All you never asked someone who would love to get a PhD
(Marine) research doctorates explained (Part I)
About the “All you never asked…” series: Research and academia can seem like a secluded, mysterious world. Like an isolated war college on top of an always foggy cliff. But it's not! It's a place filled with curiosity and genuine people who face daily struggles like anyone else. So, let me take you behind the scenes.
While applying for PhD positions, I would try to tell friends and family about it here and there. Recurrently, after a nod or a brief “Ahh” or “Okay”, the conversation immediately turned to something else.
Leaving a slightly sad little girl inside me who once again felt like her thoughts, dreams, and ideas were not relevant to others.
Marie from “The Bored Millennial” wrote about how introverts and internalisers lock thoughts and emotions inside. And at the same time, how much (more) their minds produce and process internally!
And yes, this is so much on point. I even noticed this in conversations with Sven. I recently started phrasing more of my sudden associations and lines of thoughts about shared experiences with him, and it is eye-opening to both of us how differently our minds work.
Opening up about my hurt feelings, Sven asked, “Did it ever occur to you that others are switching the topic because they don’t really know what to say or ask because they have no clue at all what doing a PhD actually means? And that they might feel too embarrassed to ask exactly THAT?”
Jaw drop. A sudden flush of guilt and shame.
Had I been expecting too much? Assuming too much? Well…I guess I did.
That’s a classic for internalising overthinkers. Our minds process so much in such ridiculous ways that, at some point, we even run unconscious scripts of assumptions and expectations about what’s going on in other people’s minds.
But I felt guilty. Just three years ago, moving into a shared flat for my studies with a post-doc (the position you do after a PhD) felt totally intimidating. I had no clue what she was doing and how she even got there!
Plus, one aspect of not attending university after finishing school was that I had no clue what this would be about since no one in my close environment had done a university degree!
So, let’s start from scratch!
What is a PhD?
The most common degrees* that you can earn at a University are (in chronological order):
Bachelor (B)
Undergraduate study, usually 3 years, e.g. “Bachelor of Science (BSc)”, usually completed with a “Bachelor Thesis” which comprises scientific work mainly by using existing research knowledge
e.g. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Business Informatics.
Master (M)
Graduate study, usually 2 years, e.g. “Master of Science (MSc)”, usually completed with a “Master Thesis” which includes producing a small quantity of new knowledge through research
e.g. I hold a Master of Science in Marine Science with a major in “Sea & Society Affairs”
Doctorate (PhD/MD)- now we get to the more confusing stuff. Earning a doctorate is the highest university degree in an educational context (things like “Professor” are considered professional degrees). A doctorate means that a student wants to continue on an academic or research path either by:
studying for a profession that requires a university doctorate (e.g., a doctor researching and practising in the field of medicine). This doctorate is called “Doctor of Medicine (MD)
studying the skills and experience necessary for working and conducting research in academic, governmental, and business fields. This doctorate is called “Doctor of Philosophy” (PhD). “Philosophy” is an ancient concept that has remained since, initially, all research fields stemmed from the field of philosophy.
Two things to note here:
A PhD is still a study degree. Someone who is currently doing a PhD is referred to as a “PhD candidate” (since they have not yet earned the PhD title) or, synonymously, a “PhD student.”
It combines theoretical knowledge (completing university courses, writing research papers and dissertations, …) and professional training (actual research/actual practising of medicine, …). In addition, the student is usually guided by a PhD supervisor (in German, these are even referred to as “doctorate mother/father,” which connotes the notion of learning the craft from an experienced individual).
To make it even more confusing for Germans, there is no differentiation such as “MD and PhD” in Germany. A doctorate is called “Dr”, and you refer to the practitioner you see for your health issues as “Doctor Mannherz” and, in formal settings, also to a research doctor “Doctor Mannherz”. It even goes further. If I would earn a PhD now, in very formal and more conservative settings, Sven would also be referred to as “Doctor Mannherz” since he is married to a doctor 🤣
*I know there are more degrees and differentiations in the duration of the studies and different sub-categories of professional doctorates, but we want to keep things simple!
What does a PhD student do?
And what does “conducting research” actually mean?
We will figure out together along the way.
But seriously. As we remember, a PhD is a research degree. It aims to explore a topic in depth using methodological approaches that produce verifiable, reliable, and transparent research results. Wait what?
Okay, we step back. The research aims to explore a topic by ideally producing novel knowledge about it in a way that others can verify as correct (or incorrect). This is usually done by combining or departing from existing research and adding new perspectives. Here is an example from my master’s thesis: I used an underwater microphone (hydrophone) to record the noise produced by an expedition cruise vessel to see if it could harm marine mammals in the area (such as whales, dolphins, and seals).
How did I do that? Well, I looked at the sound that I recorded from the ship. Then, I used literature (papers, books, publications) that conducted research on the hearing abilities of whales, dolphins, and seals (and information about when the noise would become harmful) to compare whether they would be able to a) hear the noise and b) be disturbed by it. In my thesis, I accurately described how I did all of this so that others would be able to replicate it and validate it (verifiable, reliable, transparent).
So, a PhD student will:
conduct or participate in a research project that usually lasts 3-4 years. Tasks will vary greatly depending on the research field, type of project and the chosen methods (e.g., doing experiments in a laboratory is much different from researching existing literature than observing marine mammals out in the field).
write research papers* (usually 3-4) as a first author which will be combined into a PhD thesis at the end of the studies. Writing one large dissertation at the end is not so common anymore since it is considered too lengthy, and the researcher benefits more from and contributes more to research by publishing actual scientific papers in between. Still, the papers will be linked by a narrative as the final deliverable.
take university courses to acquire more specific skills, which come with attending lectures and writing exams.
attend conferences, workshops and seminars to present the research, exchange and represent the university, research group, and project.
engage in teaching at the university level.
engage in science communication with the public and potential project members from outside the university (stakeholders) via reports, interviews, presentations, meetings or social media.
certainly drink a lot of coffee.
*You can read more about the mystical craft of scientific papers, here:
All you never asked about scientific papers
Autumn is in full swing here in southern Germany (meaning cold, wet and a bit windy). It feels strange that I was experiencing my very first start of polar night in Svalbard precisely a year ago. One thing it taught me is that a good mind-body routine is essential when going into winter. So, I was super happy that my all-time favourite pilates coach,
Looking at this post, I see that my mind skips A LOT OF THINGS when talking about my PhD journey. I am sorry 😢. And I did not even make it to the point of explaining the actual application process. That’s why there is most likely going to be a Part II.
And before my mind starts thinking: “Well, now you are oversharing. No one was interested in all of this in the first place!”
I will publish this post 😂. Like Now.
Bye.
No wait.
We forgot to hug.
Hug,
Hi Fabienne,
Selling someone on your Phd is an arduous task, so concentrate on what you do because that is really interesting. I love your insightful postcards and your photos are amazing. 🙂
I want VIP iceberg tours 😥