Doing a PhD is one of the most rewarding experiences in life. You get to conduct your own research, develop your skills, and ultimately become a doctor! Think back to when you were told that your application was accepted, and you were going to start the PhD position. I bet you were excited and nervous; I know I was! However, after starting your PhD, the excitement may fade and stress can start to ...[Read More]
There are many variables when applying for a PhD programme (country, system, length, funding, project, etc.). In regards to choosing a supervisor, I did my best to make an educated choice, and I really lucked out in terms of the people that I am working with. In the past 3.5 years, I have received scientific and professional support, mentorship, networking opportunities, creative encouragem ...[Read More]
PhD students’ struggles are alike; each succeed in their own way[1] It was a Friday morning, and nearly 3 years had passed since I arrived at Sydney. This meant, I only had one month left to submit my thesis! No sooner had I entered my office than a feeling of anxiety had found me. I had no time to dig deep into my own thoughts to discover what was happening, although it was obvious. Instead, I re ...[Read More]
My dog, Roxanne (Roxy for short), has been by my side for my entire graduate career. I adopted Roxy before starting a two-year Master’s program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She moved with me to the University of Maryland for my PhD program. Now in the second year of my PhD, I cannot imagine PhD life without her. Roxy has helped me navigate the most challenging aspects of academi ...[Read More]
I can’t speak for anyone else, but finally getting a paper through comes with the great satisfaction of not having to deal with the project anymore. There’s a sense of relief, hope, and maybe excitement that the time that is now freed up can be used on other, new projects. Anyway, I am currently still in this honeymoon period so please don’t ruin it by telling me it will end soon. After recently s ...[Read More]
“The ideal applicant will have a strong background in coding.” I’m not sure if those were the exact words that advertised my PhD project, but a requirement of coding ability was certainly heavily implied. We’re used to hearing stories about job requirements in the professional world, but in my experience at least, we think much less about this in the academic sphere. I nearly didn’t apply to ...[Read More]
The Geodynamics 101 series serves to showcase the diversity of research topics and/or methods in the geodynamics community. In this week’s post, Fred Richards explains how ‘Dynamic Topography’ is used in the Geosciences, and discusses the knowns, unknowns, and the challenges ahead. Since shortly after its tumultuous formation 4.5 billion years ago, Earth has been steadily cooling, wit ...[Read More]