SGSAH Funded Scholars smile together while on the Waverley Boat

Sometimes the PhD Needs You to Leave the Desk: My Year Two SGSAH Residential in Millport

Connecting with fellow SGSAH scholars aboard the Waverley, with Arran in the background. One of the things I have genuinely appreciated about being a Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities (SGSAH) funded student is that my PhD experience has taken me beyond my laptop and university walls. As an international student, I have been … Continue reading Sometimes the PhD Needs You to Leave the Desk: My Year Two SGSAH Residential in Millport

Haven’t I Seen This Before? The Déjà-Vu of Meiji Japan in an Image-Driven World

A Snapshot of the Image-Driven World: The Déjà-Vu of Meiji Japan in British Visual Culture, c.1887-1910 Reproduction, from photomechanical printing to digitisation, can make literally countless copies of any one image. Researching pictures of Meiji-period Japan (1868-1912) by British artists in reproducible mediums, one question that I keep finding myself returning to is how to … Continue reading Haven’t I Seen This Before? The Déjà-Vu of Meiji Japan in an Image-Driven World

A postgraduate student speaks with another attendee at a university networking event, with text highlighting the importance of showing up, making connections, and building community during the PhD journey.

Beyond the Desk: Why PhD Students Need to Show Up Where the Conversations Are Happening

Doing a PhD is not just about locking yourself away with books, notes, deadlines, and a document that refuses to behave. Some of the real learning happens when you leave the desk, enter the room, listen to other people’s work, and realise that your research is part of a much bigger conversation. This blog is a reminder to show up, sign up, pay attention, and make the most of the spaces that help shape you into the researcher you are becoming.

What’s a street for? Public spaces and cultural outreach

Reflecting on her current SGSAH-internship with the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, resident blogger Ebba shares her process of brainstorming public outreach ideas that highlight the existing strengths of a place or region rather than competing for space with established enterprises and creative practitioners. This exploratory post about roaming the streets of Aberdeen and Nairn aims to inspire the reader to let others into their own creative process sooner rather than later.