Making the Most of Your PHD - Tip 15

PHD does not have to be lonely

• After all research is all about 'Standing on the shoulders of giants’ 
• Science is made up of communities not lonely people (Professor Sarah Sharples) 
• Learn from others – peers, present to mixed audiences, public 
• Engineering and Science Graduate Centre (ESGC) and it's events 
• Graduate school courses – mixed faculty audiences 
• Share half-baked ideas with supervisors
• Test ideas out, bounce ideas off peers
• Make sure you ask for help if needed
• Don’t isolate yourself

Making the Most of Your PHD - Tip 16

Raise your profile and leave a footprint

There are many different ways you can do this

• Publish in high impact journals and/or open access
• Write, write, write 
• Increased citation counts and/or patent production 
• ORCID 
• Online profiles
• Prepare to lead (at outset) and lead to prepare (for independence) 
• Present, present, present -  at conferences and other events 
• Travel and researcher mobility awards 
• Network, network, network!
• Host, run, convene PGR events and forums 
• Win recognition via awards/competition achievement

Making the Most of Your PHD - Tip 17

Look after yourself

You are a product of the PHD as well as your Thesis

• Make time for self and family 
• Accept things may not always go to plan
• Project manage your PHD to avoid burnout
• Be strategic – trying to do everything will result in burnout
• Develop your professional skills as well as research skills
• The Graduate School offers wellbeing support information for PGs at http://bit.ly/2i1QBL5 including a link to the ‘The PhD Survival Video’ for doctoral students.
• Cut yourself some slack – your research maybe one step forward and not change the world
• But it just might!

Making the Most of Your PHD - Tip 18

Check out what other’s have to say 

By logging in to view video recordings from Professor Sarah Sharples and Jorge Cham regarding what they learned by completing a PhD

and find additional answers for your competition entry

(university login required)

TeachMeet Pilot: Incremental Improvements

Terms of Reference suggested for such events focus on informality, fluid, customisable, pragmatic ideas driven and inspiring activity of mixed methods and without rules.

• Should "TeachMeets" try and meet these objectives? 
• How do/could (if not currently) TeachMeets meet these objectives? 
• How could such events be further improved? 

Please comment on your thoughts and views below or record them on the paper bricks provided

TeachMeet Pilot: Timing Tricks

Brevity is the name of the game with this sort of event and today's session was briefer than originally hoped.

Please share views with your partner on:

• The best time to run such events during the day 
• The best time in the year to run such events 
• The ideal length for such events, discussion activity and micro presentations

Feed your thoughts back by commenting on this post or writing your thoughts down on the paper bricks provided.

TeachMeet Pilot: What Next?

In order to flush out your perspective on "TeachMeets" as a means of cross team mobilization, communication and CPD for T&L and Research Support Teams in this instance.....

Please trade some ideas with your partner on possible topics for future sessions and consider the following questions:

• Should today's TeachMeet be a one off or serialized event?


• How willing are you to take the lead and run an event yourself should the opportunity present itself?


• How confident or able do you feel able to call, mobilize and run such cross functional 'collaborations' with or without support?

Please post your views via commenting below or record them on the paper bricks provided