The Bristol PLUS Award: Awal Fuseini

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The Bristol PLUS Award recognises and rewards University of Bristol students who have gained significant professional and life skills through work experience, volunteering and other activities outside of their studies. The award is designed to help you enhance your CV, develop a variety of employability skills and be more prepared for the interview process. 

Awal Fuseini, a doctoral student in the School of Veterinary Sciences, shared his experience with completing the Bristol PLUS Award last year.

As a postgraduate research student, I am always on the lookout for any extracurricular activity that can improve my confidence, networking skills, presentation skills and add some weight to my CV, because I am well aware that recruiters/ employers are now looking beyond degree certificates. The activities leading to the award of the Bristol Plus Award certainly tick most of the boxes, hence why I decided to complete it.

The interactive nature of the workshops means all participants are encouraged to actively take part, this builds confidence and improves on team working skills. Some of the workshops eg the interview skills workshop gives participants useful information on what employers look for during interviews including body language skills, dress code and general interview skills. One of the most important workshops I attended was: The power of relationships in the work place.  After the workshop, I learnt very important skills that will enable me to work successfully with any difficult person in my future career no matter how complex the person’s life is. Other useful workshops included: Developing leadership skills and Clueless about your careers?

During the work experience aspect of the award, I was able to gain valuable work experience whilst getting paid and more importantly use it towards the award. My work experience was with a food certification company in London. My role involved visiting food processing companies and slaughterhouses to ensure that all procedures were consistent with the standards of the certification body. I did also do some administrative duties at the Head Office as well.

I have already encouraged some of my peers to complete the Bristol Plus Award and I will not hesitate in recommending it to the wider University of Bristol postgraduate research student community, it is a worthwhile award!

Curious? Think you can stand out from the crowd? Attend one of the Introductory talks hosted by the University’s Careers Service. For an overview of the award structure, see the below graphic:

New PLUS structure 

Help is at hand

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To close out our day of discussing the silver linings of our Postgraduate Researcher’s work, and how they keep their heads up and stay motivated, we thought we’d offer a note about help.

PhD students are more likely to suffer from neglect, isolation, feelings of fraudulence and performance anxiety under pressure. They face an insecure economic future, and an increasingly unstable job market. It’s no wonder that mental health issues are on the rise amongst this demographic – and it’s time that we opened up the door to the fact that Higher Education has problems. We have to confront these painful truths and reach out to help. Institutions owe their students and their staff the appropriate resources and services to help them deal with mental health & wellbeing.

The University of Bristol offers a comprehensive counselling service complete with a list of group therapy sessions and personal wellbeing workshops. It  also has its own physical library and virtual resource centre. We also subscribe to the Big White Wall campaign, and recommend this online resource for anyone struggling to express themselves or reach out about a pressing issue that has been weighing them down.

The city of Bristol also has a host of services, mindfulness groups, helplines and charities available for all manner of support issues. Below is a brief, collated list of free helplines that are available (mostly) 24/7 that deal with some of the most prevalent issues PGRs tend to face in terms of mental illness and emotional support. This is by no means comprehensive, and it certainly doesn’t cover the entire range of issues that any individual may face. See National Mind’s tips for everday support, and this list of Local Mental Health Charities for further information.

Lastly, if you feel that your needs are not being met, please speak up. Never hesitate to get in touch if you don’t know where to turn, because there is always help at hand.

Sabrina Fairchield: “Why I Love My PhD”

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Sabrina Fairchild is a PhD candidate in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Bristol.

What has been the highlight of your PhD so far?

The variety of places I have been able to visit. I have conducted archival research in England, the United States, Canada, France, China and Hong Kong. I even got to present my research in Japan. This is one of the unique benefits of being a researcher – and even though travelling can be quite tiring, the experiences you gain are incomparable.

Do you have any funny stories to share from your research and travels?

