PhD Lounge

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Students and Graduates!

Desmond Felix is a researcher and final‑year doctoral candidate in History at Goldsmiths, University of London, whose work explores the formation of Black British ethnic identity in contemporary cultural contexts. His research blends qualitative and ethnographic methods to examine how identity is constructed and experienced across UK communities.

Desmond has presented at major academic conferences, delivered the 2024 Black History Month Lecture at CIEE London, and teaches across institutions including IFSA, New City College, Roehampton, and Oxford Summer Courses. He is committed to research-led teaching, community engagement, and expanding public understanding of Black British history and culture.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-felix-6b69612a/

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Students and Graduates!

Takaki Takemura is an IT Engineer who studied Chinese at Aichi University in Japan at the Faculty of Modern Chinese Studies. He is the founder and developer of Rectoly, a reading app for research papers that works with Zotero and Mendeley. Rectoly helps students and researchers to turn two-column research papers into one-column text, pin figures and hand writing notes beside the texts, translate into another language and search across all your notes on any device. You can try Rectoly for a 14-day trial which you can find the offer below by clicking on its website or you could get the full version for free if you're one of the first 20 listeners.

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Students and Graduates!

The “PhD skill gap” gets repeated so often that it starts to feel like fact, but I don’t buy it. What I see is a communication gap: brilliant researchers describing real, employable work in language that employers can’t quickly understand. Drawing on a Nature article and my own experience as a PhD applying for roles and collecting feedback, I break down why so many of us underestimate what we already bring to the table.

We talk about the transferable skills a doctorate quietly trains every day: research and writing, project management, critical thinking, presenting, and communicating complex ideas to different audiences. I also unpack why the academic CV and the industry CV play by different rules, and why clarity matters more than completeness when you’ve only got two pages. If your CV is packed with jargon, you can be a perfect candidate and still get overlooked.
From there, we get practical about job search strategy. I treat job hunting like a research project: get clear on the roles you want, research organisations properly, track applications, and apply with intent rather than volume. I also share why generic rejection emails are often about process and risk, not your worth, and why improving a few high-impact lines can beat rewriting the whole document. If you’re feeling stuck, you’re not alone and you’re not unqualified.
If this helps, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more PhDs can find it. What’s the one skill you find hardest to explain on your CV?

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Bibliography:

Hoffer, E. (2026). Seeking an industry role after your PhD? Make sure your CV reflects that. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01855-4\

Roy, D., Jiménez López, M.D. & García Álvarez, M.E. Hires-PhD: a transversal skills framework for diversifying PhD employability. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 18 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04257-x

Lortie, J., PhD. (2026, April 8). A PhD opens more career doors than researchers think. The Scientist. https://www.the-scientist.com/a-phd-opens-more-career-doors-than-researchers-think-74328

Sinche, M., Layton, R. L., Brandt, P. D., O’Connell, A. B., Hall, J. D., Freeman, A. M., Harrell, J. R., Cook, J. G., & Brennwald, P. J. (2017). An evidence-based evaluation of transferrable skills and job satisfaction for science PhDs. PLoS ONE, 12(9), e0185023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185023

Students and Graduates!

Shellee Howard is the founder and CEO of College Ready, the 2026 Global Educational Consultant of the year, a college admissions and financial strategist, and two-time best selling author. Shellee has helped families worldwide earn top-choice acceptances and over $80 million in scholarships. Shellee has been featured on FOX, NBC, CBS, U.S. News & World Report, and Next Level CEO with Daymond John and is a sought-free after voice on strategic, debt-free college planning. She has been featured on the 2026 top 100 Women to KNOW in America.

Website: https://collegereadyplan.com/

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Students and Graduates!

Joic Majo is a PhD Candidate researching multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disease that affects over 2.5 million people globally.

Joic's research interests falls in neuropathology, the microscopic study of the brain and spinal cord tissue and their perturbances in disease. He analyses the donated postmortem brain tissue from over 300 MS cases to understand how different patterns of damage can have an impact on someone with MS. His background is in medical biochemistry (BSc) and in structural bioinformatics (MSc by Research). When not researching, Joic plays football, sings and plays guitar.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joic-majo-4a54941b1/

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Students and Graduates!

