As COVID-19 descended on the globe I was about to enter the third and final year of my PhD. In March 2020 I shared my draft Progress report with my supervisors and left the country for my first holiday in over a year. We touched down in LA and within a week most of the USA had shut down. As the theme parks, sporting events, and tourist attractions closed their doors, we began to realise the severity of the situation. After making the difficult decision to cut our trip short,

My workplace runs regular "info-tainment" sessions, co-hosted by a researcher and a trained actor. The aim is for non-academics to learn about what we do in a fun and informative way. When I volunteered for my first gig I didn't want to deliver a standard presentation. I wanted it to be fun and engaging. So, I tapped into the 7-years of drama training I had squirreled away from my youth and put on a performance. The session was a hit. We ran it again for a private audience on

When I started my first professional job I remember thinking: "I don't belong here". I was exhausted by all the new rules, processes, and politics. There were a lot of practical skills I needed to learn quickly (none of which are taught in undergrad!) I made mistakes. I stayed up late re-working reports. And I felt awful. After a few months, I was less exhausted and made fewer mistakes. My colleagues and managers started to give me positive feedback. The director even told me

My first attempt at a PhD was straight out of honours, in my early 20s. It did not go well. Despite being supported by some wonderful supervisors and meeting the academic criteria for enrolling, I wasn't doing it for the right reasons. I had the grades, I didn't have a full-time job lined up, and I enjoyed learning. I knew wanted to be an 'expert' one day - so why not do a PhD? Because I didn't know what I wanted to be an 'expert' in. Because I was young and inexperienced. Be