I love interesting challenges and helping postgraduate researchers. I’m an independent researcher-developer and my goal is to help PGRs become PhDs.

Areas I focus on include: viva preparation for PhD students creative thinking and problem solving collaboration and teamwork project management personal effectiveness I have facilitated on numerous university development programmes for postgraduate researchers, and have worked with over 150 cross-disciplinary groups of researchers on research innovation exercises.

In 2010 I started delivering a session called Viva Survivor; as of April 2020, I have delivered this session – aimed at helping PGRs prepare well for their viva – to over 4500 PhD candidates around the UK. I’m passionate about helping PhD students be effectively prepared for their vivas. In 2012, I started Viva Survivors: a podcast featuring interviews with PhD graduates where I talk to them about their research, their viva and life after the PhD. In 2017 this project became the Viva Survivors daily blog: a new post about the viva every day, aimed at providing as much support as possible to help PGRs be ready for their vivas.

Email me if you’d like to chat about me helping your postgraduate researchers. If you’d like to know more about the kinds of things I’m working on now just ask me!