Between a Rock and a Hard Place

PhD life and advice

PhD reflections: KT

PhD reflections: KT

Between a Rock and a Hard Place began as an Earth Science PhD blog in February 2013, as a place to ramble on about PhD life and general science topics. Almost two years later, some of the contributors have finished, others have submitted, and the rest are nearing the end. Over the next few weeks, …[Read More]

PhD reflections: Sorcha

PhD reflections: Sorcha

Between a Rock and a Hard Place began as an Earth Science PhD blog in February 2013, as a place to ramble on about PhD life and general science topics. Almost two years later, some of the contributors have finished, others have submitted, and the rest are nearing the end. Over the next few weeks, …[Read More]

Facing up to the big V

The nights are drawing in, the air is getting colder and here in Bristol it seems like viva season is in full swing. Enough time has elapsed since my own viva that I thought I would share my thoughts about what to expect on the big day. Whilst everybody’s experience is different, from talking to …[Read More]

Things I wish I knew when I started my PhD…

James Hickey is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. A geophysicist and volcanologist by trade, his PhD project is focussed on attempting to place constraints on volcanic unrest using integrated geodetic modelling. As the academic year begins again, new PhD students across the country (and further) are …[Read More]

PhD interview preparation

The following post is written primarily for those who are applying for a PhD project where the funding is supplied by a research council, such as NERC. All PhD interviews are all different, and this post definitely won’t cover everything, but it should help you prepare for most eventualities.

Do we need to suffer to succeed?

KT Cooper is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. A carbonate geochemist by training, she has just returned from a three-month secondment to Houston, Texas, USA working with Exxon Mobil. Last week the newly formed Bristol Doctoral College hosted a postgraduate seminar entitled “Surviving the stress of a …[Read More]

PhD profile #6 – Sorcha McMahon

Sorcha McMahon – 3rd year PhD student “New insights into deep mantle melts and the carbonatite-meliliitite connection” 1) The Twitter challenge: Your PhD in 140 characters Investigating how strange igneous rocks called carbonatites may have formed, using both natural samples and high-pressure experiments

Feeling blue: A lesson in perseverance

Mel Auker is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol and is a regular contributor to Between a rock and hard place. In her own words, she’s an “applied mathematician bumbling my way through a geology PhD”. Here she provides us all with some Monday afternoon inspiration. Read …[Read More]

How to finish a PhD in three years*

Welcome to our blog! Between a Rock blog is a multi-author effort, comprising five (and counting) PhD students from the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. We’re pretty excited to be welcomed into the EGU network and look forward to sharing our PhD journeys and science stories with you. To get a …[Read More]