RED Alert is running a series of posts where we hear from La Trobe graduate researchers who are (for lots of reasons) outside of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next up, I invited Dipjyoti Goswami to share his thoughts on how COVID-19 has impacted his doctoral research in North-East India. 

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COVID 19, has caused immense ripple effects and significant disruption to students in general, and more specifically to international students worldwide. My case is no different. I am a student of the Linguistics department at La Trobe University pursuing my PhD and am currently overseas in North East India conducting my field research.

Both of the following photos are from Arunachal Pradesh, North East India where I went for my field trip. In the first picture I am sitting with one of my language informants. And in the second picture I was with my principal Supervisor Associate Professor Stephen Morey, and Kellen Parker who recently completed his PhD from La Trobe, along with other community members.

Image provided by Dipjyoti

Image provided by Dipjyoti

However, due to the global pandemic, my research has been interrupted. I have made several trips to Arunachal Pradesh (my field site) which shares borders with my home province of Assam.

Nevertheless, in my most recent field trip, I got stuck in a village due to a nationwide lock-down in India. I had to stay there for over a month in a very unusual situation. The first few days went smoothly, but at some point, rumours began spreading that since I was an outsider I may have the virus.  Some villagers also worried about my travel history after coming from Australia. Aside from all that, I was not able to do much work during my one month stay because of the outbreak. Finally, after 31 days, with the help of local authorities and government officials, I was able to come back home to Assam where I was put in home quarantine for 14 days.

Life in Australia and in India is very different. During my stay in Australia, I was spending most of my time on research activities. Similarly, in India also the first few months were quite good. I was doing my field work, visited Gauhati University and spent time there, attended the 11th North East Indian Linguistics Society conference and presented, and the rest spent time with my family. However, after February 2020, when COVID19 hit India and the whole country was under lock down, things changed. I have no access to my field site, and so I am continuing my work from home. It is not easy to continue work during the pandemic. Everyone is afraid of the virus. There is lots of pressure and anxiety, which does make it difficult to concentrate on my academic work.

While writing this blog post my laptop also stopped functioning, which makes getting work done even more difficult – and there are no repair shops open at the moment. Although, we all are going through a very tough time, I am trying to seek positive vibes by doing small things such as reading a book, playing video games, talking to friends and colleagues, and helping my wife, etc.

As an international student, I must say that La Trobe University has provided us with all kinds of information related to the current situation and has extended my study away period up until October. Furthermore, I am attending various departmental seminars, supervisor meetings, etc., via Zoom, which is a nice way to experience being in an academic environment while being far away from Australia.

Finally, I would like to conclude by thanking our paramedics, teachers, and to all of you who are working hard to sustain life on this planet. May we overcome this situation soon together.

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Dipjyoti Goswami is a graduate researcher in the Department of Languages and Linguistics at La Trobe University. You can find our more about Deep’s research here and follow him on Twitter @MDareDeep

The post PhDing amid COVID-19 in North-East India (Dipjyoti Goswami) appeared first on Research Education and Development.

RED Alert is running a series of posts where we hear from La Trobe graduate researchers who are (for lots of reasons) outside of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next up, I invited Lester Jones, who is undertaking a PhD at the Judith Lumley Centre to share his thoughts on working and finishing off his PhD from Singapore.

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I am working in Singapore while completing my PhD studies part-time. This tiny island state – 50km by 27km – was initially seen as the exemplar of how to manage the threat of COVID-19. It did great. From early on we were required to declare our good health two times a day, accompanied by body temperature readings. Temperature checks were extended to other businesses including restaurants and hair salons but we were more or less unrestricted in our activities.

I was stopped one day, after a short but hot walk in the equatorial sun, at the National University of Singapore. I ended up in the ‘hot zone’ – the hot zone being the cordoned off area for those with suspect temperature readings. A place for feeling judged I found out! The gatekeepers were very polite and suggested I take a seat and they would reassess in a few minutes but I was not going to be touching or sitting on anything in the hot-zone! The few minutes was all it took to cool my temperature and I was on my way.

