I just got a post doc position...if conferences do not present the right opportunity the best advice I can give (because it worked for me) is to approach the people that you want to work with ie away from a conference setting (so much else goes on at conferences, not to mention loads of other potential post docs milling around!). Email them and ask if they have any positions available and if possible actually arrange to go in and speak to them ( I know this is difficult if they are in another country, but email contact is better than nothing)... if you go and meet them face to face then you get to suss out if you think you would like/be able to work for them and vice versa. It is a great chance to discus ideas etc and if they don't have any thing available right away they may keep you in mind for future grant proposals. Also, meeting them increases your chances of being called for an interview,should a job be posted, and then makes the whole interview process a whole lot less stressful becasue you already know each other.

best of luck!

thank you guys! I will post some details of the viva soon...

xx

Have you had your viva yet?? I just wanted to say that I doubt that your examiners will fail you for typos! just relax, read your thesis and think about the content (not the typos) and try not to just see the bad stuff/flaws etc. I had typos in my thesis and we just laughed about it in the viva (sort of...) Think positive and try to be confident. I am sure you know your stuff. Plus, having a publication must be a real confidence booster- well done! I feel excited for you - let us know how it goes?
x

I passed my viva yesterday! am currently nursing a sore head today. Hangovers hurt even when you are a Dr!! I hope this post can give hope to those of you still working away - one day it will all come together and it feels really good!!

I spent most of xmas and new yr being grumpy and irritable because I felt guilty about not doing viva prep and the rest of the time doing viva prep! I honestly think the out come of the viva would have been the same if I had done no prep at all!!

So for all of you preparing for a viva- DON'T stress, it will all be fine and it is surprising how enjoyable the viva can actually be!
Take care xx :-x

Hey P'Bug, I wonder if the admins will remove 'Orange' - since that is advertising too, no?

Good for you Alice! way to go! I think that jobs.ac.uk is a really useful site actually. And there is no such thing as freedom of speech here, that much is clear!!

Hey, sounds to me like you are doing as much as you can, breath and relax! 1000 words/day is good going (as long as they are not crap words!!) getting stressed and panicy can only stump your progress, take it one step at a time and get some feed back on what you have written already (friends, supervisor- anyone)
best of luck.

perhaps it is to do with how you actually entered the reference into Endnote? e.g. if you did not use fullstops between the authors initials ?

it depends if you start a PhD in the same lab as where you worked as an RA. It is possible under these circumstances to remain on an RA salary and complete a PhD part time ie in 6yrs.. but you may have to pay your own tuition fees etc. so salary can become considerably smaller than originally thought, plus you have to earn your keep!! ie do lab work etc and be an RA for half of your time, that said, I know many who take this road and they seem really happy with their deals! I personally opted to do a PhD full time and on student stipend... but this is because I left the lab where I worked as an RA... hope this helps a bit (basically, you need to get details from the lab you aim to work in..) best of luck!

Great advice from Rubyw- there is no reason why a DVD could not be added to your thesis! I think it sounds like a really good idea.

why not have an appendix after each chapter - this is what I did, I am in biological sciences. Or just add the info in to the intro of the relevant chapter. Because if it is that important for setting up your questions, this suggests it is necessary reading ?

Question - How does one prepare for a viva?
Answer - by doing a PhD for 3-4 years, that is how!!

I just thought I would share this pearl of wisdom with you, Lara, since you seem a bit flustered by how much you think you need to do for your viva. I am sure you remember more than you realise, and defending your own work will be a doddle when you think that you spent so long doing and writing about it. It sounds like a cliche I know, but you really do know more than your examiners when it comes to your thesis... I am in the same boat as you, prepping for viva on the 8th Jan :-( and xmas has made it more than difficult!!! Good luck! x

I really see no good reason why you should not apply for both projects- esp if you are genuinely interested in them both.. I was in the same position as you and although I had to eventually choose between the two, keeping my options open for as long as possible did no harm!! good luck and merry xmas!

x

cool :-) it was interesting all the same ...

are you serious?? hmm, not sure this will work for everyone... surely one should come up with a personal timeline that suits how one works and the project at hand. This time line would scare the hell out of me if I took it seriously! it suggests a month to 'understand expectations!!' Half the battle of doing a PhD is learning to organise and plan your time effectively, using this just reduces the whole thing to a bit of a farce! ...