23 episodes

Are you a first year PhD student trying to figure out how to navigate grad life? Or maybe you're a fifth year looking for the motivation to write out the last chapter of your dissertation? Regardless of where you are or where you want to be, this is the podcast that talks all things grad school! The purpose of this podcast is to highlight some of the things that I, and others, wish they knew prior to starting their grad school journey. We will be covering a multitude of topics such as mental health, good practices, how to ace your first seminar, and much much more!

The PhD Survival Guide Podcast Ferass

    • Education
    • 4.8 • 8 Ratings

Are you a first year PhD student trying to figure out how to navigate grad life? Or maybe you're a fifth year looking for the motivation to write out the last chapter of your dissertation? Regardless of where you are or where you want to be, this is the podcast that talks all things grad school! The purpose of this podcast is to highlight some of the things that I, and others, wish they knew prior to starting their grad school journey. We will be covering a multitude of topics such as mental health, good practices, how to ace your first seminar, and much much more!

    22. How to navigate relationships in the PhD - Creating sustainable connections - With Dr. Victoria Godieva

    22. How to navigate relationships in the PhD - Creating sustainable connections - With Dr. Victoria Godieva

    Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! Pursuing a PhD can be a very isolating experience. You may soon come to realize that the demands of being a PhD student can consume your time. This drastic shift in your work-life balance can also significantly affect your relationships, including family, friends, and significant others. In this episode we talk with Dr. Victoria Godieva about how starting and pursuing our PhDs changed the relationships around us. We also talked about the qualities we looked for in relationships and how to create sustainable connections. As always, we hope you enjoy this episode!


    Dr. Victoria Godieva:

    Dr. Victoria Godieva is a recent PhD graduate in biochemistry from Florida International University. During her time in her PhD, Victoria worked diligently towards unraveling the mysteries of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK3) in the brain. While juggling her own personal projects, she was also a dedicated mentor to various masters and undergraduate level students within her laboratory, as well as various students in her teaching assistant position at FIU. She has been awarded with multiple honors including the transdisciplinary biomolecular and biomedical sciences fellowship, the Sylvia Turman scholarship, and the dissertation year fellowship. Outside of the laboratory, she is a strong advocate for female representation in STEM and has grown her public platform to voice her opinions on these important topics as well as student life, transparency on a day in the life, and mental health. Victoria will be continuing her academic journey at the prestigious Yale University.



    Connect with Victoria:

    Instagram: @Vicky.The.Scientist

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-godieva-4b73abaa/



    Want to be a guest or send me a voice message? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our linktree!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you enjoy this podcast and want to tune in as more episodes of the PhD Survival Guide come out, please leave the podcast a like or follow! This way, you will be notified every time a new episode airs. Please share us with your friends! Don't forget to leave us a review!



    If you have any suggestions for future episodes or topics you would like to hear about, please let me know in the Q&A section below! 



    Follow us on Instagram! ⁠⁠@PhDSG_Pod ⁠⁠



    DISCLAIMER: This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by myself, Ferass. While we do the best we can to gather information from various sources, it is important to remember that everything we say here is of our own opinions and inferences. All PhD students, mentors, and programs are unique and the advice may not always apply. We implore you to think with an open mind. The purpose of this podcast is to help guide and empower current and prospective students throughout their journeys. We appreciate your time.



    We are also on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts! 


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    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-phdsg-pod/message

    • 1 hr 46 min
    21. NOTHING IS WORKING!!! - How to properly troubleshoot - Don't be the definition of insanity

    21. NOTHING IS WORKING!!! - How to properly troubleshoot - Don't be the definition of insanity

    Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In my PhD, behind every single successful experiment, there were multiple (and I mean a ton) of failed experiments. That's totally normal! It's through failure that we learn how to find success, and you're going to fail a lot in your PhD. As such, it's important to learn how to properly troubleshoot an experiment or procedure. This also applies to those students that are doing their PhDs outside of STEM. So in this episode, I lay out a 6 step (technically 7 but whatever) guide as to how to generally tackle any troubleshooting procedures. So before you go back to banging your head against the wall, please listen in! I hope you enjoy the episode!



    Want to be a guest or send me a voice message? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our linktree!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you enjoy this podcast and want to tune in as more episodes of the PhD Survival Guide come out, please leave the podcast a like or follow! This way, you will be notified every time a new episode airs. Please share us with your friends! Don't forget to leave us a review!



    If you have any suggestions for future episodes or topics you would like to hear about, please let me know in the Q&A section below! 



