Episode 17: Most of us would agree that having children during your PhD is often considered a career setback. But that should not be the case. Raising a family should be normalized and supported within academia. In this episode, Dr Ana Alonso shared how she successfully completed her PhD while navigating the different phases of her academic and personal lives. She also talked about how she situates her research on children born out of conflict and violence within her own experience of parenthood.

Follow Dr Ana Alonso on Twitter

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Music by Lava Koirala

Episode 16: Your relationship with your supervisor is not always smooth sailing, but there are simple ways for maintaining a positive and healthy working relationship with your supervisor. In this episode, I shared some of the ways that worked for me when I was a PhD student and helped me sustain this relationship even after my PhD.

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Episode 15: What makes a good PhD research proposal? To answer this question, I asked my former PhD advisors at the Australian National University to share with us what they are looking for in a good proposal from prospective PhD students.

My special guests for this episode are Professors Luke Glanville, Joanne Wallis, and Benjamin Zala.

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Music by Lava Koirala

Episode 14: In academic research, we need to explain the scientific or academic relevance of our research. How does it contribute to knowledge? How does it advance our current understanding and the state of our discipline? But what's in it for us, personally, to spend years and fully commit to a research topic?

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Music by Lava Koirala

Episode 13: For this second installment of the Scholars Unbound-ACUNS Tokyo Series, I had a conversation with Elizabeth Katherine Gamarra and Vanessa Abou-Khalil, both PhD students in the field of politics and international relations. Elizabeth’s PhD research is on the narratives of securitizing refugees in American press media in the context of Spanish and English languages. Vanessa, meanwhile, is researching conflict resolution in Japan’s foreign policy in countries with a hostile relationship with the United States. We talked about their research motivations and the importance of drawing on personal experiences when choosing research topics. 

ACUNS Tokyo Liaison Office

Elizabeth is a former Fulbright and World Rotary Peace Fellow. She is currently a MEXT Fellow at International Christian University (ICU) pursuing her PhD studies in International Relations under the mentorship of Dr. Giorgio Shani. She has a double Masters in the field of Mental Health (US) and Peace and Conflict Studies (Japan) which has permitted her to work as a therapist and mediator with refugees and indigenous communities from the US, as well as engage in nonprofit work in Latin America. At the age of 14, she founded "generations of legacies," which is an initiative focused on educational empowerment. After completing her graduate-level studies at the age of 19, she continued to grow this initiative from abroad. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ).

Vanessa completed her bachelor in French and Lebanese Law at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. She then received a MEXT scholarship, funded by the Japanese government, and pursued her higher education in Japan. She obtained a master’s degree in Political Science from Kobe University and is now in her third year of PhD. She is also a contributing writer at The Japan Times. She worked as a teaching assistant and gave undergraduate-level lectures on Japan Diplomatic History at Kobe University. She is currently a member of the Research Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs (RIIPA).

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For this second installment of the Scholars Unbound-ACUNS Tokyo Series, I had a conversation with Elizabeth Katherine Gamarra and Vanessa, both PhD students in the field of politics and international relations. Elizabeth’s PhD research is on the narratives of securitizing refugees in American press media in the context of Spanish and English languages. Vanessa, meanwhile, is researching conflict resolution in Japan’s foreign policy in countries with a hostile relationship with the United States. We talked about their research motivations and the importance of drawing on personal experiences when choosing research topics. They also shared insights on how to overcome challenges when doing a PhD and aspirations for transcending the boundaries of academia. I’m sure many of you will be inspired, as much as I was, by Elizabeth and Vanessa, the younger generation of scholars, for challenging dominant narratives and shaping the conversation surrounding some of the most pressing issues in international politics. You can find out more about them and their research projects below.

ACUNS Tokyo Liaison Office

Elizabeth is a former Fulbright and World Rotary Peace Fellow. She is currently a MEXT Fellow at International Christian University (ICU) pursuing her PhD studies in International Relations under the mentorship of Dr. Giorgio Shani. She has a double Masters in the field of Mental Health (US) and Peace and Conflict Studies (Japan) which has permitted her to work as a therapist and mediator with refugees and indigenous communities from the US, as well as engage in nonprofit work in Latin America. At the ageof 14, she founded "generations of legacies," which is an initiative focused on educational empowerment. After completing her graduate-level studies at the age of 19, she continued to grow this initiative from abroad. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ).

Vanessa completed her bachelor in French and Lebanese Law at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. She then received a MEXT scholarship, funded by the Japanese government, and pursued her higher education in Japan. She obtained a master’s degree in Political Science from Kobe University and is now in her third year of PhD. She is also a contributing writer at The Japan Times. She worked as a teaching assistant and gave undergraduate-level lectures on Japan Diplomatic History at Kobe University. She is currently a member of the Research Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs (RIIPA).

Episode 12: So, you want to do a PhD? In this episode, I revisited the reasons why I decided to do a PhD. I hope that my reflection here about why I started a PhD and why I stayed will be useful when you start identifying your own reasons.

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Music by Lava Koirala

Episode 11: What are the things you need to consider before embarking on a PhD program? In this episode, I reunited with my very good friend and fellow IUJ graduate, Dr Prabhat Barnwal, now an Assistant Professor of Economics at Michigan State University. Prabhat had applied to PhD programs at several universities in the US and elsewhere while he was working towards his master's degree at IUJ. With this experience, he has many practical tips for those who are planning to do a PhD. This is a must-listen for those who are still undecided about their PhD plans.

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Music by Lava Koirala

Episode 10: Networking is important in many careers, including in academia. But how can introverts, like me, overcome anxiety, fear, and imposter syndrome in order to network with other people in our disciplines? In this episode, I shared some tips for not just expanding but, more importantly, also for cultivating our academic networks. Remember, our experiences and circumstances are different; what worked for me won't necessarily work for you. But I hope that through this reflection, my experience will resonate with you and remind you that you are not alone in feeling anxious about networking.

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Music by Lava Koirala

Episode 9: For this inaugural episode of the Scholars Unbound: ACUNS Tokyo Series, Arbenita Sopaj (Kobe University) and Raymond Andaya (University of Tokyo) shared their research motivations, research plans, and networking activities as graduate students in Japan. Arbenita and Raymond are both interested in post-conflict peacebuilding processes. Arbenita's research is on the role of the United States in constitutional drafting of Japan, Timor-Leste, and Kosovo. Raymond, on the other hand, is looking at the network of actors involved in the transitional justice and reconciliation of the Bangsamoro in Mindanao in the Philippines.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

Music by Lava Koirala