Interview with Smriti Safaya

About Smriti:

PhD topic: The appetite secondary school students in Hong Kong have for environmental activism, researched through citizen science.

Education history: BSc Geology in California. MSc Earthquakes at University of Hong Kong. Taught in secondary school for 13 years.

Favourite colour: Blue-Green

Summary of intervew:

After studying geology and earthquakes then teaching, Smriti questioned whether her education specialty was having a positive affect on the world. When she didn't know, she decided to go back into research - deciding to do a long-distance PhD with SEI York after following the wider institutions work, and follow some of the questions she'd had while teaching.

She doesn't have much experience physically in SEI York or with the social activities as they don't usually fall at an accessible time for Hong Kong but she was able to attend a virtual Christmas party which she loved. Despite this, she still feels the strong sense of community.

Key takeaways

3 words to describe the institute: Eccentricity. Humilty. Intelligence.

What would you say to someone applying? "I would say that would be a very smart choice to do that. There is tremendous support from your supervisor and a willingness to help from everyone, whether it's for the technical research aspect of a PhD or the emotional side when things go wrong. It's important to have a good sense of your own project and always have a backup plan."

Smriti interview transcript (MS Word , 20kb)