{"id":591,"date":"2021-05-12T09:41:14","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T09:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/?page_id=591"},"modified":"2022-03-16T14:09:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T14:09:00","slug":"journeys-to-the-phd-the-obstacles-and-how-to-beat-them","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/past-festivals\/graduate-school-festival-2021\/programme\/journeys-to-the-phd-the-obstacles-and-how-to-beat-them\/journeys-to-the-phd-the-obstacles-and-how-to-beat-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Journeys to the PhD: The Obstacles and How to Beat Them – Interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Journeys to the PhD: The Obstacles and How to Beat Them - Interviews<\/b><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To accompany the\u00a0Journeys to the PhD:\u00a0The Obstacles and How to Beat Them Student Panel Discussion\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/span>a series of interviews were conducted with Doctoral Researchers from across the Graduate School Community whose backgrounds are underrepresented in doctoral education.\u00a0These were recorded on Zoom during lockdown and edited on our laptops. Explore the videos below to hear the participants speak about\u00a0their experiences, their routes to doctoral study, their advice and guidance for others thinking of doing a PhD and their challenges to the status quo in higher education.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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After many years of accomplishments in the industry, I joined The University of Westminster as a Doctoral Researcher in Health-Data Science in September 2017. During that time, I had great success stories in research. Now\u00a0I am a research fellow health data scientist at the Health Innovation Ecosystem collaborating with the NHS health professionals applying Artificial Intelligence\u00a0to improve patients\u2019 Quality of Life.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I am a first year Doctoral Researcher in Applied Management at Westminster Business School. I obtained a bachelor\u2019s degree in Chemistry and hold a master\u2019s degrees in Mass Communications and Business Administration. I have taught courses in media and business prior to beginning my doctorate. My research interests intersect emerging digital technologies, firm strategy and organizational leadership. My current research is centred in understanding digital platform governance from end users\u2019 perspectives using a qualitative epistemological approach. Apart from obsessively reading rock music memoirs, I also enjoy vociferously cheering on my beloved Indian cricket side and getting immersed in world cinema\u2019s magical realism.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Technical Matters: A general purpose punch card labelled with its possible functions.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Richard Brammer is a Techne-funded<\/a> <\/span><\/span>PhD candidate based at the University of Westminster where he is conducting research into technical operations and technical practices relating to published artifacts. \u00a0He is a designer, publisher and also the co-founder of Everyday Chemistry, a multidisciplinary design studio and also a publishing project focused upon the everyday chemistry of technical activity.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClick here to read Richard's Interview<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Zoe Chitare is currently a first year MPhil student at Westminster Law School aspiring to register as a PhD candidate. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in the Republic of Ireland, her graduate journey began in Dublin City University gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and Law. She also has a Master of Laws degree with distinction from Bangor University in International Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law. Her masters dissertation\u00a0 is entitled\u00a0 \u2018 Expropriation without Compensation in South Africa: A critical evaluation of constitutional property rights, land reform policy and international obligations\u2019. Her research interests involve property rights, constitutional law, administrative law , human rights,\u00a0 and spatial justice in the postcolonial setting focusing on South Africa\u2019s constitutional amendment of section 25 (the property clause) to allow for nil compensation of land in the public interest where it is just and equitable to do so. Her supervisory team consists of Julia\u00a0 Chryssostalis as Director of Studies, Aurora Voiculescu and Oliver Philips. She is also a member of African Scholars Association Ireland; International Association of Constitutional Law; and Socio-Legal Association UK.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gustavo R. Espinoza-Ramos holds a BSc in Business and Information Technology, and an MSc in Mining Engineering. His working experience in the mining industry and self-motivation underpinned his decision to undertake a PhD course at University of Westminster since January 2015. His research interests are centred on topics related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the formation of partnerships between private companies and civil society in developing countries.\u00a0 He is an enthusiastic lecturer at the Westminster Business School teaching modules related CSR, business ethics, sustainable business and corporate strategy at an undergraduate and master levels<\/p>

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Marina is a Doctoral Researcher at the School of Life Sciences, where she is pursuing a PhD in Astrobiology. She has a First Class Honours degree in Planetary Science and Astronomy, and her current research focus is the detection and characterisation of spectroscopic biosignatures on Mars using Raman, FTIR and Vis-NIR spectroscopy. She is an active science communicator, a member of the Astrobiology Society of Britain Committee and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Her public engagement and outreach activities involve delivering talks in Planetary Science, Astrobiology and Astronomy to children and adults and producing events for her space science outreach project AromAtom, founded in 2017.<\/p>

