When I first started the role as Postgraduate Research (PGR) Director in July 2024, I knew I would love working with students as it was my main motivation for applying for this position. Reflecting on my journey as it is reaching the two year mark, the first thing that comes to mind is the joy I find in working with my students.
Working with PGR Students
I really love working with my postgraduate research (PGR) students. I’ve learned so much from them through various interactions—whether during PGR events, 10-week review meetings (where we check in to see how new students are settling into the programme), or through direct supervision with my supervisees.
A particular highlight has been collaborating with the PGR representatives. Before my maternity leave, I worked closely with Deby K. Uligraff, who successfully secured an EUSA grant for a joint event with the University of Edinburgh, University College Cork, and Edinburgh Napier University in February 2025. The event was a great success and received wonderful feedback.
Now that I’m back to work full speed, I am collaborating with current reps, Helen Zhang and Huimin Chong. We’ve secured funds for events like the ‘Walk Right, Talk, Write’ involving students and staff on 29 Jan 2026. This event is funded through the Student Partnership Agreement Small Project
Funding. Another exciting upcoming event is the series of ‘Steps and Skills’ events scheduled for this spring-summer, where my student reps secured the Student Experience Grant. The enthusiasm and creativity of my students are inspiring and with a bit of guidance, they’ve achieved remarkable things!
Celebrating Graduations
Another favourite part of my role is processing at graduation ceremonies. This may sound a bit cliché, but it’s indeed the highlight of my year. Seeing my students graduating brings me such immense pride and joy.
At the University of Edinburgh, we usually have two ceremonies in the summer and winter. I also graduated from this university, but missed my own ceremony due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Luckily in my current role, I have the privilege of attending graduation twice a year!
The summer graduation in June 2025 was particularly special as two of my PhD students, Lian Zhu and Mengying Zhang, graduated alongside many others. Here are the full lists of 2025 PhD Graduate in Nursing Studies:
- Anna Bovo – Unfolding intensity: a creative relational inquiry into neuro-affective bodily expressions of nurses working in acute contexts of care
- Claudia Collado – End-of-life Care Planning: An Institutional Ethnography in Chilean Palliative Care Settings
- Esra Sinary – “I Never Thought It Was My Heart”: Illness and Health-Seeking Experiences of Saudi Women with Symptoms Suggestive of Acute Coronary Syndrome
- Lian Zhu – Territoriality of the ICU: Visiting Experiences and Perceptions of Nurses and Family Members in a Chinese Adult Intensive Care Unit: A Focused Ethnographic Study
- Man Sao Lo – Exploring Adolescents’ Sexual Health Literacy with Adolescents and Sexuality Educators in Macau: A Participatory Action Research Study
- Mengying Zhang – The use of smoking cessation applications in China: A realist evaluation
- Yajing Wang – Ageing in Place: Exploring Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Chinese Empty Nesters and Their Adult Children Through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
- Yin Wang – Patient Participation in Nursing Care in a Chinese Hospital: A Focused Ethnographic Study
The winter graduation in November 2025 was the time for MScR students to shine, highlighting their achievements and recognising their hard work throughout the programme.
- Zipporah Iregi – Exploring the Experiences of Newly Graduated Nurses During their Transition to Practice in Kenya
- Anna Miell – Experiences of Suicidality Care in the Emergency Department (The ExSEED Study)
- Carolina Henriquez Galindo – “The linchpin of acquired brain injury rehabilitation: Exploring nurses’ role in inpatient and community settings” – A qualitative study
In summary, I feel incredibly lucky to be part of such a vibrant academic community and to witness the amazing journeys of our students. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Nursing Studies, I want to congratulate my alma mater and wish all the best for the coming years.
