Tell us a little bit about your career history and current roles
I completed my PhD in experimental psychology with a focus on speech acoustics. Following this I worked on a number of postdoctoral university-based research projects within the UK and US, and also contributed to teaching on various psychology undergraduate and master's degrees. I am the UK representative for the Young Acoustics Network (YAN) at the European Acoustics Association (EAA) and now work in academic partnership with different universities to support their psychology programmes. I am also a published author having written books on , and .
What does a typical working day look like for you?
There’s no typical day! It can vary from module leadership, teaching, research supervision, conference planning to and .
What are the best things about working in several different roles?
Flexibility, life-work balance, learning from and interacting with people with expertise in different fields.
What would you recommend to researchers interested in this type of work?
Connect with people from a variety of disciplines and expertise, try out new activities that you are interested in and take up different hobbies. It will all shape your understanding of what you want to do and where you want to be in the future. You never know where your next opportunity is going to come from.
Why would you recommend Brunel to others?
It is a lovely campus experience where you can make friends and contacts with people from all over the world. The academic staff are fantastic, professional and their enthusiasm for their subject matter is really inspiring. Brunel offers you a plethora of great possibilities where you can explore all of your pursuits, be it , athletics or .
How would you say Brunel helped you to get where you are today?
Becoming president of the Brunel Debating Society and the Postgrad and Research Society (BPRS) really helped build my and . I also founded Brunel's first postgrad radio show '’ that allowed me to broadcast postgraduate researchers' insights into their subjects to a wide-ranging audience across campus and was nominated for 'Best Academic Radio Show' at the Union of Brunel Students’ annual society & media award show.
Please describe an aspect of the Brunel support that particularly helped you in your career journey.
One-to-one career support was particularly valuable, receiving feedback on my applications and practising interview responses with a Careers Consultant.
What advice would you give to new doctoral researchers at Brunel?
Stay focused, keep your eyes on the prize and troubleshoot with others to expand your problem-solving mindset. Do network widely and be sure to regularly nourish your mind and your soul.
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