[PhD] December 2024 Updates
Passing a PhD milestone, planning for 2025 and craving falafel wraps
Top Learnings
PhD Milestones can be fun (in the end…)
I need to plan for conferences in advance
Taking a week to prepare for next year has been very useful
I was ready for a break
A bit more about each of them
PhD Milestones can be fun (in the end…)
I passed my Transfer of status. My university has three exams: Transfer Viva, Confirmation of Status and the Final Viva. They are about a year and a half apart each. I am now a “PhD Candidate”.
The exam consisted of me presenting my research to a panel of professors and submitting a report beforehand. I still experience anxiety presenting my work to people “higher than me” in academic status. Something to be aware of in the coming year.
Phew. Only two more vivas left. Still a long road ahead, but still.
I need to plan for conferences in advance
2025 is already filling up with conferences, plans etc.
Balancing attending academic training and meetings with my race calendar is challenging, but is also a fun problem at the same time.
Another problem that sometimes arises for me is “overplanning” so I am trying to find a good balance. The comic below summarises my thoughts exactly.
Taking a week to prepare for next year has been very useful.
After my transfer, I took a week to catch up on papers and explore things more creatively.
I didn’t put pressure on myself to “produce” anything useful. This nicely aligned with the release of the Mirror Life paper and allowed me to respond. I also had a burst of creative energy and came up with another project idea for this year. If you like me, are interested in forecasting and biology, this might be of interest to you. Shoot me a DM.
I was ready for a break
I am currently on holiday and I have been enjoying my time off and spending time with my family.
I’ve had lots of interesting reflections while being back in Russia about my personal life, academics, politics and mainly about the privilege I hold to be able to travel between these places during a time of geopolitical upheaval.
Thankfully I have recuperated, though the constant craving for a falafel wrap remains since August 2023.
Paper Corner
Man arrested after high-value cheese theft - a truly British story (link)
Graphs from The Anxious Generation (link)
Counterarguments and then counter counter-arguments about social media and mental health (link)
Why play is important to maintaining mental health. Relevant to both kids and adults IMO. (link)
Even the Nordic Nations have a mental health epidemic (link)
Alcohol and links to seven types of cancer. If you need yet another reason to cut down your alcohol consumption. (link)
Counter Update
