PhD: Addicted to Researc‪h‬ The Society for the Study of Addiction

One of the most important aspects of any PhD is the relationship you have with your supervisors. Having an effective working relationship with all your supervisors can make all the difference to the three (and more) years you will spend on your PhD. In this episode Merve, Carol and Dan talk about their experiences of being supervised, as well as sharing their top tips for 'managing' your supervisors; from effective communication, to how to prompt a busy academic for a reply to an email you sent last week.
Merve talks to Dr Tom Freeman about his experiences supervising PhD students. Dr Freeman gives us the insider view on this central PhD relationship. He also outlines some of the things that students can, and should ask of their supervisors.

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The first few weeks of your PhD can be confusing. In this podcast, Chloe, Carol and Zoe take you through what to do, where to look and what your priorities should be in those first few weeks. The team talk about the importance of meeting your supervisors, finding a computer that works, and making sure you complete all your inductions (including the ones you don't know about). They work hard to avoid making 'paperwork' a theme for the whole podcast.
Chloe talks to Oli Schofield who is the Doctoral Engagement Manager at Bath University who shares his advice, experiences and top tips for making sure you start your PhD on the right foot.
The team also explore whether or not 'PhDing' is a real word.

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Together, the SSA's annual PhD symposium and conference showcase some of the most up-to-date research by PhD students and by long-established researchers. In this episode of PhD: Addicted to research, Dan, Jo-Anne and Merve talk about their experiences at this year's conference picking out their highlights (including brain disease models, societal harms, cannabis use disorders, ethnography) and discuss what it is like attending a conference online.
Jo-Anne talks to Dr Inge Kersbergen who has helped to organise the PhD symposium since 2019 about some of the challenges and joys of being involved in such a large-scale event.

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During your PhD there will be dozens of opportunities to do other things. How can you tell which are worth doing and which will consume all your time for little reward? This week Jo-Anne, Carol and Merve unpick the plethora of options facing PhD students everywhere, from teaching, to conferences and podcasting. They speak to Dr Rachel Orritt who now works at Cancer Research UK about her experiences during and after her PhD, and about which opportunities employers will look for. And which will genuinely look good on your CV.
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Carol, Jo-Anne and Merve cover everything you need to know about getting funding for your PhD. They cover the many (many) routes to finding and applying for funding, as well as advice on how to make an application, which organisations to approach for funding and how to get used to rejection. The team shares their own experiences along the way.
Merve interviews Professor Matt Hickman who gives his advice for PhD applicants on how to make sure your application is selected, and how to approach an interview for funding.
Here are a few links that the team refer to through the podcast.
Find A PhD: https://www.findaphd.com/Alternative guide to postgraduate funding: https://www.postgraduate-funding.com/Society for the Study of Addiction PhD funding: https://www.addiction-ssa.org/funding/phd-studentships/UCL Overseas Research Scholarship: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/overseas-research-scholarshipsWelcome Trust PhD funding: https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/doctoral-studentshipsUCL Wellcome Trust PhDs in Mental Health: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mental-health/study/ucl-wellcome-4-year-phd-mental-health-science Research and Innovation updated eligibility criteria: https://www.ukri.org/our-work/developing-people-and-skills/find-studentships-and-doctoral-training/get-a-studentship-to-fund-your-doctorate/    Research and Innovation updated eligibility criteria: https://www.ukri.org/our-work/developing-people-and-skills/find-studentships-and-doctoral-training/get-a-studentship-to-fund-your-doctorate/ National Institute for Health Research: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/ESRC https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/PhD loans: https://www.gov.uk/doctoral-loan
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Zoe, Chloe and Dan discuss the first 6 months of a PhD. The team reflect on how they felt when they started and talk about exciting moments and challenges they encountered along the way.
Dan interviews Professor Sally Cutler from the University of East London to get some expert advice on starting out including having realistic expectations, taking things step-by-step and the importance of the supervisory relationship. Listeners may also spot the guest appearance from Sally’s cat!
There are also some tips on organising your project and remembering the happy moments from your PhD.

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