A day in the life of a PhD student
by Nitara, from London, UK, studying Biological Sciences (PhD)
A realistic day in my life: my routine varies but a random day in March looked like this…
Wake up!
Today, I woke up at 9am-ish (later than usual, I promise) so I rushed in, grabbing a coffee and blueberry muffin on my way. I had to stop to take in the view.
Arrive at uni
Being part of the School of Biological Sciences, my desk is in Ashworth Laboratories in King’s Buildings. I spend 20 minutes catching up with friends in the common room and making my second coffee of the day to prepare myself to debug the code I’ve been working on.
Work!
I put my headphones on- starting off with Work Out by J Cole usually gets me hyped up. Right now, I’m working on simulating disease spread through animal social networks but have been stuck on a code issue. With quite a bit of reading and help from my supervisor, I solve the bug! Onto the next hurdle…
Journal club
I take a break and go to WEG (Wild Evolution Group), a journal club where we share research and discuss papers. It’s really cool to be able to learn and chat about science with experts in the field in a relaxed and open environment. I often feel imposter syndrome but everyone is friendly and encourages students and staff of all levels to get involved.
Lunch
I realise I forgot my lunch during my morning rush so I head to the Nucleus canteen and grab a vegan jerk hotdog with extra crispy onions on top- yum. It’s a sunny day so I eat outside.
Afternoon hustle
In the afternoon, I have an online training course on Data Analysis in Python. I usually code in R but am trying to learn Python too so join the call from the comfort of my desk. After, I read a couple of new papers and prepare for a meeting I have next week. I make a to-do list for all the tasks I want to get done tomorrow.
Before I leave, I go for a meet up with BioPod, a science podcast society based at the university and we talk about potential episode ideas and I sign up to do some editing for a recently recorded interview.
Home
I head home and get ready for my tuition class. To save for summer travels, I tutor on the side and today I have an hour of A/L biology class. I spend the rest of the evening baking! My first attempt at cinnamon buns are quite successful and I cover up any burnt bits with lots of icing. I made dhal, jackfruit curry and rice for dinner and switch on an episode of the new season of Drive to Survive on Netflix.
Last minute plans
As I’m tucking into my after-dinner iced bun, a friend rings and says there’s a gig on at Stramash that looks good. Since it’s been a long week and I feel quite happy with the work I’ve got done, I decide to join. The band is doing reggae covers and I enjoy the atmosphere and music.
Bed time
I get back and get ready for bed. I try to end the day by reading so I make a chamomile tea and curl up with a new book called ‘Hood Feminism’. I set my alarm for earlier and switch off the lights, looking forward to tomorrow!
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