Things seemed to be going well with enforced measures but recent increases in infection, mainly in the dormitory-housed foreign worker population, has demanded tougher restrictions – a lockdown or as the government describes it a ‘circuit breaker’. So me, my wife who is also an academic, and two teenagers have had to find ways to continue with our work and school in our three bedroom apartment. The girls have been schooling online – although the oldest one is now finished, her secondary schooling complete without final exams. She is now navigating the uncertainty of what is next for her – and more than the usual uncertainty. The younger one is missing the social aspects of school – understandable at 15! Apart from that we know we are really lucky to have such minimal impact on our lives.

Working from home does demand a routine though and I try to get out for a run or walk each day – which we are permitted to do, but alone. In the tropical climate, this is best done just before the sun comes up and again I am lucky to be able to access some green surrounds and waterways. There are always some unusual flowers to discover (for example, spider lilies) and I have encountered many birds, squirrels, lizards and even a family of otters. I am definitely exercising more frequently in the circuit breaker time.

Some spider lilies that Lester has spotted

In some ways my time on my PhD tasks has been enhanced. Previously my strategy had been to work in blocks of days, including time back in Melbourne. However, without the travel to and from work, I have created more time and can dip in and out of PhD tasks more readily. It helps to have a nice place to sit – I have a view over treetops and of everchanging sky, which is spectacular when a storm rolls across the island! Also I have joined the RED Accelerated Completion Program which has nicely coincided with my time in lockdown and provides an extra motivation to keep things moving along.

We are due to end this circuit breaker on 1^st June and already I can see the return to campus-based working will take some getting used to. To start there is the early morning travel, the search for good coffee and attention to what you are going to wear. The ironing board which is normally in place for daily shirt ironing is completely folded away! In the meantime, I will enjoy the morning discoveries and keep on nudging my write up of my thesis towards its (hopefully) August completion!

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Lester Jones is a graduate researcher in the Judith Lumley Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery at La Trobe and a Senior Lecturer at the Singapore Institute of Technology. See here for further information about Lester’s research publications.

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Image provided by the author  | All rights reserved

In some upcoming posts we are going to hear from La Trobe graduate researchers who are (for lots of reasons) outside of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next up, I invited Andrew Albert Ty, who is undertaking a collaborative PhD at La Trobe while based at Ateneo de Manila University. Candidates enrolled in a collaborative PhD at La Trobe University undertake research while based predominantly at a partner institution and graduate with a PhD awarded by La Trobe University.


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Jamie from the RED team has asked me to share my COVID-19 story. Here are some of my thoughts from where I am in Manila.

I am part of an international cohort of La Trobe graduate researchers who are based in the Philippines. This means that using Zoom for supervisor meetings and RED team workshops and seminars is a built-in feature of my HDR experience. In mid-March of this year, my acting supervisor sent a group email to students and staff, easing us in to the online transition. In that message, my cohort was mentioned as being “ahead of the curve” when it comes to working remotely. I still wonder how ahead of the curve we might actually be!

Since starting my PhD in August 2019, I have experienced several awkward video-conferencing moments. I have confidently discussed my thesis topic on mute; I have sneezed in rapid succession without muting. My kids have attended several meetings behind my back, and the time-zone difference between Melbourne and Manila led me to go online at the tail-end of one session. I guess what I am saying is that I have already made some of the awkward adjustments to graduate researcher life on Zoom!

That said, COVID-19 has not been without its effects on my workflow and emotional state. A global pandemic is a hyperobject, like global warming. Its scale is so difficult to perceive that calling it a health crisis seems to be an understatement, even if it is true.

The movement of COVID-19 across all areas of human life, however, is overwhelmingly visible. From increased police presence to enforce quarantine on the streets to multiplying memes on social media screens, from heartbreaking and inspiring stories of hard-working front-liners to insensitive displays of class privilege, there is so much going on that, even if I’ve been always-already working from home, the context in which I do my PhD has changed so significantly and, I suspect, irrevocably.

I try to be careful with how I use social media. News often tends to be a downer, but it is necessary to be updated, especially with the recent shutdown of the TV and radio arm of the largest media network in my country. Social media has major problems, but it remains the most convenient way for me to connect with the world outside my house.

