This post is my final post as the SGSAH Blogger – I can’t believe how quickly the last 6 months have flown in! I certainly didn’t expect most of them to take place during a pandemic…

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here. When I started this position, I wanted to get to know as many researchers as possible through these posts – something I think I’ve managed to achieve! Reaching out to people for their insights on the topics I decided to write about – from dealing with PhD feedback to navigating the dreaded networking – was a great way to get to know everyone, and a huge ‘thank you’ for every one of you who gave me a quote.

When I started as blogger, I was keen to highlight some financial struggles PhD students faced that aren’t always acknowledged, and encouraged many of you to get in touch with your pieces. With posts on being an unfunded PhD student, underpaid GTAs and many of you sharing experiences as to why you simply had to work at the weekend, hopefully, some light has been shed but I understand that there is a multitude of experiences that go unheard. I would encourage anyone who feels like their voice is not heard in academia to get in touch with the next blogger about publishing a post, as this platform is ultimately your space.

As much as I don’t want to give it any extra attention, I can’t end this round-up without mentioning the dreaded C-word. For the last few months, continuing on with PhD work during a pandemic has been tough for all of us, and I’m grateful that many of you shared your experiences and offered help and support to others who needed it.

Goodbye from Euphie, my research assistant!

As I write this post I’m also working on the preparation for my first-year annual review, so it also marks the end of my first year as a PhD student. Everyone told me it would fly by, and they were absolutely right! I’m still pretty terrible at explaining my research to those who ask, but I’ve learned a lot from those of you who managed to ace that part in your ‘5 minute’ interviews.

I suppose that’s it! Neil Ackerman will be taking over this post from Monday, and all future guest posts and ideas should be directed to him. I look forward to seeing your posts, Neil!

That’s all from me – if you’d like to see more of my writing you can head here. I’m also on Twitter (@bullieob) and feel free to get in touch via email: chiara.bullen@stir.ac.uk