Embracing research opportunities

On starting my PhD, I soon realised that the research journey is not just about completing your thesis: it’s about embracing opportunities that will enhance your academic journey beyond the completion of your studies. Traditionally, PhD candidates attend conferences to present papers and build networks while publishing papers. However, the pandemic has meant that many of these paths have not been available leaving me with gaps in my CV. The positive is that I have fully embraced opportunities offered within the school of Cultural Studies and Humanities. I have taught and led several modules, presented papers at school seminars, acted as Postgraduate Research Representative and worked as a Research Assistant on several projects.

One such project is the Intertwining Threads research led by Dr Lisa Taylor. I was approached by Lisa during the summer of 2021 when she needed a research assistant to help run community events and curate an exhibition. Intertwining Threads focuses on the deindustrialisation of the small village of Bailiff Bridge. When I joined the project, it was well established with lots of community engagement already underway. However, Lisa was keen for me to take an active role in developing the project and explore different avenues to engage with village residents old and new. Prior to becoming a PhD student, I was a primary school teacher so will always champion schools as a community corner stone. I also discovered that Lisa herself was an alumnus of the local primary!

The junior and infant school in the village were incredibly receptive to becoming involved. I liaised with them to promote forthcoming events in their weekly newsletter and we spent a day with their children talking about the project. Lisa and I ran sessions in every year group where we talked to children about how their village had been transformed from a thriving carpet manufacturer to an ex-industrial community. With our guidance, the children generated exciting ideas that have contributed to Lisa’s overall project. From a personal point of view, it was refreshing to use my primary training while enhancing my academic CV. An opportunity surely not to be missed, underpinned by the feeling that I was genuinely adding to the breadth of the project.

This work in the school is set to continue as I have now been asked to become involved in writing a bid considering how deindustrialisation is taught in the primary sector, initially focusing on Bailiff Bridge but with scope to expand. This will require me to use my primary teaching training and academic research skills in tandem and presents a fantastic opportunity this early in my academic career. This work has allowed me to develop my own voice as an academic, realise that my intellectual contributions are valuable, work with academics from a range of disciplines, and build upon skills I thought I had left behind.

I count myself lucky that these opportunities have presented themselves, but I am also proud that I have been able to embrace them and contribute to an already established wealth of research whilst developing my academic portfolio.