The view outside Andrew’s window

As arguably the most able-bodied in my household, I hold an “enhanced quarantine community pass” which allows me to go out four days in a week to buy food or medicine. Because my family has been fortunate enough to not have gotten sick and since food and grocery delivery options are available, I have not had cause to use it. Still, whenever my glance falls on that piece of card paper, I feel the emotional weight of the responsibility and of what is happening “out there.”

Andrew’s quarantine pass

When we emerge from this into what people call the “new normal,” I suspect it will feel more new than normal, for a long time after. COVID-19 is a virus in a viral age, and its effects on me as an HDR feel like I’m going through a milestone I could never predict.

Still, with online as the new default, there are more opportunities than before to connect. It now feels like I’ve been here all along, waiting for others to find me! I no longer need to scroll down the list of workshops to find the ones held on “O” (“online”) campus. Thanks to several meetings set up by my home department in Creative Arts and English, I’ve “met” researchers and staff working in research areas that constellate with my own, a major part of feeling at home, research-wise.

I’ve also been participating in weekly HDR check-ins organized by Anthropology/Microbiology graduate researcher Jacqulyn Evans; conversations here range from home cooking ideas to questions about Uni procedures (fielded by Social Inquiry GRC Anthony Moran, who attends these meetings regularly). We’ve expressed thanks to library staff; we’ve fretted about major revisions to research projects. In the most recent check-in, a question about Jacqulyn’s research on kombucha led to a discussion of fermentation versus distillation, ending with a comparison of drinking cultures across the world and how factors like gender and location play a role!

I’ve even joined an interdisciplinary research project organized by Michael Atkinson, a Politics and Philosophy graduate researcher whose email invitation I immediately responded to, which isn’t something I tend to do under normal circumstances. In this group, we use Slack to share our identities and stories as postgrads living under COVID-19—learning, connecting, growing, and moving.

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Andrew Albert Ty is a graduate researcher at La Trobe University. You can connect with him via his La Trobe Scholars page and learn more about his background by looking at his ORCiD. Andrew tweets as @EnterDuration

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In some upcoming RED Alert posts we are going to be hearing from La Trobe graduate researchers who are (for lots of different reasons) outside of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. To begin this series, I invited Sandi James to tell us about her experience of sheltering in the UK after arriving for a conference. 


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This is the weirdest situation I have been in. Ever. And I have been in some weird situations before.

Originally, I came to the UK to present at a conference and a short 10 day visit to Ireland. I arrived in Ireland on the 8^th March. It’s now the beginning of May and I am still here in the UK. I’ve lived and worked in South East Asia for the past 7 years, other than a recent 6 month stint back in Australia, so Malaysia is my home. My plan was to return to Malaysia where, on 30^th March, I was meant to resume my posting as a Senior Lecturer in the Medical Faculty of a University there. That plan is temporarily on hold for now as I can’t get into Malaysia until the country’s borders are reopened.

So here I am.

Originally, I relocated from Dublin to a rural farming town near Belfast to stay with a friend of a friend. My partner was able to get home to Thailand before the lockdown and is still there taking care of my dogs. Partners being stuck in another country or location is another layer of complexity to the situation that many people are facing right now.

Being unemployed now (temporarily hopefully) and unable to access financial assistance (other than the financial grant through La Trobe, which I am incredibly grateful for) means that money has been a concern. So couch surfing is the new norm. I couldn’t stay in Belfast anymore and after 6 weeks I chose to relocate to London to stay with someone I know a little and who wanted to help. So here I am, now in London, waiting to go home.

Belfast was fun for a while. It was full of farmland… cows and horses to chat to, a sheep with a bucket on its head (really!). And George the Beagle who was very helpful. When the cows (Gertrude, Udder Madness, rumproast, sirloin, and bacon) and the horses started to run away when I approached them I figured I really needed to get out. I think they had had enough of my conversation! Turns out that the quiet rural countryside isn’t for me.

Flying to London was surreal. I haven’t found words to adequately describe that experience yet. But on arrival to my new home I quickly became aware how much I missed sounds. The sound of a child screaming, people talking in their yards, cars going by. Another human talking to me is so awesome! Between the time where I got off the plane and finding my friend at Paddington train station I was approached by Police three different times. Initially somewhat scary, they all turned out to be amazing. They were highly understanding and helpful when I explained why I was wandering around an empty tube station with a big suitcase looking incredibly lost. Even managed a joke with them about their British Police hats…

Being in the city is so different. I sit in the back yard area a lot, and have managed to make friends with Alex, a guy from the third floor window of a building one house over. We chat most mornings about what adventures we are planning for the day.

