Embracing the Unknown

Embracing the Unknown

Experiences of Studying for a PhD in the Social Sciences

Edited by Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles and Adam Lynes
Hardcover $130.00 Paperback $50.00

$130.00

Publication Date: 15th July 2025

This book offers a candid and unflinching account of the PhD experience in a sector marked by precarity, insecurity and intense competition. Throughout the volume, current and former PhD students reflect... Read More
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This book offers a candid and unflinching account of the PhD experience in a sector marked by precarity, insecurity and intense competition. Throughout the volume, current and former PhD students reflect... Read More
Description

This book offers a candid and unflinching account of the PhD experience in a sector marked by precarity, insecurity and intense competition. Throughout the volume, current and former PhD students reflect on their varied journeys, addressing challenges such as balancing study with family life, navigating ethical dilemmas and managing mental health.

The collection brings together a diverse range of voices from the PhD community, sharing personal thoughts, lived experiences and "in-the-moment" accounts of life as a doctoral candidate within the context of higher education.

By demystifying the PhD journey and offering valuable insights, this book serves as essential reading for both PhD students and their supervisors.

Details
  • Price: $130.00
  • Pages: 224
  • Publisher: Bristol University Press
  • Imprint: Policy Press
  • Publication Date: 15th July 2025
  • ISBN: 9781447373889
  • Format: Hardcover
  • BISACs:
    REFERENCE / Research
    EDUCATION / Higher
    STUDY AIDS / Graduate School Guides
Reviews
“The PhD journey isn’t easy and can feel like a ‘step into the unknown.’ Wherever you are in your own journey, seeking advice and guidance is worthwhile. This brilliant book shares personal PhD experiences in an accessible, supportive, and empowering way.” Nigel South, University of Essex
Author Bio

Sarah Jones is a Visiting Lecturer and a PhD Researcher in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Mikhail Azad is a PhD Researcher in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Liam Miles is a PhD researcher in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Adam Lynes is an Associate Professor in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Table of Contents

Foreword - Sarah Pemberton

Introduction - Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles, and Adam Lynes

PART I

1. Re- entering academia: the unexpected journey - Sarah Jones

2. Entering the fray: the hyper-competitive PhD environment - Alexander Black

3. Conceptualising a PhD topic: navigating my way through academia - Mikahil Azad

4. New horizons: moving countries to start the PhD - Eliska Suchomel Duskova

5. From home to the unknown: applying for postgraduate study in the UK from the global south - Manikandan Soundararajan

Editor reflections on Part I

PART II

6. Navigating the depths of grief: a journey through grief while pursuing a PhD - Rio Waldock

7. Double duty: undertaking PhD research while being a full- time lecturer - Charlotte Rigby

8. Balancing act: balancing family life with the PhD - Suzanne Baggs

9. Managing the mind and PhD’ing - Abigail Shaw

Editor reflections on Part II

PART III

10. Safety in cultures of precarity: complex trauma and the value of ‘trauma-informed’ PhD supervision - Lisa Edge

11. Working for nothing: the exploitation of postgraduate students - Kyla Bavin

12. How close is too close? Ethical tensions and reflections in the Breddon Centre - Kavya Padmanabhan

13. Methodology unravelled: safely crossing the research minefield - Liam Miles

Editor reflections on Part III

PART IV

14. ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: the Viva and beyond - Nick Gibbs

15. The whispers of doubt: ten years after the PhD and pervasive imposter syndrome - Adam Lynes

16. Fifteen years later, at the moral crossroads: retaining purpose and direction in the face of academic capitalism - Daniel Briggs

17. Mentoring moments: a collaborative reflection on supervision - Chelsea Braithwaite, Owen Hodgkinson, and James Treadwell

Editor reflections on Part IV

Conclusion - Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles, and Adam Lynes

This book offers a candid and unflinching account of the PhD experience in a sector marked by precarity, insecurity and intense competition. Throughout the volume, current and former PhD students reflect on their varied journeys, addressing challenges such as balancing study with family life, navigating ethical dilemmas and managing mental health.

The collection brings together a diverse range of voices from the PhD community, sharing personal thoughts, lived experiences and "in-the-moment" accounts of life as a doctoral candidate within the context of higher education.

By demystifying the PhD journey and offering valuable insights, this book serves as essential reading for both PhD students and their supervisors.

  • Price: $130.00
  • Pages: 224
  • Publisher: Bristol University Press
  • Imprint: Policy Press
  • Publication Date: 15th July 2025
  • ISBN: 9781447373889
  • Format: Hardcover
  • BISACs:
    REFERENCE / Research
    EDUCATION / Higher
    STUDY AIDS / Graduate School Guides
“The PhD journey isn’t easy and can feel like a ‘step into the unknown.’ Wherever you are in your own journey, seeking advice and guidance is worthwhile. This brilliant book shares personal PhD experiences in an accessible, supportive, and empowering way.” Nigel South, University of Essex

Sarah Jones is a Visiting Lecturer and a PhD Researcher in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Mikhail Azad is a PhD Researcher in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Liam Miles is a PhD researcher in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Adam Lynes is an Associate Professor in social sciences at Birmingham City University.

Foreword - Sarah Pemberton

Introduction - Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles, and Adam Lynes

PART I

1. Re- entering academia: the unexpected journey - Sarah Jones

2. Entering the fray: the hyper-competitive PhD environment - Alexander Black

3. Conceptualising a PhD topic: navigating my way through academia - Mikahil Azad

4. New horizons: moving countries to start the PhD - Eliska Suchomel Duskova

5. From home to the unknown: applying for postgraduate study in the UK from the global south - Manikandan Soundararajan

Editor reflections on Part I

PART II

6. Navigating the depths of grief: a journey through grief while pursuing a PhD - Rio Waldock

7. Double duty: undertaking PhD research while being a full- time lecturer - Charlotte Rigby

8. Balancing act: balancing family life with the PhD - Suzanne Baggs

9. Managing the mind and PhD’ing - Abigail Shaw

Editor reflections on Part II

PART III

10. Safety in cultures of precarity: complex trauma and the value of ‘trauma-informed’ PhD supervision - Lisa Edge

11. Working for nothing: the exploitation of postgraduate students - Kyla Bavin

12. How close is too close? Ethical tensions and reflections in the Breddon Centre - Kavya Padmanabhan

13. Methodology unravelled: safely crossing the research minefield - Liam Miles

Editor reflections on Part III

PART IV

14. ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’: the Viva and beyond - Nick Gibbs

15. The whispers of doubt: ten years after the PhD and pervasive imposter syndrome - Adam Lynes

16. Fifteen years later, at the moral crossroads: retaining purpose and direction in the face of academic capitalism - Daniel Briggs

17. Mentoring moments: a collaborative reflection on supervision - Chelsea Braithwaite, Owen Hodgkinson, and James Treadwell

Editor reflections on Part IV

Conclusion - Sarah Jones, Mikahil Azad, Liam Miles, and Adam Lynes

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