Chloe Fox-Robertson, Geography & Environment (2022 Cohort)

Early this year, I flew out to Singapore for an Overseas Institutional Visit, funded by the North West Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP). Over six weeks at the National University of Singapore (NUS), I had the opportunity to immerse myself in a vibrant research environment, enrich my PhD research, and develop professionally and personally – including in ways I hadn’t fully anticipated before going.

What did I do?

My time at NUS was structured around several key activities that directly supported my PhD research, career development, and visibility within the research community.

I became an active member of the Politics, Economies And Space (PEAS) research group, attending several meetings where I both learned from others’ work and received invaluable feedback on my own. Presenting an initial plan for my first PhD paper to the group was particularly beneficial. The discussion helped me to refine my arguments and provided valuable experience in defending and articulating my research and ideas in an academic setting.

A major highlight was participating in The Third FinGeo School on financial geography and the Second Global FinGeo Conference. During the School, I attended guest speaker sessions and panels covering diverse topics, such as theory and methods in financial geography, and I spoke on a panel about publishing in the field. At the conference, I presented some initial findings from my PhD and had the opportunity to chair a session on financial technology impacts.

The experiences I gained through the School and Conference alone were transformative: not only did I learn about cutting-edge research in my field, but I also raised my academic profile and introduced my work to an international audience. The practical skills I developed, from preparing a conference presentation to speaking on a panel, will be invaluable for my PhD and are readily transferable to other contexts.

Towards the end of the six weeks, I had the privilege of delivering a guest lecture and associated tutorials on FinTech for an undergraduate module on financial geographies. Focusing on critical perspectives on FinTech and drawing from my own research, this teaching experience gave me the chance to share my developing expertise while honing my communication and teaching skills. It was also a valuable opportunity to reflect on what it means to teach in a different institutional and regional context, and to think creatively about how to make my research accessible and relevant to undergraduate students.

Beyond the institution, Singapore was a highly beneficial country setting. Singapore has a thriving FinTech sector; it is often positioned just behind the UK in global rankings and is a key global FinTech centre of growing prominence. The contextual understanding I gained of FinTech in Singapore and Southeast Asia through, for example, informal conversations, formal interviews, and relevant events, has undoubtedly enriched my PhD research.

Unexpected benefits

In addition to the aims and activities I had originally planned and set out to do, the overseas visit led to some more unexpected benefits for both my research and personal development.

Engaging with the NUS geography department and the researchers who attended the FinGeo events introduced me to a new research community with diverse perspectives and approaches. I discovered unexpected crossovers between my research and others’ work, sparking new ideas and ways of thinking about my own project.

Living and working in Singapore for six weeks also pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way. Navigating a new city, adapting to different academic and cultural contexts, and building new relationships all contributed to significant personal growth. Although sometimes overlooked, having the opportunity to develop these soft skills feels as valuable as some of the more conventional benefits of the overseas institutional visit.

Engaging with my research topic from a new and previously unfamiliar context and becoming immersed within a different research community of academics gave me fresh perspectives and left me feeling reenergised for the remainder of my PhD.

Concluding reflections

Although a potentially daunting experience, I cannot recommend the Overseas Institutional Visit opportunity highly enough. This additional funding opportunity offers much more than just funding to travel – it’s a structured way to enrich your PhD research, explore potential career paths, build your academic network, and develop both personally and professionally. The visit has been one of the defining experiences of my doctoral studies, and I’m immensely grateful for having the opportunity.