Will sits down with Natalie and Hana, (whom you have heard in episodes 2, and 4), to talk about their roles as student representatives, the RSDP and RSDF, and Pecha Kucha presentations, to propagate your research to a broader audience. 

Chapters 

00:09 Introduction 

00:39 Different kinds of reps 

01:30 Natalie, Grad School Rep for Ethics 

05:35 Hana, PhD rep for the Business School 

07:41 The Research Student Development Fund (RSDF) 

10:50 The Research Student Development Programme (RSDP) 

14:31 Pecha Kucha presentations 

17:45 Recap and Outro 

The Roey Grad Podcast is a presentation of the University of Roehampton’s Graduate School.  

Our theme music is by DiamondTunes 
 
Our hosts are two PhDs of Roehampton, Charles Miller and Will Berard, who also edits and mixes the podcast. It was produced by Aaliyah Hassan. 

Comments, questions, want to appear on the show? Get in touch at [email protected] 

Will sits down with fellow Autistic Education PhD Natalie Cairns-Ratter. Natalie is a musician, music teacher, and mother of an Autistic son, which all led her, first to a Master of Education at the Royal College of Music, then to her doctorate. 

Natalie’s research investigates experiences of flow  - full immersion and intense focus on a task – during music practice, with the view of reconceptualising ‘repetitive behaviours’ of Autistic children as flow experiences. 

Her work is part of a broader movement for Autistic-led research (a particular aspect of the “nothing about us without us” movement in disability studies) and Critical Autism Studies.  She is also full of useful recommendations for scholarship and wellbeing.  

• Natalie’s LinkedIn page. 

• Natalie’s research profile. 

Books mentioned: 

• The Routledge handbook of Critical Autism Studies (D Milton, S Ryan editors) 

• Ginny Russell’s The Rise of Autism 

• Prof. Ockelford’s Comparing Notes  

If you are a Roehampton student, these are all available at our excellent Library page! 

Podcasts: 

• BBC Radio 4’s The Autism Curve 

• The PhD LifeRaft 

Also, Connected Papers, a tool mapping the connections within the literature, and  Attention Restoration Theory (incl. ‘soft fascination’) on the benefits of Nature for attention and cognitive health. 

Chapters: 

00:09 Introduction 
00:43 Natalie and her research 
02:11 Progress and method 
03:23 Natalie’s route to her doctorate 
04:55 Juggling the PhD with the rest 
06:08 Natalie’s other academic pursuits 
06:32 Her favourite part of the PhD... 
07:50 ... and her least favourite! 
08:45 Accessibility of the milestones 
10:30 Resources and recommendations  
14:57 Health and wellbeing 
19:08 Goodbyes and recap 
 

The Roey Grad Podcast is a presentation of the University of Roehampton’s Graduate School.  

Our theme music is by DiamondTunes 
 
Our hosts are two PhDs of Roehampton, Charles Miller and Will Berard, who also edits and mixes the podcast. It was produced by Aaliyah Hassan. 

Comments, questions, want to appear on the show? Get in touch at [email protected] 

Professor Ted Vallance, Dean of the Graduate School, explains the milestones of doctoral research. 

• Research degrees handbook 

• Graduate School Home Page 

Chapters: 

00:07 Introduction  
00:43 Overview of the milestones  
01:03 The application (RDCOM1) 
04:21 What's an 'RDCOM'? 
06:01 Project Confirmation (RDCOM2) 
08:48 RDCOM3 
10:11 Milestones as support, not constraints  
11:29 The completion review 
12:20 Conclusion 

The Roey Grad Podcast is a presentation of the University of Roehampton’s Graduate School.  

Our theme music is by DiamondTunes 
 
Our hosts are two PhDs of Roehampton, Charles Miller and Will Berard, who also edits and mixes the podcast. It was produced by Aaliyah Hassan. 

Comments, questions, want to appear on the show? Get in touch at [email protected] 

In this episode, Will speaks to Hana Iqtait, third year doctoral candidate at the University of Roehampton’s School of Business and Law, and its academic representative for graduate students. In their conversation, we learn about her very personal journey to a PhD topic, the challenges of isolation in the first year of one’s PhD and how Hana overcame it, with some bonus content on the enduring popularity of a certain cult 90s sitcom.  

About Hana: 

Hana is a PhD candidate at Roehampton University, working under the guidance of esteemed supervisors, Dr. Irma Malafronte, Dr. Mamata Parhi, and Dr. Rodrigo Souza, from 2022 to 2026. Her academic journey includes a Master's in Project Management from the University of Bedfrodshire, UK, and a Bachelor's in Contemporary Business Administration from Palestine Polytechnic University. With seven years of university teaching experience in project management and business models, along with a year as a project coordinator with NGOs, Hana combines academic rigor with practical expertise. Her current research focuses on infrastructure project resilience in Palestine, reflecting her passion for bridging theory and real-world application. 

• Hana’s LinkedIn page 

• Hana’s research profile 
   

Chapters: 

00:10 Introduction  

00:40 Hana and her research  

03:35 Hana's academic background  

04:05 Data collection and analysis 

05:06 Hana's other interests  

06:15 Hana's other roles at Roehampton  

07:20 Favourite part of the PhD Journey 

08:27 Challenges of the PhD 

10:04 Support in the PhD 

12:12 Resilience as a topic 

13:10 The Q method  

14:12 PhD Resources 

15:10 AI for proofreading  

16:24 Recommendations for wellbeing  

17:54 Recap and outro 

-- 

The Roey Grad Podcast is a presentation of the University of Roehampton’s Graduate School.  

Our theme music is by DiamondTunes 
 
Our hosts are two PhDs of Roehampton, Charles Miller and Will Berard, who also edits and mixes the podcast. It was produced by Aaliyah Hassan. 

Comments, questions, want to appear on the show? Get in touch at [email protected] 

On this first episode of the Roey Grad Podcast, our host Charles speaks to Prof. Ted Vallance, Dean of Research and Doctoral Study at the University of Roehampton. Ted is also an historian, expert on Charles I and the English Civil War, although as we find out, these days he does this on his spare time. 

• Ted’s PURE profile  

• The Roehampton Graduate School  

• The Grad School and Research Office LinkedIn  

• The Inclusive Histories Project 

• Ted’s Podcast: Charles I – The road to execution 
   

Chapters: 

00:05 Introduction 

00:40 What is a Dean? 

01:20 Research and Doctoral Studies 

03:15 Grad school Vs Academic supervisors  

03:54 Grad school and Academic Judgement  

05:20 Finding the time for academic work 

06:48 Finding satisfaction in the role 

08:10 Opportunities for grad students  

12:32 Conferences and seminars  

14:31 The etiquette of Academia 

16:26 Role of grad students in a university  

17:46 Role of research 

19:04 What makes Roehampton different? 

20:22 Academic specialisations 

22:29 A word on Charles I 

The Roey Grad Podcast is a presentation of the University of Roehampton’s Graduate School.  

https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/study/academic-areas/graduate-school 

Our theme music is by DiamondTunes.  
https://pixabay.com/users/diamond_tunes-25553362 
 
Our hosts are two PhDs of Roehampton, Charles Miller and Will Berard, who also edits and mixes the podcast. It was produced by Aaliyah Hassan. 

As we wrap up on the recordings for the upcoming series, here is a sneak peak into what is to come :)

If you would like to feature in future episodes, get in touch with the Graduate school at [email protected]!

What is the Grad School, and what do they do?

In this trailer we go over who the podcast has been set up for :)

What should you expect from this podcast?