    Follow us on Instagram! @PhDSG_Pod 



    DISCLAIMER: This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by myself, Ferass. While we do the best we can to gather information from various sources, it is important to remember that everything we say here is of our own opinions and inferences. All PhD students, mentors, and programs are unique and the advice may not always apply. We implore you to think with an open mind. The purpose of this podcast is to help guide and empower current and prospective students throughout their journeys. We appreciate your time.



    We are also on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts! 


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-phdsg-pod/message

    • 34 min
    20. Casual Conversations: Transforming your notes to transform your PhD - Tending to the knowledge garden - With Jorge Arango

    20. Casual Conversations: Transforming your notes to transform your PhD - Tending to the knowledge garden - With Jorge Arango

    Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, I talk to author Jorge Arango about his book - Duly Noted: Extend your mind through connected notes. This episode is packed with information on how to think differently about notes as well as how to use notes as tools to progress your research. As always, we hope you enjoy this episode!



    Get Duly Noted: Extend your mind through connected notes from Rosenfeld today with discount code PHDPOD for a limited time!

    Jorge Arango:
    Jorge Arango is an information architect, author, and educator. For the past three decades, he has used architectural thinking to bring clarity and direction to digital projects for clients ranging from non-profits to Fortune 500 companies. He’s the author of Duly Noted: Extend Your Mind Through Connected Notes, Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places, co-author of Information Architecture: for the Web and Beyond, and host of The Informed Life podcast. Besides consulting, writing, and podcasting, Jorge also teaches in the graduate interaction design program at the California College of the Arts.


    Connect with Jorge



    Want to be a guest or send me a voice message? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our linktree!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you enjoy this podcast and want to tune in as more episodes of the PhD Survival Guide come out, please leave the podcast a like or follow! This way, you will be notified every time a new episode airs. Please share us with your friends! Don't forget to leave us a review!



    If you have any suggestions for future episodes or topics you would like to hear about, please let me know in the Q&A section below! 



    Follow us on Instagram! ⁠@PhDSG_Pod ⁠



    DISCLAIMER: This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by myself, Ferass. While we do the best we can to gather information from various sources, it is important to remember that everything we say here is of our own opinions and inferences. All PhD students, mentors, and programs are unique and the advice may not always apply. We implore you to think with an open mind. The purpose of this podcast is to help guide and empower current and prospective students throughout their journeys. We appreciate your time.



    We are also on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts! 


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-phdsg-pod/message

    • 1 hr 17 min
    19. Casual Conversations: Recruitment limitations, online PhD, working full-time - With Vinita Puri

    19. Casual Conversations: Recruitment limitations, online PhD, working full-time - With Vinita Puri

    Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk about so many different topics and issues that various students face, but I never had to deal with personally. I spoke to Vinita Puri, an international online PhD student from Canada doing her research in the United States. Vinita covers her experiences with recruiting for her research, what it's like to do an online PhD, having a full-time job while being a full-time student, and so much more. Vinita has a robust background in academia and considers herself a lifelong learner. Her passion for her research is exemplified in this episode as well as in her bio below.



    Vinita Puri:

    Dr. Vinita Puri is a highly experienced Registered Social Worker, Accredited Mediator and Industrial/Organizational Coach that provides evidence-based and solution-focused services to support positive outcomes for individuals, families and groups. Over the past 20 years, she has gained expertise in alternative dispute resolution and clinical psychotherapy which has enhanced her ability to support individuals as they navigate through life transitions and develop resiliency in the face of adversity. Her passion for social justice fueled her desire to advocate for disability prevention and anti-oppressive policies/procedures in the workplace. Over the last 6 years, Dr. Puri has been providing consulting and coaching services to a wide range of organizations and human resource teams on change management, crisis/conflict management, addressing barriers to inclusion and employee engagement. Her expertise in mediation and clinical psychotherapy facilitates her ability to help individuals identify their unique strengths so they can remove barriers that impede personal growth and development.

    Dr. Puri holds a Doctorate (Honoria Causa) in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, a Master’s in Criminological Research, a Master’s in Social Work, and a Specialized Honours B.A. in Sociology. At the present time, she is completing her PhD at Walden University in Psychology (Self Design) while owning and operating a clinical practice. She is the Clinical Director of Resilience Counselling and Coaching Services which
    provides a range of specialty mental health services and programs that include mindfulness based training and cognitive psychotherapy. Dr. Puri is a Board Member of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators (OAFM) and on the
    Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC) of the Psi Chi International Honorary Society in Psychology. Most recently, she has joined Western State University as a Faculty Member for the MS. in Psychology Program at Western State University (USA).


