North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership

Reflecting on my Overseas Institutional Visit to the National University of Singapore

Chloe Fox-Robertson, Geography & Environment, University of Manchester (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.

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Oversees institutional Visit – University of Sydney, Australia

Lauren Halsall, Health & Wellbeing, Lancaster University (2022 Cohort)

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to undertake an oversees institutional visit to the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, at the University of Sydney. On the whole, I found the OIV to be a truly transformational experience, and one that I would recommend to all NWSSDTP students.

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Enhancing Inclusive Research Through British Sign Language Training

El Smith, Psychology, Lancaster University, (2024 Cohort)

Earlier this year, I was thankful to have received funding from the NWSSDTP Difficult Language Training Fund to undertake my Level 2 Certification in British Sign Language (BSL) training at the Manchester Deaf Centre.

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Overseas Institutional Visit in Vibrant Paris.

Nicolas Del Canto, Planning and Environment, University of Liverpool (2022 Cohort)

From April to July, I had the amazing opportunity to carry out an Overseas Institutional Visit at Lab’URBA in Paris, and I can confidently say it has significantly shaped both my PhD and my future career prospects.

From the very beginning, I was welcomed into a vibrant environment of academics and doctoral and postdoctoral researchers alike. Working alongside professors and being introduced to a network of scholars who were genuinely interested in my research extended my academic reach in ways I had not anticipated. I also immersed myself in the Lab’URBA community — attending seminars, collaborating informally with other PhD students, and enjoying many coffee-table conversations about housing, planning and urban change. The welcome I received from students and staff at the institute made me feel part of the community from day one — and I’m deeply grateful for that.

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