North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership
Ageing and Cognitive Frailty: Highlights from the Centre for Ageing Research Conference
Seren Parkman, Linguistics, Lancaster University (2021 Cohort)
How do we change as we age? From worms to brain waves the Centre for Ageing Research Conference at Lancaster University had a bit of everything. Hosted in the Lancaster Medical School by Dr Trevor Crawford and Dr Carol Holland, the conference brought together academics from every discipline including: linguistics, psychology, physics and medicine, around the theme of cognitive frailty. The day explored how age can affect us all across the lifespan focusing on what happens to our bodies as they age, but also how we may better improve the life experiences of individuals over time. The day was a mixture of brilliant talks, interesting posters, and in the spirit of Christmas, excellent mince pies.
Read MoreOIV to the University of Pennsylvania
James Breckwoldt, Politics, University of Manchester (2021 Cohort)
I was fortunate to spend ten wonderful weeks from September to November 2023 at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia for an overseas institutional visit.
I worked closely with my host supervisor, Professor Dan Hopkins, who provided invaluable guidance and feedback on a research paper I am developing on whether voters prioritise ‘culture war’ issue in an election. Professor Hopkins also connected me with a Penn PhD student, and we are now working on a project analysing the ideological sorting of American voters.
Read MoreCare, commitment and collaboration: sharing research findings throughout and at the end of PhD research projects
Liz Ackerley, Geography and Environment, University of Manchester (2017 Cohort)
From 2018-2022 I carried out a PhD project entitled ‘Young People’s Activism in Times of Austerity’. My project was a CASE studentship, meaning it was designed in collaboration with an organisation, in my case RECLAIM, a Manchester-based youth-informed equalities organisation, with the aim of undertaking research to support and inform their work. At the time of applying for the PhD I was working as a research assistant at the University of Bedfordshire at what is now called the Safer Young Lives Research Centre. There my role involved undertaking applied social research primarily related to young people’s participation in service design and delivery. Having seen the value of research and practice working together, as well as having a longstanding interest in and experience of working with young people across a range a contexts including education and campaigning, a collaborative research project with a brilliant youth organisation really appealed to me.
Read MoreDocumenting the ‘joys, pains, and dreams’ of Maya community members in southern Belize
Cara Westerberg Mattu, Development and Humanitarianism in an Unequal World, University of Liverpool (2021 Cohort)
This summer was exciting, nerve-wracking, and eye-opening. During August and September, I spent time in Belize as part of my fieldwork. My research aims to explore the joys, pains, and dreams of Indigenous Maya youth, with a focus on socio-spatial environmental, cultural, and political factors affecting the Maya-defined wellbeing and autonomy through participatory research. The concept and driving force behind exploring and documenting the ‘joys, pains, and dreams’ of Maya community members in southern Belize is a particular area of research that has been developed by the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Julian Cho Society. I am fortunate that the MLA and JCS are the organisations in support of my PhD as part of my CASE studentship. The MLA and JCS are Indigenous grassroots organisations committed to advancing Indigenous land rights, education initiatives, and supporting the wellbeing of Maya communities. Whilst excited, I was incredibly nervous for different reasons; from my irrational fear of airport security, to leaving my loved ones in the UK.
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North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership 