My PhD Journey - Andrea

 

When I started my undergraduate degree in Mathematics, I didn’t really know what I planned to do afterwards and a PhD didn’t enter the consideration until the end of my second year, after taking a fluid dynamics module. This was a course I really enjoyed, and I spent the following summer reading about the various research that it could lead to. At this point, I decided to pursue a PhD and follow my interest in the topic further. I knew PhD students through some of the societies I was part of, which meant I could talk to them before starting to understand better what a PhD was like and whether it could be something to enjoy.  

  

Did you ever doubt it was right for you? 

I applied to the Fluid Dynamics CDT at Leeds during my third year, before I had done any form of research, so I was worried that I would start and learn it wasn’t for me. By doing a small research project in the summer before starting at the CDT, I was able to get a better sense of what research entailed, which left me feeling more confident to start my PhD.  

 

What area should I research? 

While I knew I wanted to do a PhD in fluid dynamics, I wasn’t sure about which specific area to go into. By joining a CDT, I was able to explore the different pathways in more depth, being exposed to a wide range of research happening at the university. This allowed me to understand what areas of research I enjoyed most. I would highly recommend attending research talks and seminars to get more of an insight into current research in your field.  

  

Why do I think doing a PhD was the right choice for me? 

Personally, the main reason I chose a PhD was because I want to follow my interest in fluid dynamics and a PhD opens a lot of routes to do so. A PhD also allows me freedom to explore mathematical problems without the need for them to be directly applicable to industry. In addition, I enjoy the challenge of research and while it can be very frustrating at times, I get a lot of satisfaction from it.   

  

What’s the most important thing you need to do a PhD? 

I think a key skill you need to do a PhD is having the organisation and self-motivation to manage your time. There’s a lot of flexibility within a PhD to work when and however much you want, as there’s very few deadlines and structure built in. This means it’s really important to be able to be consistent with work and be able to keep trying to make progress, even when things aren’t working as expected. 

 

Rather than a traditional PhD, I am part of the Fluid Dynamics CDT at Leeds. A Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) is a UKRI-funded doctoral programme that allocates funding based on a particular theme. It combines one year of MSc training in that subject area with three years of PhD research and provides a generous amount of funding covering a stipend and a research grant for those four years.  

  

How does joining a CDT work? 

Rather than applying directly for a specific research project with a particular supervisor, I applied to join the CDT with no concrete idea of what I would be researching beyond the general theme of fluid dynamics. I submitted a central application and was interviewed by the CDT panel, which covered my previous experience in the subject area and what I would bring to the incoming cohort. In the first semester, we all undertook the same training courses and attended seminars on a wide range of topics within fluid dynamics to get a broad understanding of the topic. In the second semester, we were presented with a list of around forty options for potential PhD projects, but we also had the option to create our own proposals if there was a specific theme we wanted to work on.  

 

Are they a good thing to be part of?  

One major benefit of joining a CDT is getting four years of stipend and a generous research grant, which can cover research expenses and travel to conferences, as well as opportunities such as placements with industry or other universities. As the funding is given to you rather than a specific PhD project, it also gives greater flexibility to pick and design a PhD topic. Through the MSc component, you get the chance to learn more about the field, before having to lock in a particular PhD topic. 

Another positive of a CDT is the cohort approach. Within each cohort, there are people with a range of experience and degree backgrounds. This means we can share our different strengths and learn a lot from different ways of thinking, while all having PhD projects within the overarching theme.  

If you’re interested in working with industry after your PhD, then a CDT can be a great choice. My CDT has strong links with industry partners, which we’ve been able to work with during our MSc research project and study groups. There are also a number of PhD projects each year that are either directly proposed by industry or have an industry connection. 

What drawbacks are there to joining a CDT? 

A CDT might not be for you if you have a specific PhD area you want to work on and are looking to start that straight away, as the MSc component of the CDT means you don’t start your PhD until the first year. This can be good if you’re not sure what you want to do or want more training in the area before starting, but if you’re looking to jump straight into a PhD, the first year could be frustrating. 

Another potential drawback of being part of a CDT is that administration processes can sometimes be more complicated. For example, the CDT I’m part of is located within the School of Computing, while my research area and supervisors fall within maths. This has meant I’ve had to be more proactive with reaching out to the School of Maths about opportunities such as teaching or information about internal seminars and events, which weren’t directly advertised to me.  

 

 

How was the transition from offer to starting? 

In my case, as part of a Centre of Doctoral Training (CDT), I had an MSc component as part of my offer, so the transition was gradual. Even after picking my PhD topic, I didn’t start it straight away as I was doing a research project for the MSc component. This meant that I could build up my experience doing research before starting the PhD, so the shift was less sudden. However, it still took some figuring out to learn what I was expected to do day to day when there was often no clear task or goal, and that it is normal to spend a large chunk of time at the start reading around the subject without knowing what your own contribution might be.   

A large difference I found between the MSc research project and doing a PhD was in how structured the project was, and the amount of independence I was expected to have. At MSc level, the project was well-defined before starting, and while the scope changed over time, a lot of this was heavily guided by my supervisors. A PhD is much longer and less defined, so there’s a lot of exploration and figuring out your own path.   

  

What did you do in your first 6 months/1 year? 

The first year of my PhD was working out what my project was! While there was an overarching goal for the PhD, figuring out my exact research question was and what I would end up doing took a lot of time and reading about the topic and a lot of dead ends. This could be very frustrating at times, as I had little to show for my work and had spent most of my first year on things that didn’t work out or that I decided not to follow through with as I slowly refined what my project would be. What helped during this period was making sure to have regular meetings with my supervisor, even when I hadn’t made much progress or was feeling stuck, as it was always useful to be able to work through ideas with someone else and get the reassurance that progress in a PhD is rarely linear.  

How does the PhD change over time? 

During the second year, I managed to refine the project scope and research questions, which gave me concrete tasks and goals to work towards. This didn’t mean smooth sailing – very often, things that seem like they would be quick and easy end up taking far longer than planned. However, it was a lot more motivating knowing I was working on things that would make it to my thesis, which helped work through the more challenging times. 

I’m currently in my third (and final) year of the PhD. There’s still a lot of research left to do, but this is now balanced with a lot of writing, as I prepare work I have done for publication and write up methods and literature reviews to go in my final thesis. It still feels like I have a long way to go, but progress in a PhD is often exponential, as you build skills and knowledge in your niche area.  

What does my day look like? 

My work involves a mix of numerical simulations and mathematical analysis of the results, both of which I can do at any time and from anywhere. This means I have a lot of flexibility to work when and where I want, but I find that having a schedule allows me to stay consistent and balance my PhD with external commitments. I tend to work from the PhD office from 9 to 5 on weekdays, which is what works best for me. On top of my PhD work, I might spend a few hours teaching or working on outreach and spend a couple of hours attending seminars to hear about other research happening at the university.