Category Archives: Blogging the PhD

This week, an unofficial, but to me not insignificant, milestone in my PhD studies took place. A poster abstract I submitted to the European Mathematical Genetics Meeting (EMGM) had been accepted, and the meeting took place in Oxford this week. … Continue reading →

At the end of my last post about the then-newly-launched Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, I indicated that I planned to attend an interview and question-and-answer session hosted by Imperial College Union Political Philosophy Society. Below I reproduce, with permission … Continue reading →

Have you been “media trained”? Until recently, I was skeptical of the value of specific media training for scientists, imagining such training to be similar to other transferable skills training – how to manage your time/supervisor/self – occasionally useful, often … Continue reading →

When I am watching a lecture or talk, sometimes, something that the speaker says causes me to gasp inwardly. It is not what they are saying, but the strength with which they express their opinions. You can’t say that, I … Continue reading →

This week there have been two developments surrounding the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and its ex-chair, Professor David Nutt, who in October last year was asked to resign by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, after he…erm…gave … Continue reading →

Today saw the launch of the RCSU Science Challenge 2010 – featuring an addition to the options for entrants which should please the new-media types. (More details below.) As I blogged last year, the RCSU Science Challenge is an annual … Continue reading →

Is it always this difficult to propose? The third milestone1 in the PhD process here at Imperial College is to submit a research plan. Similarly, once a supervisor has been agreed, the funding body supporting my PhD studies requires that … Continue reading →

In February of this year, my supervisor at the time circulated to the members of his group Professor David Nutt’s article (*pdf*) Equasy – An overlooked addiction with implications for the current debate on drug harms [1]. At the time, … Continue reading →

So, I made it through to the end of my MSc. There was an 100% pass rate among the students this year – celebrations all round! In a previous post I was trying to decide upon a supervisor for my … Continue reading →

It is coming up for a year ago that I attended my first conference. I was aware, when I registered for SciBlog08, that this would not be a conventional convention. From being asked what should be discussed to a slightly … Continue reading →