altan - educator, researcher, teacher trainer, and Assistant Professor at MEF University , whose work explores international education, teacher development, educational leadership, and the powerful concept of Habits of Mind . We discuss Servet’s academic journey, the world of IB education, mindfulness and thoughtfulness in teaching, and how...

In this episode of Meet the PhDs , I am joined by Anna Herran , a PhD candidate in History exploring the links between memory, identity, and statehood in twentieth-century East Central Europe and the Baltic region. We discuss her comparative research on Czech and Estonian experiences of statehood , the role of collective memory, national holidays, and how historical narratives travel within diaspo...

In this episode, I speak with with Dr. Kate Henry - productivity coach, independent scholar, and PhD graduate - about how academics can thrive without burning out. Kate shares her own PhD journey, what inspired her to move into coaching, and the strategies she uses to help scholars build sustainable, well-being - centered approaches to writing, research, and long-term projects. Whether you are jus...

In this episode of Meet the PhDs , I sit down with President Michael Schaepman , President of the University of Zurich and internationally recognized researcher in remote sensing and Earth observation. Our conversation goes beyond science to explore what it means to lead one of Europe’s top universities in a rapidly changing world . Professor Schaepman reflects on his path from scientific discover...

In Episode 17 of Meet the PhDs , I chat with the amazing Dr. Alison Miller , clinical psychologist, academic coach, and all-around guide for grad students and researchers trying to make it through the world of academia. We dive into the core of grad school life - from beating procrastination and quieting imposter syndrome, to finding a rhythm that actually feels sustainable. Alison brings honesty...

In this episode, I sit down with Doğa Öztürk , historian of the Ottoman Empire and author of the Substack newsletter A Few Thoughts On . Doğa earned his PhD in History from Ohio State University , where his research explored nationalism and imperial belonging in late Ottoman Egypt - a fascinating period of transformation, identity negotiation, and political change. He currently works as an indepen...

For Episode 15, my guest is Erin McGrattan, from County Down in Northern Ireland. She did her undergraduate degree in Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition and completed a Master’s degree in Ulster University in Human Nutrition, which qualifies her as a nutritionist by the Association for Nutrition.  She completed a summer studentship at QUB in the Centre for Publi...

May I introduce you to two AMAZING academics in Episode 14! Dr Lauren Saunders and Dr Allen Roda, Vice President of Editing and Research, and CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the  Dissertation Editor  respectively; and authors of the fantastic book  PhDone , which I was given an ARC for and throughly enjoyed and found useful. It is a #2  Wall Street Journal  best-seller! Enjoy this episode!

In Episode 13 of Meet the PhDs my guest has a very interesting and multicultural background. Yuliya Samofalova is a third-year PhD candidate in Information and Communication at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. Her thesis is focused on analyzing climate change communication on social media in order to understand obstacles and barriers to pro-environmental behavior. Yuliya has a multic...

What could the podcast Producer/Creative Director, James Taylor, be talking about with the podcast creator, Vicky Loras? Tune in for PhDs, podcasts and pop! Pop? Well, tune in!

In Episode 11, I am thrilled to have Dr Helen Kara as a guest! I have followed her on Twitter for years, read her books and learned so much from her! In this episode, we talk about everything: doing a PhD, writing books, working in academia with autism and so much more. Let's introduce this amazing academic: Dr Helen Kara is a leading independent researcher, author, teacher and speaker special...

For Episode 10, I have a very special guest - Dr Roland von Euw from Switzerland!  Roland is the founder of a ground-breaking education organisation, called vE Educational Excellence which is committed to excellent vocational, professional and higher education. It focuses on education, consulting and research. I am fortunate enough to work for this amazing organisation! Roland is also the CEO...

For Episode 9 my guest is... Jen Horne ! I met Jen on Instagram in a study community and we have even been study buddies! It was great to have her on the podcast. Listen to what she has to say about her studies and life! What will come after the MA?  Jen is a final-year Open University Global Development Masters student. She has three kids, a very supportive husband and a wonderful dog! She i...

For Episode 8, we are travelling to my parents' homeland...Greece! We had a lovely discussion with Thanassis Godelitsas about teaching in Greece, the positive aspects and the challenges, and how much he supports his students! Athanasios Godelitsas received his PhD in Chemistry from Aristotle University (Greece) and then he did a postdoc in mineral surface science and nanogeoscience in the group of...

What an honour this episode is! In Episode 7 of Meet the PhDs, my guest is a very good friend and amazing academic and educator from Turkey, Dr. Ezgi Aydemir Altaş . Speaking with her has been a pleasure and if you are ready to learn a lot, Dr. Altaş is here to share her knowledge and enthusiasm! Dr. Ezgi Aydemir Altaş is an English instructor at the School of Foreign Languages and Department of E...

Today's guest has a very interesting background - and wait till you hear what she is studying! Marianne is Norwegian, now living, studying and working in the UK. She started her PhD in Accounting History in April 2022, and she is doing it part-time, alongside working part-time as an accountant.  Enjoy listening to her! I learned a lot from her. 

Meeeeeeeeeeet Holly!  What a lady! She is doing a PhD, she teaches, she sings, she is a hero! Listen and be inspired.  Holly Woods is a PhD candidate at All Hallows College, Dublin City University. She is carrying out ethnomusicological research in the area of children’s folk music cultures, with a focus on the field recordings of Hugh Shields, a prominent music scholar in Ireland during...

Today's guest comes like a ray of sunshine - in Turkish, 'güneş' means 'the sun'! Dr. Aysun Güneş , recently graduated PhD from Anadolu Üniversitesi, in Eskişehir, Turkey. Aysun, a dear friend for years now, is also an English lecturer at the same university, a teacher trainer, and does a lot of work on internet safety. In this podcast, she tells us all about her research which is very interesting...

Despina Kyriazi is a PhD candidate in Cellular Biophysics at the Medical School of Hannover. She was my student in Greece and I am so proud of how far she has come, and how many things she is teaching me in this episode! Despina brings us a lot of enthusiasm and motivation with her, and if you need to hear some great, uplifiting things which will also help you in your PhD, this is the podcast you...

In this episode, I talk with an educator from São Paulo, Brazil - the one and only, Priscila Mateini ! I first met Priscila on Twitter, in a teaching community and then in person at IATEFL Manchester 2015. Priscila specialises in many fields; she is an English Teacher, focused on Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education, EAP teacher-researcher  ISF-UFRJ, IFCS-CAPES. Priscila speaks t...

In this first episode, I talk with the amazing Bryndís Gunnarsdóttir , an educator and PhD researcher at the University of Iceland. She tells us about her experience in an Icelandic university, her work background, working and doing a PhD at the same time, and so much more!