Career Sessions

“I was very good at chemistry, the chemistry of food and all that. But I went to University without doing any biology… I remember the first couple of lectures, and I thought the lecturers were saying “D and A” , not “DNA”.  I really had no idea what they were talking about…”

“Because I undertook my thesis in the Humanities I was able to step outside the usual thesis structure. I did not know it at the time but stepping away from convention allowed me to easily publish much of my thesis as a book “Food, Morals and Meaning: The Pleasure and Anxiety of Eating” (Routledge), which is now in its second edition”

In this Session, Professor John Coveney joins Steph and Tamara to talk about the variety of his day, his journey from a printing apprenticeship in London to Professor of Food, Culture and Health at Flinders University, in Adelaide, and he shares with listeners a brief but ancient history of guilt, pleasure and food in moderation, and turning his PhD into a book that is now in its second edition.

“I don’t think school kids should feel that pressure of I need to know exactly what I am going to be. The wonderful thing about our high schools is you do a very comprehensive, wide-ranging series of subjects and slowly work your way into the ones that you like the most and you are quite good at. If it is possible to keep doing that in the form of a BSc, a BA, then that is a great next step. If you find that you really like it, and you are good at it, why not see if there is a path to keep going and do postgraduate work which could be a Masters, it could be a PhD. Allow yourself to think, as a high school student, that this might be something you do. Don’t lock yourself in. But feel that you might have that capability and you might be interested and let yourself go on that journey”.

In this Session, Dr Susan Close talks to us about how taking exception to her supervisors published work led to her own PhD research project (and having him as her supervisor!), why she chose not to use title Doctor for a long time in her early political career, and what made her decide to use it later on, and some very valuable advice for all students who are making decisions about their future.

Title of your PhD: The Australian Labour Party 1983-1991: traditions under challenge.

Where did you complete your PhD: Flinders University

What year did you graduate: 1997

Honours or masters: BA (Hons)

Job title: Deputy leader of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labour Party.

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-close-268080100/?originalSubdomain=au

“Teaching is the thing that brings me most joy in my job. Don't get me wrong, I love research, and while teaching has many challenges, somehow I still come out of it feeling happy. Young people today, you know, there is a lot going on and I think it is just a really interesting thing to observe.”

In this Session, we talk to Professor Kate Douglas about why she probably would not do the same research question now that she is a parent, about how unique PhDs contribute to whole systems of knowledge, and about the raft of valuable skills you gain whilst undertaking a PhD, such as project management, critical thinking, and how to accept feedback for what it is.

What is the title of your PhD: "Contesting Childhood: Auto/biography, Memory and Trauma"

Where did you complete your PhD (College/faculty/school, university): School of English, Media Studies and Art History, The University of Queensland

What year did you graduate: 2003

What undergraduate degree/s have you completed: Bachelor of Social Work; Bachelor of Arts (Hons)

Any honours or masters: First class Hons (English)

What is your job title, today: Professor of English

https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/kate.douglas

Guest: Professor Kate Douglas

Producer: Dr Tamara Agnew

Co-hosts: Dr Stephanie Champion & Dr Tamara Agnew

Join us on Twitter: @CareerSessions

Join us on Instagram: @CareerSessions

Visit our website: www.careersessions.com

Podcasting studio, session photography and all editing by: PodBooth Adelaide

Proudly sponsored by Inspiring South Australia https://inspiringsa.org.au

“To me, the life of a PhD student is repetitive frustrating, challenging, and rewarding. I think I need to add a caveat on the rewarding part in that it’s unfair that effort in doesn’t always mean reward out. It’s rewarding, but not when you expect it, or you can’t expect it to be rewarding. It has to be rewarding in its own way. …. Things that are difficult, when you finish them, its more rewarding when they were difficult. If something is easy, there’s no real feeling of reward there”.

If you don’t know what a carbon nanotube is, well, Dr Cameron Shearer has got you covered. In this Session, he explains to Steph and Tamara how he wanted to use the technology to create a water particle filter, what happened next, and how he felt 2.5 years into his PhD; about writing conference presentations to a very short deadline; and he talks about his opportunity to go on the children’s television science show, “Scope” to talk about his research.

What is the title of your PhD: Fabrication and applications of carbon nanotube/ silicon nanostructures

Where did you complete your PhD: Flinders University

What year did you graduate: 2012

What undergraduate degree/s have you completed: Bachelor of Science in Nanotechnology

Any honours or masters: 1 year Honours (research in Nanotechnology). 2007

What is your job title, today: Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry at University of Adelaide*

*Cameron has changed roles since we recorded the podcast, and this is where you will find him these days…*

Professional Profile: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/cameron.shearer

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-shearer-06625895   

Guest: Dr Cameron Shearer

Producer: Dr Tamara Agnew

Co-hosts: Dr Stephanie Champion & Dr Tamara Agnew

Join us on Twitter: @CareerSessions

Join us on Instagram: @CareerSessions

Visit our website: www.careersessions.com

Podcasting studio, session photography and all editing by: PodBooth Adelaide

Proudly sponsored by Inspiring South Australia https://inspiringsa.org.au/

“There are a lot of PhDs out there. Sometimes it's nice to use the Doctor title or the Professor title or whatever you might have, but I think that is the myth that I wanted to dispel, that once your PhD is finished, there is still a lot of hard work ahead of you and it doesn't finish. You know if you really want to succeed, it's hard work… I am sorry to dispel that myth”.

