The PhD Life Raft Podcast

Lynn Koworera has a background in Adult Nursing BSc and Physician Associate MSc . She has a post registration qualification in advanced non medical prescribing and she has practical experience working in the NHS tertiary centres and large NHS trusts in specialities such as care of the elderly, dermatology and clinical research. Lynn has spent her most recent clinical career in general practice . ...

This week's guest is the amazing Gilly McKeown AKA @neurodivergent_researcher .     We begin by talking through the twists and turns of Gilly's own story ; and her spirit of curiosity  will be an inspiration to anyone who is still trying to find their 'thing'.   We then talk about her own late diagnosis of Autism and self-diagnosis of ADHD and the possibilities and challenges she faces as a neurod...

This week's episode is all about the importance of friends on the PhD journey!   Milensu Shanyinde is a PhD candidate at University College London.  Her research examines the complication of managing HIV in relation to Hepatitis C in persons seen for routine clinical care in Italy. She also works part time as a clinical trial statistician at Oxford University and was one of the team working on a n...

We are kicking off the new season with the fabulous Devon Price !   Devon is a social psychologist, writer, activist, and professor at Loyola University of Chicago's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Devon has published widely including their book Laziness Does Not Exist which came out in 2020.   In this episode we reflect on Devon's own experiences of graduate school and how the real...

It's the final episode of Season 3!  It's gone so quickly and I am so grateful to the wonderful guests who have made it so awesome!   And, talking of awesome guests, who better to create a big finish for this series than Melanie Smith?!   Dr Melanie Smith is Reader Emerita at Cardiff University School of Law and Politics and an independent expert and research consultant in the broad field of Europ...

Precarity is, unfortunately, a familiar experience for many PhD students - particularly in the strange times that we find ourselves in.  This week's episode touches on both the precarity brought about by the pandemic but also the on-going precarious nature of employment within the Higher Education sector.   Bee talks about their own experience of the PhD process and the importance of assembling a...

This week is all about how to survive your viva !   Nathan Ryder runs skills training for PhD students with a signature course entitled 'Viva Survivor' and daily blog of viva prep help.     In this episode Nathan talks about his own experience of a PhD in Mathematics at the University of Liverpool and the importance of the support his supervisor gave him .     We then talk about his move into supp...

This week's episode focuses on the experience of Sam Belfrage a full time PhD student at the University of Winchester, in the Faculty of Health and Well-being.  Sam identifies as a working class academic and first generation university student .  Her research is exploring community based interventions to improve health literacy, with a focus on parents of pre-school children.     Sam talks about t...

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 U.S.  Kate received her MFA degree in Creative Writing and her Master's degree and Doctoral degree in Rhetoric and Composition from the...

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 ret...

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. H...

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, amongs...

This week's episode focuses on the PhD and motherhood as Anna Woolf shares her insights and experiences.      Anna is a Ph. D. candidate at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her research examines socially engaged arts , health and applied theatre in relation to teenagers with the complex autoimmune disease juvenile idiopathic arthritis.     In this interview Anna reflects on her person...

This week we are exploring how to enjoy writing your PhD . Our guest Dee Reynolds is a proofreader and copy editor, and an academic writing mentor .  She is a Professor Emerita (French Studies, University of Manchester) with a long career in research and publishing on topics ranging from French poetry to contemporary dance and neuroscience.  Dee talks about the pleasure she found in her own PhD jo...

We are back for Season Three!!   I do hope that you found some time over Easter to rest and feel ready for the new term?  As if we ever feel ready for the new term?!!   This week's guest is Jeff Weingarten who is a Professor of Language and Liberal Studies at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, Canada.   Jeff reflects on his own difficult journey through the PhD and how he came to reflect on the...

It's the last episode of Season Two!   Allan Kilner-Johnson shares his own journey through his PhD and into his mindfulness practice.  Allan is a mindfulness meditation teacher alongside his work as a Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Associate Dean of Postgraduate Research at the University of Surrey.   Allan proposes Jon Kabat-Zinn's definition of mindfulness as "the awareness of the pre...

This week's guest is Nicole Brown - Director of Social Research & Practice and Education Ltd. and Lecturer in Education at the UCL Institute of Education.  Nicole was awarded her PhD in Sociology at the University of Kent for her thesis "The 'I' in fibromyalgia: the construction of academic identity under the influence of fibromyalgia".    Nicole begins by talking about her own journey through the...

This week's episode is all about getting to the finish line of your PhD !   Rowena Murray runs writing retreats for writers - with a particular specialism in working with academics and doctoral students.  Her publications include How to Write a Thesis, Writing for Academic Journals and How to Survive Your Viva .   In this episode we talk about what Rowena calls the 'endgame' of the thesis .  This...

This week's episode explores creativity, mental health and the PhD process .   Theo Stickley trained in mental health nursing and then did an MA in Counselling and qualified as a counsellor and worked as a nurse. In 2000 he began teaching at the University of Nottingham where he worked until 2019 when he retired. His PhD was in the arts and mental health. He supervised 11 PhD students and has exte...

This episode deals with the financial impact of undertaking a PhD .   Emily Roberts is a personal finance educator specializing in early-career PhDs based in the U.S.  Emily draws on her own experience as a graduate student to support others to make the most of their money.   In this conversation we talk about the 'opportunity cost' of doctoral study and the potential stress of financial pressures...

This week's episode takes an honest look at the realities of the PhD journey.   Nick Rowe describes himself as a " trans-disciplinary educationalist ", with interests in scientific communication and academic/professional development. He is a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and the Society for Education and Training and worked as a lecturer in the UK but is now based in Finland.   Nick's...

This week's episode deals with an issue that many of us are grappling with - stress .   Je nny Mercer is Reader in Qualitative Approaches to Applied Psychology at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Her research interests focus on experiential enquiries of student experience and the impact of green care and outdoor activities on health and wellbeing. She is the Graduate Studies Co-ordinator for docto...

In this episode the fabulous Kat Low shares her experience of practice-based research - particularly her fieldwork in South Africa. Kat is a research-practitioner in the field of applied theatre and sexual health with a commitment to feminist-led research.  Her practice lies in creating participatory-led theatre and creative arts-based practice with local communities to explore and gain greater un...

This week's podcast tackles the problems and possibilities of being a part-time PhD student .   Katie Hall is currently a creative practice PhD student, with project Queer as Friends . As a creative writing practitioner, Katie is editing her debut novel and freelancing as a journalist for LGBTQ lifestyle press . She has recently been longlisted for the second Primadonna Writing Prize , and will be...

In this episode Libby Bennett shares her experience of negotiating both physical and mental health conditions during her PhD journey.   Libby talks about OCD - what it is and what it isn't - and identifies the potential benefits of the deep self-knowledge that comes through reflecting on your own mental health.   She identifies the importance of recognising your own warning signs and talks about t...