Dear PhD lab,
As promised here are some admin/procedural things for the Autumn term.
Points (1) and (2) are related to our lab. Points (3) and (4) are about general University resources. I highlighted required actions on your behalf in yellow.
(1) Lab agenda for the Autumn term
* I have created an online Excel spreadsheet with our lab agenda for the rest of the term that you should bookmark
* https://stir-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/r/personal/ts31_stir_ac_uk/Documents/3%2…
* You should have access to this and be able to edit (let me know if you cannot)
* The expectation is that each PhD student gets at least one session per term that focusses on them (to discuss a research idea or design, to present early results, to give a mock talk, or whatever else you would like the lab’s feedback on)
* If you already have a slot in mind for yourself, please add your name into the document
* For all others, these decisions will be made among yourselves and the supervisory team as we move along
* Two of the slots will be used for our two final book club sessions (see point (2) below)
* We need two volunteers to present the following two chapters
* Chapter 6: Doing Service
* Chapter 7: Advising Students
* Any takers?
* I have also created a second column with other events you should attend in a given week, such as
* Our Economics seminar series (every Thursday)
* The RES Doctoral Programme Session (on some Wednesdays)
* The SMS PhD meeting (every 3rd Wednesday each month)
* PhD induction, School Assembly, etc.
* Let’s also continue our tradition of finishing the term with a Christmas dinner
* Happy to stick to Meadowpark but also open to other suggestions
* We’ll talk about a suitable date closer to December but the last term week (16.-20.12.) would be a candidate
(2) Essential reading for the Lab: Doing Economics (Hidden Curriculum)
* The following information is mainly for our new members
* As already mentioned, we are reading and discussing a book about the so-called hidden curriculum of doing a PhD
* Please get a copy of this book and read it (I would label this essential reading)
* Marc Bellemare (2022) Doing Economics: What You Should Have Learned in Grad School ― But Didn’t
* The paperback costs under £20 on Amazon
* But there is also a pdf version flying around somewhere (ask your WhatsApp group)
* The format of the book club sessions is as follows
* We all prepare by reading the chapter we are going to discuss
* One volunteer student gives a short summary/discussion of that chapter from their viewpoint (10-15 minutes) as a discussion starter
* The the lab discusses (with input and guidance from supervisors). Sort of a fireside chat
* We already had four such sessions on
* Chapter 2: Writing Papers
* Chapter 3: Giving Talks
* Chapter 4: Navigating Peer Review
* Chapter 5: Finding Funding
* The new members should read these chapters in their own time and watch the recordings of these sessions to catch up
* This will also give you a good idea of the format
* You can find these recordings here: https://stir-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/ts31_stir_ac_uk/EhyO2nLScTNJs…
* I have also added a recording of Liz Barnes on Analytic Plans that will be helpful to you
(3) IAS
* Stirling’s Institute for Advanced Studies will be an important institution during your PhD and you should familiarise yourselves with their services.
* As a first step, you should enroll in the IAS Postgraduate Researcher Canvas module
* https://canvas.stir.ac.uk/courses/5104
* Make you sure you have notifications turned on, so you will get updates on sessions and services throughout the term
* Once you enrolled, you have access to the following page, which provides the best overview
* https://canvas.stir.ac.uk/courses/5104/modules
* In my mind, the following are the most important items on that page
* PhD Induction
* https://canvas.stir.ac.uk/courses/5104/pages/ias-induction?module_item_id=4…
* This year’s induction takes place on 09.10.2024 in the morning. Hopefully no clash with our lab that day
* Researcher Development Programme
* https://canvas.stir.ac.uk/courses/5104/pages/researcher-development-program…
* This is a series of training sessions throughout the term, some of which you may want to attend
* Preview is announced here: https://canvas.stir.ac.uk/courses/5104/discussion_topics/315470
* Research Compass
* https://canvas.stir.ac.uk/courses/5104/pages/research-compass?module_item_i…
* This is the tool the University uses to document and monitor your progress
* One key element is that you should log all meetings with your supervisors (this includes lab sessions and 1:1 sessions) via Research Campus
* Paperwork
* There are also three pieces of paperwork we have to fill in with each of you (not only our newbies)
* PGR Student Data Sheet
* Student Supervisor Concordat
* Training Needs Assessment
* It seems that these forms have not yet been published for 2024/25
* I will let you know once they are available
(4) Staff Room: Free coffee and hangout
* I am not really sure if this is common knowledge but there is an SMS staff room with a kitchen, free(!) coffee, tables, couches, etc.