In this session Mark talks to us about his journey from pines to vines in the field of agricultural science. He tells us how a very early visit to the Dean of Agriculture at UTAS helped cement his choices through school, how a little memory he had of a great Aunt spurred him on in his education journey, how a community *allegedly* benefited from his two-year old pine sample at Christmas time, and what he looks for as an employer, beyond just the attainment of a PhD.

What is the title of your PhD: Anatomical and physiological factors affecting adventitious root formation in Pinus radiata (D.Don) cuttings

Where did you complete your PhD: University of Tasmania

What year did you graduate: 1997

What undergraduate degree/s have you completed: Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons), University of Tasmania (1993)

Any honours or masters: Master of Business Administration, The University of Queensland (2008)

What is your job title, today: Managing Director – The Australian wine Research Institute www.awri.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-krstic-9bb8668/

Guest: Dr Mark Krstic

Producer: Dr Tamara Agnew

Co-hosts: Dr Stephanie Champion & Dr Tamara Agnew

Join us on Twitter: @CareerSessions

Join us on Instagram: @CareerSessions

Visit our website: www.careersessions.com

Podcasting studio, session photography and all editing by: PodBooth Adelaide

Proudly sponsored by Inspiring South Australia https://inspiringsa.org.au/

"I think I've always been attracted to learning. I think that's one thing I have learned about myself is that I just enjoy learning and I think, if you stop learning, that is the end of growth. Even if you are stationary because of what you know, you are going backwards because the world is progressing. You have got to at least learn enough to keep up. And so, I think I would always be learning. I don’t know what that would be. I don’t know if science necessarily would attract me back to it, that was my only thing. But I certainly feel like science or music? Those were the two things. So, if I didn't do science, I reckon I'd be a happy but struggling musician...."

In this Career Session, Dr Andy Stapleton talks to us about why he decided to undertake his PhD in Australia (hint, it was much easier than applying for any other visas); why it took so long for him to quit academia and set up as his own boss; and the importance of science communicating, and how universities can do better at promoting the research going on in their institutions.  

What is the title of your PhD: Nanoparticle Based Organic Photovoltaic Devices

Where did you complete your PhD: Newcastle University, NSW

What year did you graduate: 2011

What undergraduate degree/s have you completed: MChem

What is your job title, today: Founder of verbalize.science 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-j-stapleton/

TedXFlinders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXj8qHxS0A0

“Microtonality deals with the notes that fall between the cracks. Instead of semitones being the smallest interval between two notes, you get microtones – between the semitones. I am interested in making music from these other possibilities. Instead of assuming that music is just made from the notes you get on the piano, for me it was like opening up a whole palette of new colours. Why take it for granted, why don’t we find our own new building blocks that have not been explored yet to make a new type of music? I mean, that is why I became attracted to this area as a composer.”

In this fascinating Session, Dr Terumi Narushima talks to us about the personal challenges of embarking on a career in music, how a chance encounter at a conference impacted her decision to undertake a PhD, and some really good advice for school leavers and undergraduates about the importance of doing what you are passionate about.

“I was really lucky because I had two wonderful supervisors, and (I had) an opportunity to engage with people who have spent their whole lives thinking about this thing that you’ve just started poking around the edges on, and for them to be curious about what you think… wow! That is kind of incredible!”

In this Session, Dr Caroline Croser-Barlow talks to Steph and Tamara about how following her ‘tribe’ led her to studying defence in the UK, learning about information led wars during a time of global conflict in the US, lucky-happenstance in doctoral research, and what bought her back to Adelaide, and her current role in the Department for Education.

“I realised something was missing (and that was what drew me to nursing) and that is scientific evidence base behind that. And so, I thought my mission then was to look at building an evidence-base for naturopathic medicine”.

In this Session, A/Prof Matthew Leach discusses how he married holistic philosophies of health with scientific rigor, how he ‘beefed up’ his PhD following the challenge of recruitment and a disappointingly small sample size, and how passion inspires motivation to get the end of what is often a very long process.

“More and more this world is calling out for qualities that are not specific minutia of how to do a certain thing, it is calling for people with emotional fortitude and compassion and communication skills and a whole raft of things you don’t necessarily learn through taking a subject at a university. From that point of view, I am really glad I did my arts degree first because it gave me a broader sort of engagement with the world, before I focused in further”.

In this session, Dr Sheryn Pitman talks to Steph and Tamara about the diversity of her role as the Program Manager of Inspiring South Australia, how she marries creative writing and ecological literacy, how ecologically literate people are, and about eating blueberry pie in American diners while she built rapport with some of the gurus in her field.