How to thrive and survive in your PhD

Hi! I’m Zara, your Thrive and Survive Coordinator. I’m a second-year PhD student in the English and Related Literature department. My research explores food studies, mysticism, and gendered embodiment in contemporary writing. I also work as a GTA, so I have a real sense of the context of current PGRs in terms of balancing teaching and research, and how this dual identity is a core part of our research lives. I’m a long-distance student, meaning I’m usually based in Derbyshire.

I came to York in 2017 when I started my Undergraduate degree in Literature here. I think it’s fair to say I fell in love with the place, so I decided to stay on as a postgrad for my Ma in Medical Histories and Humanities, and then now, for my doctorate.

Being a researcher can feel like a bit of a whirlwind – it can often feel like everyone else has it together while you’re just finding your feet. My main goal as Thrive and Survive Coordinator is to dispel this myth and to create a network of support and community initiative, not competition and comparison.

I’ll be running workshops throughout the academic year that will aim to punctuate your research with relevant support and advice on various topics, ranging from managing research obstacles, to maintaining stamina over the summer, and most importantly, staying healthy, happy, and connected.

You can contact me at pgr-thriveandsurvive@york.ac.uk, through my personal email zara.stubbs@york.ac.uk, or via twitter @PhDSurvival to discuss all things thrive & survive.