Ambrogio A. Caiani, PhD, is currently Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Kent in Canterbury and lives in Southwark. He is the author of four books which have focused on European History, especially the French Revolution, Napoleon and Catholicism's fraught relationship with modernity. His second book, To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII 1800-1815, was published by Yale University Press in April 2021, just before the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death and won the 2021 Franco-British Book Prize. His newest book is: Flirting with Evil, The Catholic Church in the Age of Total War and Globalisation. It is a candid portrait of the Faustian pacts made with totalitarian dictatorships and the many scandals (both sexual and financial) that have plagued the Roman church. Despite this litany of poor choices, the book also celebrates the Second Vatican Council and its message of renewal and hope. Indeed, after a pretty dire twentieth century, thanks to the Pontificates of Francis I and Leo XIV, Catholics can look to the twenty-first century in a spirit of hope and renewal.

Buy Flirting with Evil: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H36FFBX8

Ambrogio's website: https://ambrogioacaiani.com/

Thank you all for tuning in, share it with a friend, and it's been a pleasure!

Note: Throughout this late-night talk, there were several cuts due to internet interference, but which it did not affect the overall talk and Ambrogio's arguments. I apologise for this situation.

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Students and Graduates! 

PhD life has a way of leaking into everything, especially conversation. You meet friends for a simple coffee, but the moment there is a pause you fill it with your dissertation, your supervisor feedback, your deadline anxiety, or the latest problem in your methods. Talking about research outside working hours feels normal because the PhD consumes eight or nine hours a day and often stretches into weekends. Yet constant PhD talk can quietly erode your work life balance, weaken friendships, and keep your mind trapped in the same stress loop that makes progress harder.

In this late-night solo session, I share three big forces behind the habit.

— Perfectionism: The pressure to produce “perfect” research can turn normal feedback and rough drafts into a threat to your confidence, and that anxiety often spills into social conversation as reassurance-seeking.

— Academic culture: The jump to independent research, the deadlines, and the overwork mindset can crowd out wellbeing and make it hard to mentally switch off, which can lead to psychological distress and weaker connections if you over-explain your academic world.

— Incuriosity: When you stop asking about sport, films, dating, work, or the everyday joys your friends want to share, closeness fades and invitations can quietly dry up.
I also share practical ways to reset without pretending your PhD does not exist: Give a short summary instead of a deep dive, choose the right moment to share, and rebuild the habit of asking better questions.

Thank you all for tuning in, share it with a friend, and it's been a pleasure!

Bibliography:

Casey, C., Taylor, J., Knight, F., & Trenoweth, S. (2023). Understanding the Mental Health of Doctoral Students. Encyclopedia, 3(4), 1523-1536. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3040109

Riad, J. (2024, October 27). A PhD examined: Social life. Medium. https://medium.com/@joeriad/a-phd-examined-social-life-66d836c51265

Jeff. (2026, May 30). PhD life: Socialising and making friends as a PhD student. The Savvy Scientist. https://www.thesavvyscientist.com/phd-social-life/

Learn to let go of perfectionism. (2010, October 22). The Dissertation Coach. https://www.thedissertationcoach.com/blog/let-go-of-perfectionism/

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Students and Graduates!

Katie Rees holds a PhD in genetics from the Cardiff Metropolitan University, is a Welsh professional swimmer competitor, certified Neuroscience Coach, and the founder of Bioelevate.

At Bioelevate, Katie delivers personalised and science-backed wellness programmes tailored for every client's biology with the latest research and a holistic approach.

​Katie has presented Bioelevate across different industry networking events, including Tramshed Tech Barclays and Wenvoe Castle Golf Club Limited, and was featured at BBC Radio Wales.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katierees03?skipRedirect=true

Instagram: @katierees_98

Bioelevate: https://www.bioelevate.co.uk/

Bioelevate's Instagram: @bio_elevate

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Students and Graduates!

Andrea Grandi, PhD, holds a PostDoc in Pharma at the University of Parma and former Corporate R&D Scientist at Chiesi Group.

He is the founder of Dr G Development, helping PostDocs in Pharma and related STEM fields to transition and land Pharma/Biotech industry roles with his 8-week accelerator program.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-grandi-phd-a09b4687/

Website: https://drgrandiphd.vercel.app

Instagram: @drgrandiphd

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Students and Graduates!

A World Cup XI where everyone did their homework: PhDs, MBAs, and BAs across the pitch. In this World Cup 2026 final where Spain and Argentina are playing for the prestigious trophy that will add another star to their kits.

For this late-night solo session, I launch an 11-a-side squad, with some illustrious players on the bench and a manager to manage the 90 minutes with a 4-3-3 formation. This roster features players who earned academic degrees during and after their careers.

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