Once, when I was working at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., I was working with documents no one had touched since the early 1990s. I didn’t know this at the time — all I knew was that all my documents arrived wrapped in really annoying cellophane that I had to rip off before I could open the volumes. As there were no rubbish bins in the document reading area (for obvious reasons) I had to take all the wrapping to one of the floor attendants so they could get rid of it themselves. One day, after my umpteenth trip, the attendant approached me and informed me that the volumes had been shrink-wrapped in 1991 or 1992 to preserve the documents. The fact that the cellophane remained meant that no one had looked at them in the last twenty-years! This was either, he teased me, a very good thing or a very bad thing for my PhD. Since paying attention to the American presence in China has become one of my driving interests, I’ve chosen to believe it was a very good thing indeed.

When you’re stuck, or feeling frustrated, what helps you stay motivated?

I like to do something completely unrelated to my research. I’ve had the best breakthroughs when I leave my desk and gone for a run or a body balance class. I’ll either put the pieces together in the middle of the exercise or while I’m walking back. Often, that feeling of finally understanding something makes the original frustration seem worthwhile.

“Why I Love My PhD” is an ongoing series inspired by The Guardian’s series of the same name, about how our Postgraduate Researchers stay enthused about their work and what keeps them going on the harder days. If you would like to share your story or contribute, please get in touch.

Thomas Farrugia: “Why I Love My PhD”

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Thomas Farrugia is a PhD candidate within the School of Chemistry, and was a contestant in our 3MT contest last year. In three words, he describes his research as “Biocatalysis”, “Materials”, and “Proteins”. 

Tell us about a time you have felt a distinct sense of pride in your work.

Finding a way around, or solving, a problem in systems I am working with is always a great kick – one case being where I found that I could produce the films I work with directly in cuvettes, meaning I could easily sample their chemical activity and run more samples in the same amount of time.

Are there any particular funny moments that keep you going in boring or tedious moments?

I remember having one colleague who was working with a pink dye whilst making a molecule – we could always work out where we had been or what he had used and touched because it simply got everywhere!

When you feel frustrated or at your wit’s end with your research, what would you say keeps you going?

When this happens I remind myself that persistence and pacing always pay off. I look back at what I have achieved, and then focus on things that have to be done.

“Why I Love My PhD” is an ongoing series inspired by The Guardian’s series of the same name, about how our Postgraduate Researchers stay enthused about their work and what keeps them going on the harder days. If you would like to share your story or contribute, please get in touch. 

Tessa Coombes: “Why I Love My PhD”

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Tessa Coombes is a PhD candidate in Social Policy at the University of Bristol.

What has been the highlight of your PhD so far?

The highlights for me have been the positive interest and support from people within the School for Policy Studies and from people I have spoken to outside the University. To know that others think what I am doing is interesting and worthwhile is always motivating. The fact that some of them even think it is exciting never ceases to amaze me.

When have you felt most proud of yourself during your PhD?

My proudest moment so far was undoubtedly that moment when I decided I wanted to do a PhD and subsequently received such phenomenal support from friends, family and lecturers to actually do it! Applying, getting accepted and starting out on my PhD journey made me feel incredibly proud.

When you feel at your wit’s end with your research, what would you say keeps you going?

The main thing that keeps me going when things don’t quite work out, or I’m having to spend hours on quite tedious tasks, is thinking about where I was a couple of years ago and where I am now. Back then I was working in a difficult and challenging environment, and not particularly enjoying life and rarely looked forward to going to work. Now I’m doing something I have chosen to do, something that I love and enjoy, for all the challenges it throws at me. I now enjoy the process of ‘going to work’, even Monday mornings are good. When at a low ebb I think about the end goal, finishing the PhD and what a sense of achievement that will bring. I would also say having a decent playlist to listen to is critical, as the right music will always lift your spirits and get you through the tough times.

Can you share something that makes you smile about your PhD?

My funniest moments tend to be when working at home and my cat decides it’s time to play or that she needs attention. She’s very good at sitting in front of the computer screen or on whatever I am trying to read, or just deciding to lie across my books and desk.

