I was emailed this today: apparantly it's a guide to postgrad funding. May not be anything new in there but you never know:


http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Funding_my_further_study/Prospects_Postgraduate_Funding_Guide_vidcast/p!edcjgfe

You're not alone. Everyone takes it a bit personally, even though it most certainly was not a rejection of your abilites or research. (The fact that a professor loves your idea and is putting forward a proposal is validation enough). I've seen eminent professors in their 60s with a lifetime of achievement, still feeling upset when their latest proposal is turned down.

Onwards and upwards.

I find a looming meeting with my sponsors keeps me focused...hence lots of late nights this week.

You're spot on there.

Mind you my lab diary is so bloody scruffy, even I have trouble reading it sometimes.

True; at least everything is dated and signed in your journal. I was only referring to fairly minor discoveries/modifications, just still annoying. If you are complimented by your supervisor on something original, it's polite to say "Actually, it wasn't my idea" rather than say nothing and let them assume it was.

Anyway that's off my chest now so I'll be quiet

On a slightly different tack, I have experienced the annoying situation where you try a new method, or have a possible idea to improve something. In your enthusiasm you mention it to another lab worker, and next thing you know, a week later your supervisors are saying "You know, so-and-so had this interesting idea - why don't you try it?" And you're thinking - yep, wonder where so-and-so got that idea...

So now I tell my supervisors of any ideas I have, even if they don't work.

I'm not sure, but I think that if they have paid for the analysis, then they don't have to reference you.

We were contemplating sending some samples out for analysis, and they would either be analysed for free and we share the rights, or we could pay and then fully own the rights (needless to say, we'd rather pay and own the data).

I think as long as you get a decent sized dictionary, there's probably not a lot to choose between them. Can't remember the author of the one I use; I'll check tonight. Or there may be a Dutch member of staff who can translate for you if you send a faculty email?

It's annoying, but luckily there are not many of these pushy people about. Only yesterday I found a new paper from a person who did an exchange visit to our lab, and upon reading it I recognised work that I had done to "help" them out when they were busy, presented as this person's own work. Didn't really annoy me as much as make me sigh...

I like Holland and Barrat stuff: dates, figs etc.

The only problem is the well-known effect on digestion: you don't want to eat too many figs in a confined space.

I think I'd feel a bit guilty about being paid 60grand...sure I'm not worth that!
Not without a lifetime's experience anyway.

This may have been suggested already, but maybe not: are there any companies or faculties you could apply to, that would sponsor you to do your PhD? I know this would be part-time, and you don't want that, but al least you would be earning a decent wage at the same time. I have known people do it this way.

Of course, this still leaves the issue of finding a company or university willing to sponsor you, but it's not all that unusual. And as it's long term you should be able to fit your potential pregnancies around it (not wishing to reprise the other thread

Its probably just the right time: it's only a year away, and it can take six months to get a proposal written and submitted. From what I have seen, it impresses a potential supervisor if you are keeping up to date with publications and "hot topics" in the field (Cancer Cell and Cancer Letters are probably good, also the European Journal of Cancer).

If you prefer to respond to a pre-existing vacancy rather that write your own proposal (and to my knowledge, most BMS-related PhD students did not write their own proposal

Hi Vicky,

My degree was in BMS too. I think one good way to do this is to email directly the lecturer/researcher in charge of a uni research group that interests you. As you probably already have seen, most groups have their own website on the university servers describing what they do, and giving email addresses.

Yes, if you think it went well then you should be fine: you know your own work best. Let us know.