Hannah Ryan (She/ Her) is a doctoral researcher in Sociology and Policy at the School of Languages and Social Sciences, Aston University. Her research explores the visual portrayal of refugees and asylum seekers in British newspapers, drawing on an intersectional framework which examines the impact of gender, race, religion and age on visual representation. Follow her on Twitter: @HannahRyan22

Lessons I Have Learnt From My PhD

Hannah Ryan shares her valuable experiences and lessons learnt throughout her PhD journey. She emphasizes the importance of engaging in other activities besides research, combating loneliness, maintaining good relationships with supervisors, consistent writing and using rejections as learning experiences.

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The H in PhD Stands for Hope: Remaining Hopeful in a PhD Journey

The PhD journey can make us lose hope, feeling trapped in the melancholy that often befriends the doctoral journey. But this empowering and uplifting article, written from a South African perspective, explores the idea of hope being an important friend to PhD candidates, helping us reach the finish line to graduation. Alongside the author’s personal journey with mental health, the article emphasises the importance of prioritising wellbeing, changing strategy when things aren’t working, and always remaining hopeful for the future.

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Juggling Parenthood, Disability, Work and Academia

Is it possible to juggle being a single parent, working in paid employment, having a disability and being part of academia? Definitely possible, but it can be a demanding and overwhelming experience. This article discusses the struggles and achievements of one such PhD student juggling these areas, and hopes to encourage you to not give up and ask for help whenever you need it!

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