If you’re reading this, then that means I have passed my 6 month review for my PhD! (Phew!)

Looking back over the last 6 months, I have learned so much! I feel like I’m finally starting to settle into the rhythms of a PhD and getting used to the cycle of academic life. It feels like a lifetime ago that I wrote my 1 month reflections, and its amazing to see how far I’ve come since that point.

General Thoughts

I am still absolutely loving being a PhD student. I’d have thought my enthusiasm might have died down by now, but if anything it’s only gotten stronger as I’ve gotten deeper into my research. Back in my 1 month review, I was finding being a PhD student a bit daunting and felt like a fish out of water at times. Some days are still like that, where I may feel like an imposter who shouldn’t be doing a PhD, but this happens a lot less now! I’m feeling more self-assured in my abilities now, and long may that continue.

From a technical perspective, I have a much better grounding in my research field now, and have managed to narrow down my focus which has helped combat some of the initial overwhelm I was feeling a few months ago. I’m now confident in telling people what my research is about, have a better idea of what the goal of my PhD is and what the next few months could look like. I’ve even managed to give a few presentations about my work to a bunch of people, including my research group, my department and the general public! I’ve also managed to get my hands on some code again, which has been a lot of fun! Looking ahead, I know I still have so much to learn about my research field, but I feel much better equipped for that now than I did 5 months ago!

From a social perspective, I feel like I’m coming into my own. My research group is awesome, and I’ve gotten to know my fellow researchers a lot better in the last few months through a combination of team lunches, group meetings, and (so far unsuccessful) attempts to get my supervisor to buy a Nintendo Wii for the lab! I’ve also been able to get involved with events, workshops and conferences in Glasgow which have helped me meet even more new people! At the start of my PhD, I was very much in listening mode: trying to learn from everyone around me, understand how academic life works, and absorb information like a sponge. Now, I’m at a point where I’m not only learning, but contributing and trying to help others where I can. And that feels very cool!

I think doing a PhD is a lot like hiking up a mountain (or Munro, if you’re lucky enough to be in Scotland!): At the beginning, near the bottom, the hike looks intimidating and you can’t see an obvious path to the top. Now, in the midst of the climb, I’m able to look back at how far I’ve come, and see the next section of path ahead of me, giving me hope that I’ll successfully make it to the summit.

Achievements and Challenges

It’s been a busy few months! Some of my key achievements have been:

• I passed my 6 month review!
• I co-wrote, and will be presenting, a paper on smart maintenance of satellites at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October. This is my first academic conference paper and presentation!
• I won the IEEE Stranger than Fiction Poster Competition in July, which awarded me a free ticket to the World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow where I presented my research, and got to see awesome talks from astronauts, scientists and sci-fi authors.
• I was selected as a finalist for the 2024 CENSIS Tech Summit Research Poster Competition, taking place in November.
• In September, I was featured in an article by BCS ITNow discussing Software Testing in Space, and had an awesome fireside chat with BCSWomen about my PhD and career!
• In August, was featured as a role model in the Institute of Physics’ new children’s book ‘Mimi’s Space Adventure‘, aiming to inspire more girls into space careers.
• In June, I achieved a childhood dream by being featured as a STEM role model in the New Scientist Magazine!
• I’ve started work on my first journal paper – watch this space..!

As for the challenges…

• I submitted applications for 3 scholarships and awards, and was rejected from all of them. This hurt at first, but each rejection is a chance to learn and won’t put me off submitting more applications in the future!
• Balancing the workload has been tough at times. July in particular was very busy, with deadlines for scholarship applications and poster competitions all overlapping whilst also trying to stay on top of my literature review. There were some very late nights worked in July, but thankfully this was only temporary!
• Writers block is real! I’ve written my first conference paper and I am writing my first journal paper, and there are just some days where I sit at my desk and no words are coming out of my brain! It can be really frustrating, and I often get into a cycle of beating myself up when I’m struggling to write. But from speaking to others, I’m not alone. I’m learning to be kinder to myself about this.

Lessons Learned

And finally, here are some of the key lessons I’ve learned in my first 6 months:

• Writing anything is better than nothing! Sometimes just allowing yourself to word-vomit on a page is the best way to get something written. Don’t aim for perfection on the first attempt!
• Ask for help! Reaching out to my research group for advice, feedback and help has been invaluable. It’s helped me hone my posters and presentations, and lead to me being sent research papers I may not have found on my own.
• Take breaks! I have a horrible habit of sitting at my desk for hours on end without taking a break for a quick walk or a cup of tea. Ultimately, this is less productive than taking 5-10 minute breaks on a regular basis.
• Lacking motivation or inspiration? Do some outreach! Talking to schoolchildren about my work always leaves me feeling fulfilled, inspired and proud of my work. Remember that doing a PhD is special and something many people look up to! It’s easy to forget that when you’re surrounded by academics all the time.

Writing these reflections is highlighting to me just how much I’ve grown this year. I still have 3 years left to go on this PhD, and I can’t wait to see what else I learn in that time. I’m so excited for where my research is going to take me!