Tessa's cat keeps her looking on the lighter side of her reading.
Tessa’s cat ensures she takes regular breaks from her work…

 

“Why I Love My PhD” is an ongoing series inspired by The Guardian’s series of the same name, about how our Postgraduate Researchers stay enthused about their work and what keeps them going on the harder days. If you would like to share your story or contribute, please get in touch. 

Jonathan Godbehere: “Why I Love My PhD”

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Jonathan Godbehere is a PhD candidate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bristol. He works on Electric Machine Design for ‘Sensorless’ control.

Tell us about a moment when you felt really proud of your research.

That would probably be my first conference paper submission, and then acceptance.  It marked the first time I saw my work peer-reviewed, and I felt like my work was actually ‘good’ to some extent. It helped that it was also a big, significant conference in Montreal. I got to travel and see somewhere out of the ordinary for free, which was a bonus! It was a great payoff for all the hours put into the paper (and the work itself) in the first place.

What are you looking forward to in the upcoming portion of your PhD work?
The first time I turn on my electric motor – and it hopefully works!

Is there a moment in your PhD experience that always brings a smile to your face?

Once, we had literally kilograms of scrap copper left over from a lab refurbishment. The whole research group rallied to help strip the outer plastic coatings off so we could recycle it. The proceeds went to our group’s Xmas dinner that year, because we managed to raise so much money!  Quite a nice group activity.

“Why I Love My PhD” is an ongoing series inspired by The Guardian’s series of the same name, about how our Postgraduate Researchers stay enthused about their work and what keeps them going on the harder days. If you would like to share your story or contribute, please get in touch. 

Blue Monday? Blue Any Day.

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Blue Monday, popularly known as the “most depressing day of the year” and held on the third Monday of January, receives a fair amount of bashing in the press these days. Rightly so – after all, it was the pseudoscientific brainchild of a travel campaign for an airline that has since gone bust, all in the name of selling more holidays to people who are feeling vulnerable and in need of a pick-me-up.

Let’s be clear. That the world collectively feels more “depressed” on a single day of the year is clearly a misnomer. As many media folk have been quick to point out, this logical fallacy undermines our collective understanding of “depression” in its entirety. Clinical depression is a severe, chronic condition, one that doesn’t exactly take days off nor suffer from what most would call a “bad day”. People battle depression day in and day out, sometimes for months but often as long as decades. For many, it’s a lifelong illness that needs to be managed and maintained as many chronic physical illnesses need to be managed. Neuro-normative brains typically don’t become “depressed” because it’s cold outside, Christmas feels like a distant memory, and we’re all disheartened at the first high winter bill of the season with no festive break to look forward to –  save Valentine’s Day, which, please.

In this sense, Blue Monday’s dubious origins ought to be questioned and critically analysed.

In another sense, any day is an appropriate day to discuss issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing – whether you suffer from a specific, diagnosed condition or not. At the Bristol Doctoral College, we thought we’d take this opportunity to bring into discussion an issue that academia tends to brush under the carpet, but which has recently come knocking at institutional front doors with brute force due to its urgency: the chronic ill mental health of students in higher education, particularly in research students.

I’m not defending #bluemonday, and I’m especially not defending its source; I am reclaiming it in attempt to destigmatize issues around mental health and to encourage critical reflection on our own wellbeing. For many, every Monday is a Blue Monday; indeed, everyday is Blue Monday. Maybe our concern with what the day stands for is a microcosm of the larger problem:  maybe we ought to stop worrying about where ‘Blue Monday’ comes from, and use it as an opportunity to discuss how what most of us take for granted (our own wellbeing) will become a serious crisis for 1 in 4 people in the UK this year. Blue Monday, coming so close to the start of the year, can help us turn the lens on what is ‘blue’ in our own society, and what we can do this year to change it.