COVID-19 and shifting routines

Since all this has happened, my routine has changed a lot. I have been working on COVID related papers looking the impact of the pandemic on the behaviour and mental health of people in Malaysia, an easy to use mental health survival guide for Malaysian front line workers, as well as the literature review and methods chapters for my research and a bunch of other things. Operating across 4 time zones has proven challenging, and my sleep is erratic. But I need to stay connected to people so am doing things at weird times. I’ve also joined up with some colleagues and we have started an online therapy site, where I am going to be running groups for people who need support at this time. Oh, and one other thing… Some other colleagues and I have set up a 3 session series on decolonisation in the psychological/ therapeutic space. So I have been keeping busy.

It is difficult being so far from everyone I know. I am connecting online with everyone and every platform I can find. Creating zoom meetings to help me and others, attending as many RED sessions (e.g. SUAW and ‘Research Now’) as I can with the huge time difference, providing free online counselling for people across the world, and attending Zoom dance parties with my friends from Thailand. So, all in all, despite the significant hurdles (and the odd battle with staying sane), I am doing pretty well.

I understand that it looks like I am achieving a lot, and that may be true. It’s not easy though and I have been struggling with motivation and attention. I have always needed to keep really busy, usually having multiple projects on the go at once. I know people are struggling with feeling unproductive as well. The way I am managing it is doing 10 or 20 minutes at a time, frequently and regularly through the day. This is how I operate under normal conditions as well. The university website has so many tools to help us all get through this time, so I suggest people check it out.

One of my coping strategies is humour, and I am collecting so many hilarious stories… might write about some of them another time.

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Sandi James is a registered psychologist from Australia. She worked at Universiti Malaysia (UMS) until 2017 when she returned to full-time research and clinical practice in addition treatment in Thailand. Sandi is a graduate researcher in Social Work & Social Policy at La Trobe University.

The post On pandemic lockdown while away from home (Sandi James) appeared first on Research Education and Development.

In this post La Trobe graduate researcher Sandi James reflects on what it is like to do your research while you are based overseas. She shares her experience and lessons she has learned to get connected and deal with isolation.
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When I decided to pursue a graduate research degree I was already living and working in Southeast Asia. As I began looking around for research on doing a PhD while based overseas I found a lot of information and resources for international students arriving to study in Australian universities. This is great, and really helpful for students who are arriving to Australia for their studies. But I didn’t find a lot out there on navigating the system in reverse, i.e. studying with an Australian university from a very distant location. Given this absence, I thought I would write this post!

My research had been conceived out of other projects myself and my colleagues from the University of Malaysia Sabah were already running in Malaysia, and I thought everything would be OK with the support I had and the networks I had developed in over there.

And it was kind of OK, albeit a significant challenge.

The feeling was like climbing a mountain without a safety harness, and little understanding of the unique challenges of studying in academic isolation in a location where you aren’t fluent in the language… My supervisors were, and are, amazing and supportive under the circumstances, and others around the university have also been amazing and helped where they can.

Participating remotely


Attending sessions via video conference is one way that I have participated in university life while being based overseas. I know it is difficult to arrange sessions for off-campus students who often sign up to attend and, for whatever reason, end up not attending. Time differences, work and family commitments, or other life events, also often get in the way of people being able to attend. Access to the technology required can also be difficult. I believe this is an area where we need to make improvements somehow. The impact of this for rural and remote students within Australia is also huge and finding ways to work around these barriers has become one of my side passions, a soapbox of sorts.

I have attended some brilliant zoom sessions, and the small number of attendees online was one of the benefits in that it allowed for greater engagement with the presenter. There was time and space to talk and everyone involved was able to ask questions and get answers. Other sessions have had breakout rooms where the online participants were able to meet and talk, while those physically attending did the same thing. I really hope we see more of these activities on the calendar as I found them to be incredibly beneficial. So I encourage people to think carefully about how we use zoom to include researchers who can’t be there in the flesh.

