While most PhD students have accepted that their research probably won’t change the world, they at least want to make some impact on society. But how? In Episode 16 of Doctor it! we discuss strategies of making our research more impactful, and we share experiences of being personally impacted by our research fields. Emily Genatowski and Martin Pokorny talk with Nora Hansl from the Department of Political Science about her research on valuing vaccination and Stefan Sonntagbauer, doctoral candidate in German philology, about his research on horror movies. Learn about how Nora and Stefan try to follow the logic of academic impact factors while making a difference in the world through personal encounters in the field. Do you want to find out why impact is not a one-way street? Do you want to know how Stefan and Nora cope with the psychological effects of conducting research on highly controversial topics involving parent-child relationships and ghost encounters? Listen to Episode 16 of Doctor it!

Article mentioned in the episode: “Nur online studieren macht depressiv”, derfalter.at

This episode was written and produced by Emily Genatowski, Martin Pokorny and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, recorded and edited by Christian Lendl and hosted by Emily Genatowski and Martin Pokorny. Special thanks to our guests, Stefan Sonntagsbauer and Nora Hansl.

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Are you wondering whether your next conference presentation will be a career booster or just a waste of the time that you need for writing your dissertation? Do you want to know how other PhDs have navigated their first-ever conference? Then this is the right episode for you! In Episode 15 of Doctor it! our hosts Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Martin Pokorny talk to Birte Leonhardt from the Department of Communication and David Smrček from the Department of History about their experiences in conferencing. Join us as we delve into the world of presenting and networking. Find out how Birte and David choose the “right” conferences, how they connect with experts in their fields, how they get useful feedback and how they try to avoid the classical pitfalls. Getting funding, identifying fake conferences and controlling the social environment – this and more in Episode 15 of Doctor it!

Interested in hearing more about your colleagues’ experiences with science communication? Listen also to Episode 3 of Doctor it!

This episode was written and produced by Giorgia Zogu, Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, Olga Malashkina, Christian Lendl and Martin Pokorny, edited by Christian Lendl and hosted by Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Martin Pokorny. Special thanks go out to our guests, David Smrček and Birte Leonhardt.

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In Episode 14 of Doctor it! Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Penelope Faithfull talk to Nyamadzawo Sibanda (also known as Max) from the Department of Development Studies and Emily Genatowski, doctoral candidate in History, about the support systems PhD students may rely on during their studies. Our guests share personal experiences of arriving in Vienna, finding housing and navigating the language barriers in bureaucracy with support from relatives, colleagues and supervisors. Listen in when they discuss the ups and downs of adjusting to new academic cultures and blending into social and academic life in Vienna. Find out why Emily and Max agree that institutional support and personal engagement are crucial, how they themselves now provide support to others, and what a can of Japanese matcha and a belt have to do with getting support as a PhD student.

If you have other experiences dealing with support systems during your PhD, leave a comment on one of our channels or send us an email!

This episode was written and produced by Penelope Faithfull, Christian Lendl, Martin Pokorny and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, edited by Christian Lendl and hosted by Penelope Faithfull and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung. Special thanks go out to our guests, Emily Genatowski and Nyamadzawo Sibanda.

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