    Connect with Vinita:

    Instagram: @Resilience_16

    Twitter/X: twitter.com/vinita_puri

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-vinita-puri-7647b7


    Want to be a guest or send me a voice message? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our linktree!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you enjoy this podcast and want to tune in as more episodes of the PhD Survival Guide come out, please leave the podcast a like or follow! This way, you will be notified every time a new episode airs. Please share us with your friends! Don't forget to leave us a review!



    If you have any suggestions for future episodes or topics you would like to hear about, please let me know in the Q&A section below! 



    Follow us on Instagram! @PhDSG_Pod 



    DISCLAIMER: This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by myself, Ferass. While we do the best we can to gather information from various sources, it is important to remember that everything we say here is of our own opinions and inferences. All PhD students, mentors, and programs are unique and the advice may not always apply. We implore you to think with an open mind. The purpose of this podcast is to help guide and empower current and prospective students throughout their journeys. We appreciate your time.



    We are also on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts! 


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podca

    • 1 hr 43 min
    18. Conquering comprehensive exams - Comps, quals, prelims - What are they and why are they so scary?

    18. Conquering comprehensive exams - Comps, quals, prelims - What are they and why are they so scary?

    Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! At some point of your career as a PhD student, you will have to take the dreaded comprehensive exams (comps for short). Doesn't sound familiar? Maybe you call them preliminary exams or qualifying exams. Regardless, this exam is a necessary requirement for all PhD students to become PhD candidates. In this episode, I talk about why comps are so scary, what exam committees are and how to use them to your advantage, as well as the major formats of your comps and what to expect!



    Want to be a guest or send me a voice message? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our linktree!⁠⁠⁠⁠



    If you enjoy this podcast and want to tune in as more episodes of the PhD Survival Guide come out, please leave the podcast a like or follow! This way, you will be notified every time a new episode airs. Please share us with your friends! Don't forget to leave us a review!



    If you have any suggestions for future episodes or topics you would like to hear about, please let me know in the Q&A section below! 



    Follow us on Instagram! @PhDSG_Pod 



    DISCLAIMER: This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by myself, Ferass. While we do the best we can to gather information from various sources, it is important to remember that everything we say here is of our own opinions and inferences. All PhD students, mentors, and programs are unique and the advice may not always apply. We implore you to think with an open mind. The purpose of this podcast is to help guide and empower current and prospective students throughout their journeys. We appreciate your time.



    We are also on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts! 


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-phdsg-pod/message

    • 34 min
    17. How to present with no data? - Seminar and presentation formatting - Ace your first presentation!

    17. How to present with no data? - Seminar and presentation formatting - Ace your first presentation!

    Welcome to the PhD Survival Guide Podcast! In this episode, we talk about how to give a presentation when you still have little to no data to present on. Whether you're a first year PhD or just starting a new project, you might be expected to present on your work and that can be pretty scary! Don't worry at all as I will go over how to format your presentation and recount my first ever seminar and what I learned from it!



    Want to be a guest or send me a voice message? ⁠⁠⁠Check out our linktree!⁠⁠⁠



    If you enjoy this podcast and want to tune in as more episodes of the PhD Survival Guide come out, please leave the podcast a like or follow! This way, you will be notified every time a new episode airs. Please share us with your friends! Don't forget to leave us a review!



    If you have any suggestions for future episodes or topics you would like to hear about, please let me know in the Q&A section below! 



    Follow us on Instagram! @PhDSG_Pod 



    DISCLAIMER: This podcast was written, produced, and hosted by myself, Ferass. While we do the best we can to gather information from various sources, it is important to remember that everything we say here is of our own opinions and inferences. All PhD students, mentors, and programs are unique and the advice may not always apply. We implore you to think with an open mind. The purpose of this podcast is to help guide and empower current and prospective students throughout their journeys. We appreciate your time.



    We are also on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts! 


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-phdsg-pod/message

    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
8 Ratings

8 Ratings

cchevaliercmskwj&8 ,

General Topics Helpful for Any PhD!

I’m a second year art history PhD, so some of the STEM specific topics are less relatable, but general topic episodes are super helpful! Really appreciate the time the host spends making these! This is maybe too far out of the STEM wheelhouse, but one of the things I see a lot of my peers struggle with is getting a PhD in a field that has very poor financial/job prospects (most humanities phds, tbh!), and how to stay motivated and excited about our work despite this. Would really appreciate an episode on anxiety about what comes next once the phd is nearing its end 🙂

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