Conducting research while based overseas


Conducting a research project in a foreign country is a unique and amazing challenge. There are the usual language barriers, adjusting to cultural differences, new and at times, unidentifiable foods and variations on social etiquette are just a few of the things to be navigated. Alongside that is the homesickness and longing for something familiar, or even just to watch a favourite tv show in a language that requires no thought or translation. The different weather and environment can be a challenge, but this was one of my favourite things. Warm and humid all year round, perfect!
Some other La Trobe researchers have written about life hacks for the remote researcher, and some of the positive sides of undertaking research in the regions, and I wanted to share the things that have helped me here too.

One of the first things to know, whether you are studying online or on campus, is that you may not find exactly “your kind of academic people” where you are located, and you have to reach out online and via social media to make connections wherever you can. I have made so many friends in Malaysia and found my people in places I never even knew existed, or that I never thought I would fit into.

I found trail running and cycling to be very social activities and helpful for my mental state. Spending time in the jungle or out on the open road on a bicycle, with other people who also enjoy those activities, is refreshing and helps to maintain focus and energy for the difficult times. Importantly, I also joined forums, attended every workshop possible via zoom, asked the library for help via zoom (as well as the IT people), became active on twitter and other social media forums. I told everyone who would listen that I was studying in isolation, when I was struggling, and that I felt like I was out my depth sometimes. I also started a blog and sent that out into the universe to connect people with my work and goals.

Indeed, these suggestions might even be useful for anyone who is new to graduate research, or feeling isolated – even if they are based on a large and busy central campus location.

Summing up 

I am not a natural academic (if there is such a thing!), I don’t really like reading and I have a very short concentration span. I work best when I am around others and learn by talking and doing… yet I find myself studying by distance from an overseas location, where I don’t fluently speak the language and don’t yet have deep connections with the academic community in Australia (although this is building)… I have made the effort to establish online connections with others, joining Shut up and Write sessions via Zoom where I can, becoming a student representative, reaching out the library and the RED team regularly, and basically being seen and hear. Twitter has also been an awesome way to connect with the academic community.

I am learning a whole new language so I can function in academia, a new and frightening bunch of academics to try and communicate with, and to have to learn to operate almost completely in an online environment… and somehow I decided this was still an awesome plan. It is a work in process, and it is happening. I am loving most of this experience and I am incredibly happy to be on this journey.

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Bio
Sandi James is currently undertaking her research in the school of Science, Health and Engineering at La Trobe University, Australia. She has lived and worked in South East Asia for the past six years and is about to return to Malaysia to take up an academic position in the Univeristi Malaysia Sabah and undertake her PhD candidature. Her research focus is on the traditional use of alcohol in the Indigenous communities of Sabah, Malaysia. Other research interests include evidence-based treatments for mental illness in the Malaysian context, ACT and Ultra Brief Psychological Interventions, collaborative health care provision, and alcohol harm reduction programs. Sandi is a registered psychologist, also practicing in this capacity in Malaysia. She tweets as @jsandi27 and you can find her blog here

The post Doing an Australian PhD while being based overseas (Sandi James) appeared first on Research Education and Development.

“Great, you’re doing a full-time PhD. But don’t you live in Mildura? Isn’t that really isolating?”

This is a response I have had from many people when they find out what I’m up to. 

My answer is “Well, actually, no…”

I’m doing a PhD in the School of Rural Health on an industry scholarship, and I have just completed confirmation. I’m writing this blog to challenge a few assumptions about what research on a regional campus looks like.

Prior to doing my PhD, I completed two Masters’ degrees part-time (one coursework, one research) – yes, I’m a sucker for punishment! – both online.

Although these were both positive experiences, the difference between online and on-campus study has been immense.

For a start, in addition to formal supervision, I benefit from regular corridor conversations with my chief supervisor (her office is four doors away). I’ve got my own workspace on campus, shared with a fellow PhD student and a research assistant, which has proven handy for discussions about the wording of ethics applications as well as parenting tips and mutual support (whether study or life-based). Being a small campus, we also have super-quick, personalised access to IT and Library support (thanks, Michael and Lyn!).

