Black Future Dr is a brand new podcast dedicated to showcasing the experiences of black and black mixed doctoral students in the UK (including those pursuing PhDs, as well as professional and medical doctorates).
Episodes will be released weekly starting from Monday 3rd May 2021, and will feature a different student, studying a different doctorate, at a different university.
Every episode is hosted by Nina Higson-Sweeney, a black mixed student currently studying towads a PhD in Psychology at the University of Bath.
Each episode will be 20 minutes long, and will be an informal interview between Nina and a host of guest speakers. Topics we discuss range from supervision to mentorship; from non-traditional pathways to mental health; from the application processes to future careers.
You can keep up-to-date with Black Future Dr and Nina on Twitter (@BlackFutureDr and @n_higsonsweeney).
Funding for this podcast was provided by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership (@_SWDTP on Twitter).
Podcast cover art was created by Hannah Balogun (@hannah_balogun on Instagram).
All music is from Epidemic Sounds (see their website).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Black Future Dr is a brand new podcast dedicated to showcasing the experiences of black and black mixed doctoral students in the UK (including those pursuing PhDs, as well as professional and medical doctorates).
Episodes will be released weekly starting from Monday 3rd May 2021, and will feature a different student, studying a different doctorate, at a different university.
Every episode is hosted by Nina Higson-Sweeney, a black mixed student currently studying towads a PhD in Psychology at the University of Bath.
Each episode will be 20 minutes long, and will be an informal interview between Nina and a host of guest speakers. Topics we discuss range from supervision to mentorship; from non-traditional pathways to mental health; from the application processes to future careers.
You can keep up-to-date with Black Future Dr and Nina on Twitter (@BlackFutureDr and @n_higsonsweeney).
Funding for this podcast was provided by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership (@_SWDTP on Twitter).
Podcast cover art was created by Hannah Balogun (@hannah_balogun on Instagram).
All music is from Epidemic Sounds (see their website).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, I chat with fellow ACRC member and Forbes 30 under 30 honouree Sigourney Bell, who is currently studying for a PhD in Oncology at the University of Cambridge. Sigourney explains the research she’s currently doing in her lab, which involves improving our understanding of a rare form of paediatric brain tumour, called supratentorial ependymoma. She then shares her experience of being a first generation academic, and her five-year journey from graduating at undergraduate to starting her PhD. Sigourney candidly reflects on the positives and negatives of having that break in study, and shares how she manages to maintain her motivation and deal with feelings of Imposter Syndrome. We then chat about the Black In Cancer network, an amazing initiative co-founded by Sigourney that is focused on promoting the visibility of black cancer researchers, encouraging black students to pursue STEM subjects, and working to strengthen and educate the black community about cancer.
Guest bio
Sigourney is a second-year PhD student at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute at the University of Cambridge. Her PhD is funded by Cancer Research UK and focusses on developing novel models and therapeutics for a rare paediatric brain tumour, with the long-term goal of using this knowledge to create new therapies for children who currently have little to no treatment options beyond surgery. Prior to her PhD, Sigourney completed her BSc in Human Physiology at the University of Leeds and went on to work for both Pfizer and AstraZeneca in neuroscience and oncology and contributed to a number of peer-reviewed journal articles. Alongside her PhD, Sigourney is also co-founder of Black in Cancer, an organisation that aims to empower and encourage future Black Cancer leaders whilst reducing cancer disparities through education and advocacy. She was also recently named as a Forbes 30 under 30 honouree for her work. you can keep up to date with sigourney's work by following her on Twitter (@siggs28) and Instagram (@siggs28).
Host bio
Nina Higson-Sweeney is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. Her PhD is funded by the ESRC through the South West Doctoral Training Partnership, and she is using mixed methods to explore the symptom of fatigue within adolescent depression. Prior to her PhD, Nina completed a BSc in Psychology and a MSc Health Psychology at the University of the West of England. Nina has contributed to several peer-reviewed journal articles throughout her degrees, exploring topics such as depression, CFS/ME, HIV, and loneliness and mental health in children and young people. You can follow her on Twitter (@n_higsonsweeney) and ResearchGate.
Links to organisations
If you want to check out the African-Caribbean Research Collective, you can join us here.
Interested in learning more about the Black In Cancer network? Check out there website here, and their Nature blog here.
Credits
Funding for this podcast is provided by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership (@_SWDTP on Twitter).
Cover art is by the talented Hannah Balogun (@hannah_balogun on Instagram).
Intro music is ‘I Was Messed Up (Instrumental Version)’ by Ella Faye, from Epidemic Sound.
Outro music is ‘Stereo (Instrumental Version)’ by Ella Faye, from Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.