At the BDC, we’re taking this opportunity to remind our Postgraduate Researchers that we aren’t scared of talking about mental health. We’re not going to question you when you say you are having a blue day, a blue month, or a blue year. We’re going to point you to the services that are available to you. We’re going to champion the everyday actions that make a difference in everyone’s wellbeing. A part of that involves making sure our own wellbeing is healthy; another, much larger part, is about listening to your stories. Instead of discussing the cynicism of Blue Monday’s origins, we’re going to turn our view to the silver lining, and we invite you to join us.

25 tips, links and distractions to take you into 2016

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  1. With the nation’s mental health crisis taking front-and-centre in 2015, make 2016’s New Year Resolutions all about taking care of yourself. Take inspiration from these 5 steps to wellbeing, instead of the usual self-berating goals we usually set ourselves.
  2. Check out Student Counselling’s Swagota Basak Memorial Library for some inspiration to help with your rest & relaxation.mental-health-reading
  3. Put the fun back into writing by taking the edge off with the 750-words intiative – a great way to complement being more mindful, to warm up for a long day of serious academic writing, or just as a cobweb-clearing process to enter 2016.
  4. Writer’s block? Check out the Academic Phrasebank for inspiration.
  5. If 3 and 4 aren’t enough, watch this ThinkWrite recommended 30-minute video to brush up your paper-writing skills.
  6. Read some PhD student blogs to keep yourself motivated through the break – and to collect helpful ideas and tips!
  7. Eat some lunch! Apparently academics are the least likely profession to take a lunch break – so use the holiday downtime to enjoy a regular, leisurely meal between breakfast and dinner for once.men-eating-pasta-in-speed-eating-competition
  8. Find a space in the library with their Christmas guide. With all the undergraduates flocked home for three weeks, there’s suddenly so much more room to spare!libraries
  9. Do some last-minute Christmas shopping, but with a uniquely academic touch, following these helpful suggestions.
  10. Get more into the festive spirit with an alternative to the typical Christmas pantomime at new theatre space The Wardrobe with Goldilock, Stock & Three Smoking Bears.
  11. Take part in PhD Comics’ Christmas Poll – and while away some hours by reading through their archive.phd120215s
  12. Catch up with the #BristolFaces campaign and read about the students, URI directors, academics and professional services staff and other figures in the university who shape our vibrant community for what it is.
  13. Book some trips in 2016 with the Bristol International Student Centre – perfect for international students looking to explore around Bristol and the UK.
  14. International, British, or Southwestern local, learn more about Bristol by booking onto a free walking tour, or visiting the M-Shed – great ways to see the city without spending any money!walking-tour
  15. Planning on research travel in 2016? Check out our essential guide for info on funding, collaboration opporunities, and researcher blogs from across the world.
  16. Make 2016 your most productive year yet with Academic Staff Development’s Seven Suggestions guide for Managing Your Time.
  17. Reflect on the skills training you completed in 2015 and update your STaR records in time for 2016.
  18. Revamp your CV with Vitae resources. Simply register your Bristol University email address and you can access content such as CV examples, advice on job applications, funding sources, raising your profile, and academic cover letters – to help you stand out for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.
  19. Most major research funders require some form of documentation at the application stage to explain how research data will be managed. Take the Bootcamp interactive tutorial to learn the fundamentals of research data management.
  20. Confused about all the systems available to you, and which ones you should or could be using? Check out ‘Essential Guide for Current Researchers‘ for a general overview.
  21. Write on the Cabot Institute’s online #uncertainworld grafitti wall and share your views on environmental uncertainty across disciplines.

    SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES
    SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES
  22. Check out these 9 Highly Useful Tools for Academics via Academia Obscura.
  23. Get ready for the 3-minute thesis competition by watching last year’s participant videos. 3MT
  24. Got your Viva next year? Read these top tips to prepare.
  25. Most importantly, make sure you stay at home on Monday January 4th, as the university isn’t open until January 5th – despite what our misinformed bulletin email might have said!