Admittedly, we are somewhat smaller than Bundoora and certainly have less access to many of the resources available on a larger campus. On the other hand, there are strengths to being based in a regional community and this was a theme echoed by other on-campus researchers I spoke to when writing this blog. It is true that you are less likely to meet up with someone who is researching in the same area as you (although Zoom helps with that!), but you are more likely to encounter people in different disciplinary areas. This can open up different perspectives on your own research. You are also less likely to feel like your research is separate from the local community since you are a member of that community and directly aware of the issues and challenges facing it. Given the current drive for ‘implementation’ research, this is a great advantage.

We are lucky at Mildura in having a very active regional research co-ordinator. Evelien Spelten really works on building the research culture on campus as well as within the community more generally. On campus, we have monthly research lunches, informal groups to watch Zoom sessions run from Bundoora, and SUAW (‘Shut up and write’) sessions.

Research involvement in the wider community is particularly important given Mildura’s relative isolation (we are closer to Adelaide than to Bendigo!), and both Evelien and Rebecca (our engagement co-ordinator) have established relationships with many local organisations, both to support current La Trobe research and negotiate new projects. To promote our research to the broader community, for the past three years, we have run a ‘Research by the River’ event every October with funding from the Intellectual Climate Fund (ICF). This is a fun night of 3MT presentations, a pub quiz (partly based on the presentations!), free munchies and prizes, all run in a local beer garden. It’s a great opportunity for graduate researchers to showcase their work not just to other academics but to their friends, family and the whole of the Mildura community.

As the most distant campus from Bundoora (by some way), we do have to work on remaining connected to the wider university. It is always good to see people who visit from other campuses as it really promotes a sense of being connected to the broader university networks.

Any La Trobe researcher who is coming up Mildura way for field work or meetings, please come to the campus! You will find people who want to talk to you, a space to work and probably some useful information on the local area.

In the opposite direction, it’s important that those of us from the regions grab opportunities to connect with the larger campuses and let them know we are thriving. Speaking personally, it was great to have recently visited Bundoora to spruik the industry PhD during Research Week, especially since industry PhDs are particularly well-suited to regional areas due to the commonly closer links between the university and local community.

So, come and see what we’re doing in Mildura. Just drive north, stop before the desert, and you’re there.

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Ruth Hardman is currently a full-time PhD researcher at the La Trobe Rural Health School, Mildura campus, on an industry scholarship with Sunraysia Community Health Services. 

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To embark on a PhD can be a big life decision. To do it remotely may be an even BIGGER one!

More and more, Universities and technology are opening opportunities to learn flexibly and remotely. What does this mean for you as a PhD student?

Can PhD students successfully make progress and complete their study remotely (i.e. be interstate/international/regionally-based from their University)? Can the learning experience be rich and rewarding?

I’m currently a postdoctoral research fellow with the Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, La Trobe University, and I say YES to these questions!

But I’d follow up with a proviso that it does depend on your research field and you need to navigate the terrain!

People say PhD research can be isolating in the first place, so why choose to be remote?

As a speech pathologist in Melbourne, I was seeking postgraduate study opportunities to extend upon undergraduate studies and 15 years of clinical practice. By chance, I saw that Professor Emerita Linda Worrall from The University of Queensland (UQ) was seeking PhD students via Twitter! I responded to this and we got talking via Skype (!) about my topic area of interest – psychological wellbeing for people with aphasia. I was soon enrolled, with her as my primary supervisor.

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder most commonly caused by brain injury after stroke.  Stroke survivors with aphasia can have difficulty talking, understanding others, reading and writing. For many, this sudden loss of communication negatively impacts on their mood, quality of life, relationships, work and previously enjoyed activities. Many stroke survivors don’t get the psychological care they need. The prospect of focusing the next chapter of my life’s work on this area of high and unmet need had me feeling determined and excited to begin!

I was exceptionally fortunate to have Professor
Miranda Rose (La Trobe University) and Dr Brooke Ryan (UQ) join the supervisory
team. My supervisors supported me to seek PhD scholarships, both locally and
remotely. I was successful in gaining an Australian Postgraduate Award (full time scholarship over 3 years) through UQ. And so began my journey as a fledgling, remote UQ PhD student.

There are two sides to the coin of remoteness. It can open up opportunities but it can also feel frustrating at times!

