{"id":4460,"date":"2026-08-18T08:14:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T08:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/?p=4460"},"modified":"2026-08-18T08:14:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T08:14:31","slug":"reconnecting-with-the-research-community-how-the-wolfson-summer-school-2026-re-energised-my-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/reconnecting-with-the-research-community-how-the-wolfson-summer-school-2026-re-energised-my-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Reconnecting with the research community: how the Wolfson Summer School 2026 re\u2011energised my perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this blog Ella Watson, a PhD student \u00a0at Cardiff University, reflects on how attending the Wolfson Summer School 2026 helped her realise that sometimes the best way to move your research forward is to step away from it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Doing a PhD is an incredible opportunity, but it can also make your world feel surprisingly small. Spending most days immersed in your own project can make it easy to lose sight of the wider research effort and the community of researchers, practitioners and professionals working towards the common goal of improving understanding of child and adolescent mental health. Attending the Wolfson Summer School was exactly the reset I didn\u2019t know I needed.<\/p>\n

Over a few days, I had the chance to step away from my own research and engage with an inspiring group of students, academics and professionals from across the UK and around the world. Conversations and opportunities for connection were just as valuable as the programme of lectures. The conversations were centered around the experience we share, the challenges we face, and offered some unique insight into the different paths that have brought people into research. It was a reminder that, although our projects may differ, we are all working with a common purpose in mind.<\/p>\n

As someone whose work focuses on linked administrative data, it was fascinating to hear about the breadth of research being conducted. I found the neuroscience sessions particularly engaging, offering insights into a discipline I have little direct experience of, but one that shares many common goals. It was refreshing to step outside my own area of expertise and be reminded of how interconnected different branches of research really are. The afternoon small group session exploring post-PhD funding options was another highlight of the programme for me.<\/p>\n

Despite the diversity of topics covered, it was also incredibly rewarding to hear my own area of research acknowledged throughout the programme. Hearing discussion of the use of linked data reinforced my appreciation of the importance of the work being undertaken in this space. It was a satisfying reminder that the questions I am exploring as part of my current research are part of much broader conversations taking place across the field, and that this research has the potential to contribute to meaningful change.<\/p>\n

The Wolfson Summer School left me feeling more connected, more curious and more motivated than ever. It reminded me that while a PhD can sometimes feel like an individual pursuit, it is also part of a much larger collaborative effort. Stepping outside my own project, meeting colleagues from across the world and discovering new perspectives has given me fresh enthusiasm for my research and renewed confidence in the value of the work I hope to contribute. Most importantly, it reminded me why I began this research journey in the first place.<\/p>\n

Connect with me:<\/p>\n

LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n

WatsonE11@cardiff.ac.uk<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Thank you so much to\u00a0Ella\u00a0for sharing her experience with us.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can see more information about the Summer School on our website<\/a>. To keep up with latest news and opportunities please join our mailing list<\/a> and follow us on social media.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this blog Ella Watson, a PhD student \u00a0at Cardiff University, reflects on how attending the Wolfson Summer School 2026 helped her realise that sometimes the best way to move […]","protected":false},"author":6962,"featured_media":4466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[267,152],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feed","category-summer-school"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/586\/2026\/07\/summer-school-blog-feature-image-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6962"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4462,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4460\/revisions\/4462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}