Hello!

I have a PhD and currently do independent research, and I have even managed to get work published and presented at conferences. I currently work at a university but as academic staff but last year an opportunity to have some sort support/finding for my research came along, I took it. The terms were vague from the beginning and a conditional approval was made in April 2023. I still had to submit more detailed information about the research and have a meeting with the comittee. Due to the vagueness, I presented my initial plan - the ongoing research I was making from the past 1h and 1/2 moreless and I think kind fail to make it clear that the support I was asking was to present results at conference and publish findings. But in my defense, the committee was rude and belittled me during the meeting. They were deliberately obtuse and even on e member admitting that didn't read the proposal and made really stupid comments.

Another issue was the agreed support, £600 for 3 days off work and that's it! I invoiced the university to pay the university. I sucked it up at the time and was quiet but I think this is a joke! I am currently doing the research and don't want to ask anything, so I can do things in my own terms and already submitted abstracts for conference. Yet, the 'research staff' (there isn't really an official reseacrh department) keeps policing me and making demands. I so want to tell them I withdraw as I haven't really received any money or ask for time off, but there is a part of me that wonders if I should play along as in the future this could be something valuable when looking for jobs. Although, I am very skeptical. I still think it comes down to publications and conferences and not grants.

I would like to know if someone has been in a similar situation and what would you advised?

Thank you.

Hello!

I have a question for those who have done some degree of independent research, whether before or after the PhD. Although I currently have some institutional support to do my research in the field of digital arts, I do not hold some a research position. I would like to interview some people about their work but something is bothering me. When I was doing my PhD, we had to fill a form for committes but also provide an official document to the person you wish to interview. It was a form to reassure the person you interviewing that you are not going to misuse or misrepresent what they are going to say. It was also a way of getting permission to use the content in an article, etc... The institution where I work are pretty bad at this, there is nothing official.

So, I am aware that some people work as freelancers or doing independent research. Do you just go for it, or do you write down a statement on how you plan do use the information you gather from the interview. This is not an experiment or anything like it, it is in the field of art and I would like to interview a few artists about their work. If someone has done something similar, I would appreciate any sort of advise or input.

Thank you

All the best

Thank you very much for your answers, it was really helpful.

All the best

Hello everybody!

Today I was sent an email about a call for paper publication. Is just perfect to publish my PhD practice based research. However, when I was looking into the publication guideline I also took a look at the editorial board I noticed that the name of someone with whom I have a personal and professional conflict was included. I suspect that the editorial board also peer reviews. That person knows my research and would recognised it even if it anonymous. I know most of the editorial board by reputation and work and that particular person is one of the closest to my topic, which is why I suspect it would be almost certainly peer reviewing it.

I am questioning whether I should contact the main editor and inform that there is a conflict of interest with a particular member of the editorial board. The only contact available is of the main editor, so no one else that I could write to. But I am a bit afraid that it could cause any discomfort and as me being unprofessional, or even immature. Has anybody faced a similar situation? What would you recommend?

I know I could just not submit anything but there aren't many publication out there in my field and that particular person is an editorial member of most of them.

Thanks everybody!

Hello everybody!

Finished my PhD and right now settling down on real life. During my viva there was a lot of discussion about the potential of my PhD for further research and publication and my examiners really encouraged me to give continuity to my research. And actually that's what I want to do, to be a researcher. I'm looking for post-docs and assistant researcher positions, hopefully in the uk or europe.

I know is going to be hard, especially in the field of arts. I am also looking for teaching positions but is quite disheartening... I don't have experience in teaching, as my phd was full time with a lot of bumps in the road, so did not had the opportunity to get a teaching job.

I'm about to do a teaching training in a couple of weeks, but still don't know what else can I do. I'm going through a lot website and platforms like jobs.ac.uk, but I was wondering if someone had a good piece of advice in job hunting after your PhD or knows any useful platform that could help to find an academic job.

Many thanks in advance

I don't know what exactly you mean, but it seems like you're having problems with your supervisor. If this is the case I can really relate to you...I had the most useless First supervisor and had to change the co-supervisor twice. It is really a tricky thing. Try to speak to someone in your department, or ask for a confidential conversation with whoever is the research director in your university and ask for advice.

As for others looking confident in most cases is a facade. During my PhD I met people that were always saying that everything was fine when in fact they were facing problems too...Don't let other people get to you, as everybody faces obstacles and has insecurities during their PhD. Hope it helps!

Anyone??

where exactly you want to do your PhD?

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Hi everybody!

Last Thursday I've had a phone interview for a PhD and it went bad. I haven't receive an answer yet (which I was told is going to be next week), but I have to be honest with myself and admit that I let the nerves get the best of me, and besides it was pointed out that the bibliography that I presented in my proposal was not enough...

I would like to ask some opinions about the possibility of applying again in a year or two, because I think that i would definitely be more prepared and I can correct the mistake I've made. But I'm not sure if applying again to the same university is a wise thing to do. I don't want to be consider pushy, stubborn or that I am some sort of obsessed with the university.

I really want to carry my research proposal which will allow me to take an important step in my career and it makes all sense to do it in the university that I applied for, since it really fits in the fields of research and where I could find the proper support for my research project.

So, what do you think? I don't know very well the academic system in the UK and this sort of situations may vary.

Thanks