PhD Students Invite Employers for Job Interviews

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This guest post by Peter Wolanin from the School of Chemistry demonstrates what students and researchers can achieve with their own intitiative. He spoke to us about RISE, an event he coordinated to tackle the gap in interview practice and employability he had discussed with his peers.

What is the best way of preparing for a job interview? Most people would agree that attending one yourself is usually the most useful form of practice, as with many things in life, you learn quickest if you expose yourself to real-life situations. Sadly, job interviews are not easy to get and you do not really want to waste the single chance you have been given with your dream employer. Also, if you fail, then how do you find out about the things you did wrong? This can quickly turn into an egg-and-chicken problem; why not, for a change, invite an employer to a job interview instead?

This is exactly what students from the Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials (BCFN) and the Chemical Synthesis CDT did earlier this September. They took the initiative and organised the second edition of a one-day, practice job interview event called RISE – “Researcher Interview Skills Event”. The aim of RISE is to give postgraduate students from across the Faculties of Science and Engineering an opportunity to practice their job interview skills, improve their CVs and network with potential employers. RISE is an event for students, by students.

A total of 13 different companies were invited to interview students and provide feedback on their performance – but why did they decide to come in the first place? We offered them something quite simple: they help our PhD/MSc students prepare for real job interviews and, in return, they could raise awareness of their own companies among some of the most ambitious people in Bristol. This straightforward recipe was met with great interest and many got involved, including several big names such as Rolls-Royce, MBDA Systems, Royal Society of Chemistry, AES Corporation, ISIS Innovation and, of course, the University of Bristol.

In practice, students could consult their CVs with professional advisors and take part in 2-3 job interviews each. Those were organised to be as close to reality as possible, with them being required to thoroughly prepare for the positions they chose to apply for and having to follow a formal dress code. The jobs available ranged from sectors such as academia, teaching, management, science policy, publishing and industry. A total of 45 students from 7 different schools attended the event. An extra feature of the workshop was the assessment centre, a group case-study exercise that is commonly used during many interview processes; this year, the task was to organise a conference in groups of 4-5 people and then present your plan to the CEO of your  imaginary company.

According to feedback from all the participants, the above formula worked very well and, in fact, some of the employers have already declared they would be more than happy to come back again next year. Both parties – the students and the industrial partners –  realise that such workshops greatly increase the chances of people successfully finding jobs. One can never underestimate the power of networking. Here is what Professor Charl Faul, the Director of Graduate Recruitment in the School of Chemistry and head of the Faul Research Group who helped to interview for academic positions, thought about the outcome of the event: “What a fantastic event! Very well organized, and the buzz during the coffee breaks and lunch was a real indicator of the level of networking and success of the event! This is a must for all students interested in getting real-life experience in preparation for the job market.”

RISE 2015 was sponsored by the BCFN, the Chemical Synthesis CDT and the Bristol Doctoral College. The next edition is expected to take place around September 2016. Please contact Peter for more information or to offer help to run the programme next year.

Rise is an event run by students for students.
Rise is an event run by students for students.

#ALD15: Thei Zaza

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Thei Zaza is originally from Greece and is a PhD candidate at the Aerospace Department at University of Bristol. 

What is your specific area of research? 

I am working on a fleet of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles and I have designed different techniques to optimise their routes considering loitering and collision avoidance constraints. Mathematical modelling and software design have interested me from a very young age, as I come from an ‘Engineering’ family.

What inspired you to leave home and come study in the UK?

My brother’s courage and willing to study and succeed abroad have always fascinated me and inspired me. He has been my mentor my whole life, supporting me to achieve my goals since I can remember. And now, because of him, after 15 years since I first decided that I wanted to become a researcher in engineering, I am closer than ever to finish the hardest project I have ever been assigned.

Any inspirational words to pass on to budding female engineers?

Engineers do not have a gender. As long as you aim high, you will make it to the top!