A blog for LSE PhD students, postdocs and LSE students considering a PhD
GalleryCracking into Data Science as a Social Scientist
Looking to transition into a tech career with an LSE PhD? In this guest blog LSE alumni Gokhan Ciflikli, International Relations LSE PhD 2018, now Senior Data Scientist at Attest shares his insights.
The School offers extensive support for careers where quantitatively-inclined alumni have been historically exceptionally successful. The ever-growing tech industry is a field in which your numerical expertise will be regarded […]
GalleryWorking outside academia as an LSE PhD: what’s it like and how do you get there?
Five PhD qualified LSE alumni spoke to current PhD students and staff about their experiences. Speakers working in data science; the UK civil service; and environmental organisations told their stories.
The speakers were:
1 Gokhan Ciflikli, International Relations LSE PhD 2018, Senior Data Scientist at Attest
2 Maria Carvalho, Geography and Environment LSE PhD 2014, Senior Consultant Climate Policy, South Pole
3 Shuxiu Zhang, International Relations LSE PhD 2013, […]
GalleryHow I got here…for now
Shuxiu Zhang (International Relations, LSE, PhD 2013, now Head of EU Negotiations, HM Treasury, in the UK Civil Service) writes about her experience of leaving academia and moving into and onward for the New Zealand and UK Governments.
It’s now been six years since my PhD graduation ceremony in the Peacock Theatre. What feels like six lifetimes ago. I was in […]
GalleryWorking for the Brilliant Club as a PhD student
MacKenzie Common, LSE PhD student in Law has spent some time building her portfolio of experience alongside her studies by working part time in schools, supported by the Brilliant Club. Here she writes about that experience.
One of the most rewarding experiences of my PhD has been working for The Brilliant Club.
The Brilliant Club is a non-profit organisation that places […]
GalleryHow to find and apply for research fellowships and post-doc funding
It’s tough making post-doc applications. The competition is stiff. Is the effort worth it? We hold an annual seminar sharing ways to make successful applications from different points of view. Perhaps, you could be successful too! Our speakers in recent years were:
Dr Jana Uher, Senior Research Fellow and holder of a Marie Curie Fellowship in Psychological and Behavioural […]
GalleryPhD students: Need to work whilst you study?
Should you or shouldn’t you work whilst you study? I hear a number of reasons why LSE PhD students can and can’t work while they are studying.
What’s right for you?
The issues might include:
time – you don’t have enough
money – you might need more
capacity – how much headspace is available?
gaining experience – what sort do you […]
GalleryWhat to do as you come to the end of your PhD
As a PhD student coming towards the end of writing your PhD thesis, submission is the priority and making many job applications is not easy now. Thinking about the future at this stage can be unnerving (unless you have been very well organised and secured a position already).
This post is to reassure those of you without firm plans that there […]
Preparing for a career in academia
PhD students and researchers wanting to pursue an academic career will need a range of experience, built up during (and after) the period of PhD study.
LSE PhD Graduates tell their tales of progressing into academia
Ruth Garland (Media and Comms 2014) “an emerging scholar at 50 – odd” now Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire
David Hope (Government […]
GalleryHacking the USA academic job market
The team from ‘The Professor is In’ visited London to speak to PhD students about academic careers in the US and the messages were hard-hitting. For example 76% of academic staff in the US are on short term contracts; academic departments are shrinking; each vacant position attracts 200-900 applications; there are not enough academic positions to go round, and getting […]
GalleryThe Value of Volunteering during your PhD
Finding time to volunteer can be challenging, especially if you are a PhD student. Whilst it’s important to note that volunteering is not for everyone, maybe due to personal responsibilities, family or financial constraints, it can be a very enriching and rewarding experience for doctoral students.
Here Hannah Cottrell, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology, shares some of […]
GalleryLearning from PhD Alumni: working in International Organisations
Multiple factors influence career development and for PhD students, the interaction between external circumstances and personal priorities make every individual story unique. We regularly host alumni PhD career panels to learn from the experiences of our talented PhD graduates. Progression into roles in international organisations and think tanks is a popular topic. In this blog PhD and Research Staff […]
GalleryWork with the UK Government and Parliament: Opportunities for PhDs
Guest Blog from Megan Marsh, Public Affairs Team, LSE
Working with the UK Parliament
Parliament wants to know about the latest PhD research. And there are a number of ways you can feed your research into policy creation, from placements in Parliament specifically for PhD students, to special opportunities to highlight your research for a political audience.
The Parliamentary Office for Science […]
GalleryFinding your own path: one PhD’s non-traditional career journey
LSE PhD students move on to many and varied careers. The options are vast and you probably don’t yet know all those that are relevant to you. Here, Teresa Whitney (LSE PhD 2015, Social Psychology) describes how she taught herself about her dream job and offers her insights for how you might do this too.
The challenge
I didn’t go in […]
GalleryHow to ‘engage’ with public engagement
PhD students probably tire of hearing about public engagement, and how their research ‘fits’ in. It’s too niche, how will I explain it, would the public be interested? Taking the chance to get involved in school-wide activities provides a fantastic opportunity to raise a public profile about your research, without much effort and build a personal research portfolio at […]
GalleryPhD Internships? Yes, it’s a thing!
A good thing.
PhD internships provide you with an opportunity to widen your experience and achieve knowledge exchange. Find out more about what’s available for PhD students and learn about one student’s recent experience during his summer internship.
During summer 2018, LSE PhD student Tim Monteath from the Sociology Department spent 12 weeks at the Alan Turing Institute, the national institute […]
GalleryWomen’s careers in academia: ‘Institutions are greedy’
Experienced women academics shared insights regarding the early development and progression of careers in academia, from both their own career experience and from their research and leadership experience in academic institutions at an event recently hosted in the PhD Academy by LSE Careers. We agreed that ‘Institutions are greedy’ and individuals benefit from: 1) reflecting on their career; 2) working […]
Getting started on your PhD
With Freshers Week over and term starting proper, we thought it would be helpful to share some top tips with different groups of you about getting started and making the most of your time.
Here PhD student Mia Certo shares her top 5 tips for anyone about to embark on a PhD about how to make the best start possible.
[…]
GalleryInterview with an LSE Alum: Dr Natalia Buitron
This week read all about LSE Alum and current LSE postdoc fellow Natalia’s experience and journey as student, teacher and researcher, and her plans for the future. We hope it inspires you!
Tell us about your career path to date.
After I finished my MSc in the Anthropology of Learning and Cognition at LSE, I started a PhD in Social Anthropology […]
GalleryLife after the PhD: A Mature Student’s Perspective
Dr Keren Darmon spoke at a mature PhD students’ lunch about her experience of working in the communications industry before studying for her PhD as a mature student. Keren is an associate member of the Department of Media and Communications at LSE, where she completed her PhD. Her thesis is a feminist media studies project, entitled “Representing SlutWalk London in […]
Interviews for Academic Posts
If you’re currently undertaking a PhD you may already be thinking about life after the viva, in particular, securing an academic position. But before that happens, you have to have an academic interview! Fear not, our recent PhD Seminar with Anton Harder, LSE PhD International History (2016) and Bernard Keenan, LSE PhD Law (2018) covered just that. Both Anton, who […]