My learnings from this experience are distilled into 3 PhD life hacks:

1) WORK TO STAY AND BE CONNECTED – ‘it takes a village to do a PhD’

I viewed my ‘remoteness’ to be a win-win situation. I established – and still enjoy today – connections with colleagues at UQ and I have close working relationships with my colleagues at La Trobe.

What helped? Getting to know and work with remote and local supervisors, other graduate researchers and clinicians in health networks.

How?

• Plan, schedule and organise study visits to your remote campus and present at conferences local to your University (e.g. Postgraduate Research days/meetings). Think logistics: an office space to work; face-to-face meetings with supervisor/s and other students.
• Maximise your time spent on campus by booking in a workshop or seminar to coincide with your visit (e.g., face-to-face library session on using Endnote).
• Initiate and join in for social activities (e.g. go for coffee/lunch!).
• When home, maximise the use of technology to connect. Use Zoom (or similar) to be a remote attendee on research/student meetings. Attend as many as you can and be consistent in attendance. It helps that colleagues get to know who and where you are, and about your research work and experiences. 
• The same points above can be said for your local supervisor/s and peer group – get out of your solitary study space and keep connected with your local people. I drew upon, and contributed to, the strength, energy and vitality of our local research group. 

2) EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY – ‘use it and talk nicely to your computer’

I consider myself far from being tech savvy! But that’s how my journey began – by joining Twitter and learning from others by following PhD-related handles and hashtags (e.g. @thesiswhisperer @PhD_Connect @PhDForum @PHDcomics #PhDchat).

What helped? Setting up and maintaining my equipment; getting help from IT experts when I needed it; communicating my IT needs and issues with colleagues at my remote campus.

How?

• Consider what helps you to access and get the most out of remote attendance via videoconference/Zoom/Skype. Be assertive so people at your University understand the challenges and can help you resolve them. 
• In my case, I wrote up a guideline on ‘Skype etiquette’ for our research meetings and presented this to the group. For example, it was important to have the webcam showing others in the room or the presenter, rather than pointing up to show the ceiling! There was a commitment from those on campus to help put the etiquette into practice.  
• Keep in touch with IT services via email/phone for help (e.g. setting up Virtual Pathway Network (VPN) to access shared computer hard drives, etc).
• Attend professional development seminars or workshops via videoconference. If something doesn’t seem accessible remotely, ASK if it is and KEEP ASKING. If Universities offer remote enrolment, they need to work hard to make these events accessible.
• Back up your work, back up your work and then back up your work again – my computer hard drive died twice during my PhD. Fortunately, work was backed up in multiple places (clouds, portable hard drives, etc). Did I mention to back up your work?

3) WORK-LIFE BALANCE DOESN’T ALWAYS EXIST – ‘there will be ebbs and flows’

At times, it’s ok not to feel ok during your PhD. There will be highs and lows.

You can be strategic, plan, work hard, but life goes on and sometimes things happen beyond your control. The important thing is to get help and support.

How?

• Some people say ‘work-life balance’ doesn’t always exist and I tend to agree. There will be times of hard work and pressure to get work done, and there will be times of relative ease. Aiming for a ‘balance’ tends to make me feel unnecessarily pressured in itself! 
• Try to keep to a routine and have boundaries around your work.
• Try to maintain a steady flow of self-care – this will only enhance your productivity and creativity ( e.g. do stuff you enjoy and look after you!). Don’t be backwards in coming forward for help!

So, YES, it can be done, you can complete a PhD remotely.

BUT to enhance your learning and get it done, you need to be: connected, supported and embracing of the tech. It’s one step at a time to navigate the terrain until, one day, down the track … you are proudly holding your awarded PhD.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Baker

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Caroline Baker is a speech pathologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation (@aphasiaCRE). 

Caroline was awarded a PhD in speech pathology from The University of Queensland and holds a Bachelor of Science with major in Psychology from Monash University. Her PhD studies combined her interests to investigate the translation of stepped psychological care for people with aphasia after stroke. She is based at La Trobe University and works across two research programs of the Aphasia CRE: ‘Optimising mental health and wellbeing’ and ‘Treatment effectiveness.’ Caroline also holds clinical and honorary research positions at Monash Health.  


She tweets from @CarolineJM26.

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