PRES: Having your say on the student experience

Posted on 16 April 2019 by doctoral-academy-blog

Next week you will see an email about the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) arriving in your inbox. Here, Dr James Farror tells us why it’s so important that you take this opportunity to have your say. As a postgraduate researcher (PGR) at Cardiff, there are many ways in which you can share honest and
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The Wandering Earth: why you need to see China’s latest sci-fi blockbuster

Posted on 25 March 2019 by doctoral-academy-blog

Wandering Earth poster. IMDB Hiu Man Chan, School of Journalism, Media and Culture As China demonstrated its space credentials by landing a lunar probe on the far side of the moon in January 2019, a science fiction movie was hitting mainland cinemas that could also redefine China’s credentials as a maker of global cinema. The
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The importance of LGBT+ inclusivity in higher education

Posted on 12 February 2019 by doctoral-academy-blog

Maurice O’Brien, Lecturer in School of Healthcare Sciences Despite momentous legislative change to support and protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) people, they continue to report they experience or fear discrimination. This discrimination can present in differing contexts across LGBT+ peoples’ lifespan, often having profound negative effects on their interactions with society, educational attainment,
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Disordered eating: why is it so important to study?

Posted on 5 February 2019 by doctoral-academy-blog

Do you know the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating? On Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Kai Thomas from School of Psychology explains why the relationship between the two is so important. Overall, clinical eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa are pretty uncommon, with prevalence rates around 1-3% in the general population. One of the main barriers to accessing treatment for
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Explaining the link between ADHD and depression

Posted on 4 February 2019 by doctoral-academy-blog

Victoria Powell, PhD Researcher, School of Medicine (Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience) During this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week, undoubtedly there will be children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) receiving mental health support up and down the UK. ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders and it is associated
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LinkedIn Learning: learn about statistics and speed reading from your sofa!

Posted on 13 November 2018 by doctoral-academy-blog

LinkedIn Learning is an online platform that offers a variety of courses to help you develop your business, creative and technological skills.  As part of our mission to make skills development more convenient and accessible to postgraduate researchers throughout their degree, we are trialing the platform over the next year.  All students prior to the writing-up
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Your place in your Union: supporting PGRs through the SU

Posted on 23 October 2018 by doctoral-academy-blog

Guest post by Jake Smith, Vice President Postgraduate Students @PostgradCSU It’s fair to say the experience of studying as a postgraduate researcher is very different to that of most other students. Gone are the days of exams, 2,000 word essays and having a couple of lectures a day with the 150 other students on your
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Building international links: the China Scholarship Council Special Interest Group

Posted on 25 September 2018 by doctoral-academy-blog

The Doctoral Academy strives to make valuable links both nationally and internationally, and we recently welcomed a group of Senior Managers from Chinese universities, representing the China Scholarship Council Special Interest Group. The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is a non-profit organisation that provides financial aid for Chinese citizens to study abroad, and for international students to study in China.
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Are you a lurker or a sharer? Why you should be sharing your research online

Posted on 18 September 2018 by doctoral-academy-blog

“What experience do you have of using digital or social media to raise your research profile?” This was a question a fellow PhD student asked me in a mock interview at the Doctoral Academy’s Career Management for Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers workshop not too long ago. And there it was – the realisation that
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Alzheimer’s is slowly giving up its secrets – and ‘risk genes’ are just one piece of the puzzle

Posted on 3 September 2018 by doctoral-academy-blog

David Smart/Shutterstock.com September is World Alzheimer’s Month – an annual international campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia. Here, Anna Burt (School of Medicine) tells us how researchers are using genetic information to piece together our understanding of the disease. Although the causes of Alzheimer’s disease remain a mystery, genetic research
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