Sussex Diaries: Reflecting on our Tenure as SAGE Research Hive Scholars

BY AANCHAL VIJ, DEVYN GLASS, AND LOUISE ELALI

RESEARCH HIVE SCHOLARS (2019-2021) AND DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

As Aanchal, Devyn, and Louise wrap up their time as SAGE Research Hive Scholars at the University of Sussex, they reflect on the experience of supporting a PhD community at Sussex. They have sailed the Hive through several faculty strikes and a global pandemic, while undertaking their PhDs and multiple side projects.

We are very grateful for SAGE Publishing for their continued support to the Sussex Research Hive. Our collaboration has been fruitful and resulted in some excellent opportunities for researchers, more tangibly in the form of a webinar on Peer Reviewing.

1.      What is your biggest takeaway from your tenure as SAGE Research Hive Scholars?

Aanchal: I learnt that it is possible for researchers to come together and collaborate in exciting ways, making the PhD experience itself less watertight and lonely. It has been humbling to encounter the variety of research areas in my conversations with researchers in the last 2 years.

Devyn: A PhD doesn’t have to be an isolating experience. There are plenty of ways to engage with others in your school or wider University and doing so will make the whole experience easier. There is so much to be gained and learned from connecting and networking with PhD students across different disciplines.

Louise: I think I learned a lot about the way the university works, and the needs of students. I’ve also learned that there are so many initiatives, events and things happening at the wide community at any given time that most PhD students don’t even hear about because we’re usually so focused on our own work.

2.      What were some of the most challenging moments? What made them so?

Aanchal: The hardest part, surprisingly, wasn’t the transition from on-ground to online due to the pandemic. It was trying to keep researchers motivated to attend online events during the pandemic when everything was already online and Zoom exhaustion was rampant amongst everyone. We tried to organise events with no pressure on attendees to participate and planed more passive social activities like film nights etc. to overcome this.

Devyn: You might expect me to say that the hardest part was working through the pandemic. However, the experience of shifting online was actually very positive and I think the Sussex PhD community is, in some ways, closer as a result. For me the most challenging part was the uncertainty of whether people would show up to in-person events! Sometimes, we would have only a small group, which could be disheartening (although, lovely to get to know others more intimately). It was so great to see so many people at our last in-person event following the lifting of restrictions, it highlighted that connecting in different ways can make Hive events more accessible and comfortable to attend.

Louise: For me, the most challenging part of the experience was trying to anticipate other students needs. I can tell you what I would like to see, but that doesn’t mean other people would also want that! An initiative or an event was most successful when it filled a clear need, and sometimes it felt difficult to figure out what that was. 

3.      What would you say is the most important thing you learned personally or as a team?

Aanchal: I’ve learnt the importance of a good team effort: I was lucky to work with Louise and Devyn and felt like we were a well-oiled machine because neither of tried to escape work or pile it on to the other members. We were good at dividing tasks efficiently and fulfilling whatever we committed to.

Devyn: I have learned to balance and structure my time effectively. I have figured out how I work best so that I am productive and enjoy what I am doing. For instance, I have discovered the types of tasks I do best at different times of the day and actually now execute this! It sounds so simple, but my working life has been much more enjoyable as a result. 

Louise: I have always known the importance of communication but I think the importance of overcommunicating when working with a team became very clear to me, especially when we moved our efforts online.

4.      What do you hope to see from the SAGE Research Hive in the future?

Aanchal: I hope that the Hive continues to grow and adapt with the changing environment and remains a communal space (both physically and otherwise) for Sussex researchers. I also hope that Scholars discover fresh ways to engage with the community at Sussex as well as researchers everywhere by being inclusive and accessible to all.

Devyn: I really hope that the Hive can learn from the pandemic and to consider how we can deliver events that are more accessible to a range of researchers with different needs and geographical locations! It will need a careful balance of in-person and online events and I am looking forward to seeing the creative ways the new Hive Scholars work with this opportunity.

Louise: I hope the Hive continues to be a great source of support and comradery for the doctoral community, wherever they are located. Like Devyn, I would like to see the new Scholars finding new ways to help people keep in contact even if they cannot be on campus for events. But I also would like to see the Hive reaching out more to other communities on campus and helping to connect the doctoral community to the Sussex community at large.

5.      What advice would you give to someone who is starting their PhD this year?

Aanchal: My advice is a version of what Devyn and Louise say: it is so important to feel a part of a community when undertaking a long term (and quite possibly an alienating) task like a PhD. It helps to regularly talk about the experience and reflect on the challenges with someone other than your supervisor more regularly. Whether it is a support group online or a local community at Sussex (or beyond), it proves to be a huge asset to one’s mental health and, more tangibly, the research itself.

Devyn: I would suggest new PhD students think about their development as a researcher holistically from the beginning. A PhD is not just a pathway to academia anymore and building transferable skills is essential for future careers but also to our personal development. There are so many great opportunities within the University. I encourage new PhD students to seek them out as there is great benefit to taking on projects outside of the PhD. 

Louise: My biggest advice is to find a way to engage with the doctoral community – whether it’s through the Hive or a different way! Personally, I struggle to feel connected to my own research when I don’t feel connected to the research community and the University, so I would suggest exploring possibilities and getting involved with different things until you find one that you like. This could be the Hive community, of course, but other alternatives are the postgrad journal Excursions, the Student Union, your own department and I’m sure many more that I might not even know myself, but could be the perfect fit for you!