UCL PhD student: 6 month update

TL;DR

PhD student shares progress on experiments, presentations, collaborations, and balancing workload, reflecting on challenges and future goals.

Transcript

hi guys welcome back to my channel and if you haven't been here before my name is ava and i'm a phd student at ucl so this month marks the six month update from when i first started my phd in october so yeah i do feel like i've achieved and done a lot more things than i expected to do in my first six months and it has been pretty full on which i gu... Read More

Key Insights

• ⚖️ Balancing experiments, presentations, and collaborations is crucial in a PhD journey.
• 🖐️ Ethical approval and data collection processes play a significant role in research progress.
• 🗣️ Overcoming challenges like public speaking and workload management are essential for growth.
• 👨‍🔬 Engaging in extra research projects and collaborations can enhance personal development.
• 👶 Attending training sessions and acquiring new skills are important for PhD students.
• ❓ Networking and exploring career paths beyond the PhD are part of academic growth.
• 👨‍🔬 Embracing virtual conferences and online research interaction in the current scenario.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the structure of the experiments in the PhD student's research?

The experiments involve questionnaires, qualitative interviews, neuroimaging data, and memory tasks focusing on memory processing in individuals with and without childhood trauma or psychotic symptoms.

Q: How has the PhD student been managing presenting their research findings?

The student presents results at weekly team meetings, sets personal deadlines for data analysis, and prepares for future full sample analysis.

Q: What are the challenges faced by the PhD student so far?

Challenges include public speaking, balancing workload with collaborations, adjusting to virtual conferences, and finding time for personal hobbies to combat burnout.

Q: How does the PhD student plan to balance work and personal life moving forward?

The student aims to prioritize personal hobbies, set boundaries on work hours, and focus on enjoyable activities outside of research to prevent burnout.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• PhD student at UCL shares experiences of starting a PhD, conducting experiments, presenting results, and collaborating with researchers.

• Engages in systematic review, experiments on memory processing related to childhood trauma and psychotic symptoms.

• Balances workload, presents at meetings, collaborates on extra research, explores career paths post-PhD, and discusses challenges and personal growth.