She is also a perfumer with twenty years of experience as a Nose and Fragrance Educator, the nose behind her brands Marina Barcenilla Parfums and AromAtom, and the fragrance creator for other British brands<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I began a PhD at the University of Westminster in the School of Social Sciences in January 2020 and am currently researching the extent to which normative values and discourses of \u2018good\u2019 mothering impact upon and shape working-class mothering practices. I am interested in family studies, the sociology of education, social policy and structural inequalities and collective responses to them.<\/p>

I have a background in teaching, having undertaken a BA in Primary Education in my late twenties at Leeds Trinity University, following a decade spent in secretarial work. In 2018 I completed a Masters in Early Childhood Education at Canterbury Christchurch University, writing a dissertation on parental decisions around preschool use which in turn led to my interest in family research and an introduction to sociology as a discipline. I am originally from Leeds but have lived in Gillingham, Kent for the last twelve years and have three children aged 24, 8 and 5.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mebratu Kelecha is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for the Study of Democracy. His Ph.D. thesis focuses on the link between protest movements, development and democratisation, with a focus on Ethiopia. Before coming to the UK, Mebratu taught at Ambo University in Ethiopia.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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My name is Ashundria Oliver, I am from Chicago, Illinois, USA. I currently reside in New York, USA. I am a full- time international criminology research student (and I am studying remotely in the U.S. due to the pandemic). I completed a postgraduate taught program in the UK prior to starting here at Westminster.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>My other two degrees (my collegiate degree and my first postgraduate degree) are from schools in my home country. After graduating, I took some time off to gain employment experience, and now I am back in school to research and learn about homicide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Dan Petrosian is a PhD student and Visiting Lecturer in Criminology & Sociology at the University of Westminster, and Associate Lecturer in Criminology at The Open University. His research investigates how immigration is framed through video activist practices employed by the anti-racist movement in the United Kingdom. It seeks to understand how, and in what ways, these practices challenge dominant discourses on immigration and to what extent they open up opportunities for knowledge production. Dan was born in Yerevan, Armenia but has grown up in London, where he eventually completed a bachelor\u2019s degree (with honours) in Criminal Justice and a master\u2019s degree (by research) in Criminology. His stance as a Critical Criminologist and Data Activist of BME Armenian descent has heavily influenced his passion for raising awareness of the continued struggle to maintain racial equality and justice in the UK.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Renan Porto is a PhD student in law at the University of Westminster. His research explores the political ecology of cocoa’s plantations in the northeast of Brazil through a multispecies approach inspired by indigenous cosmologies, looking through this investigation how societies are shaped in a non-anthropocentric perspective. He grew up in a small village called Florestal in the state of Bahia in Brazil, where he used to help his father in the works with cocoa. He also has experience in interdisciplinary research in law and literature, which was his research topic in his master’s degree at the Rio de Janeiro State University. His academic works are available in the website: westminster.academia.edu\/RenanPorto<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Megan is a specialist in sustainability, urban transitions and micromobility.\u00a0She has spent the last 12 years working for businesses, communities, and local and national governments in the UK, Australia, and USA on sustainable infrastructure transitions. Currently, she is the Urban Studies Research Scholar at the University of Westminster and is finalising her thesis on grassroots and government barriers to creating cycling infrastructure; and, since returning to Australia she has been working in a Senior government position with Transport for NSW and is an adjunct lecturer at UNSW. When she isn\u2019t working she enjoys exploring cities through her children’s eyes and hilariously trying whatever new scooter, skateboard or other ninja warrior method they invent.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Holly Weir is an experienced urban planner and researcher, passionate about people-centred planning and creating places where people can be active and healthy.<\/p>

With experience in both practice and academia, Holly’s knowledge cuts across the fields of urban planning and public health, exploring how places can encourage physical activity and reduce inequalities. Holly has a particular interest in children as users of public space and in child-friendly neighbourhoods, which her PhD research focuses on.

She takes a\u00a0predominantly qualitative approach to her research, using a mix of methods, and cutting across various disciplines, including transport, planning, environmental psychology and geography.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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My Name is Dan Whyte, I am a Criminology PhD student who came to academia very late.\u00a0 I did not finish school and only completed my GCSEs in my mid-20s, I then went on to my UG and PG and now am a PhD student which has all been completed and started, respectively, whilst in prison.<\/p>

My research title is; \u2018Examining the effects of MACEs on HE students-in-prison who are serving long prison sentences (10 years +).<\/p>

I am also a Co-Director of a social enterprise which has been set up to increase the provision of HE for students in prison.\u00a0 This was also conceived and incorporated whilst still a prisoner, I have now been released.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Journeys to the PhD: The Obstacles and How to Beat Them – Interviews To accompany the\u00a0Journeys to the PhD:\u00a0The Obstacles and How to Beat Them Student Panel Discussion\u00a0a series of interviews were conducted with Doctoral Researchers from across the Graduate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":0,"parent":365,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-591","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1916,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/591\/revisions\/1916"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/graduateschoolfestival\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}