* It’s a nice option for your breaks and eating your lunch
* Note: This is not the Economics staff room with the sink and microwave across the hall (near Leo’s and my office)
* The SMS Staff Room is quite a bit nicer and can be found in Room 3Y3. It is open between 9am and 4:30pm
Best wishes,
Till
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear PhD Lab,
Because of the last-minute changes to the teaching timetables of Craig and Simon, it was no longer feasible to stick to the Wednesday slot alone.
For this reason, we will now alternate between the following two dates:
* Wednesdays 11:30-13:00
* Thursdays 14:00-15:30 (right after the Economics seminar, which you all should attend anyway)
I have sent updated calendar invites.
This switch has some very positive side effects. Because our lab was already clashing with the monthly SMS PhD meeting and a School assembly, we are gaining back 4 extra lab sessions! In choosing the new dates, I made sure to avoid these clashes which is why the alternation between Wednesdays and Thursdays is not completely regular.
Heads up: You will be receiving another e-mail about some of the procedural housekeeping things I mentioned in this week’s lab.
Best,
Till
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear PhD Lab,
This is a reminder that we will have our first PhD Lab tomorrow from 11:30-13:00.
We still haven’t been allocated rooms by timetabling but I went ahead and booked a room for tomorrow: 3A142 (Cottrell Building).
The agenda for tomorrow is to welcome everyone back to the Autumn term and to particularly welcome our new PhD students and to give Kevin the opportunity to practice his presentation for his Annual Review this Thursday.
Here is the link for those who cannot be there in person:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3a8QjhAG78wXYGugtvgAljYXfvfBvi…"Tid"%3a"4e8d09f7-cc79-4ccb-9149-a4238dd17422"%2c"Oid"%3a"abfe94d4-562a-45fe-a1a1-e107fb15e8db"}
Meeting ID: 363 863 578 74
Passcode: xrf8h7
See you all tomorrow,
Till
____________________________________
Dr. Till Stowasser
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor)
Faculty Chief Examiner for Stirling Management School
Chief Examiner for Economics
Lead of Behavioural Science PhD Lab
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
United Kingdom
till.stowasser(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:till.stowasser@stir.ac.uk>
tillstowasser.net<http://tillstowasser.net/>
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear PhD Lab,
Thank you all for answering yesterday's doodle poll.
Turns out all other slots were worse than our original one. So we will stick with Wednesday. Note, that I moved the lab half an hour out, as this will help some folks at the margins (they would only miss the first half hour or so).
This means that the new PhD Lab slot for Autumn is Wednesdays 11:30-13:00.
I will book rooms now and send calendar invites shortly. Our first lab session will be on the 25th of September.
Sadly, the new slot clashes with Katie’s schedule. That’s why we will also schedule a couple of extra sessions (mock talk for annual review; progress on research design for Study 2) for her on alternative dates. I will communicate these closer to the respective dates.
By the way, one of the reasons it is getting harder to find a time slot that works for all is that our PhD lab is growing in size! I am super excited to welcome three new PhD students to the lab.
* Gabrielle “Gabe” Han – g.s.han(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:g.s.han@stir.ac.uk>
* Gabe is already at Stirling and will have her office in C.X1
* Liz Barker – elizabethhbarker(a)yahoo.co.uk<mailto:elizabethhbarker@yahoo.co.uk> (until she gets a Stirling e-mail address)
* She will officially join Stirling in October, but I hope she can make the first lab session on the 25th of September
* We have to get a little creative in keeping our two Liz’s apart now. In fact, their names only differ by two letters. Liz Barnes and Liz Barker. I am confident the lab will come up with good handles. :-)
* Stewart Robertson – Stewart.Robertson(a)fca.org.uk<mailto:Stewart.Robertson@fca.org.uk> (until he gets a Stirling e-mail address)
* Same as Liz – he will officially join Stirling in October, but I hope she can make the first lab session on the 25th of September
* Most of you will know Stewart as a fellow MSc Behavioural Science graduate
We also have a visiting PhD student (invited by Mirko): Francesca Pietrangeli (f.pietrangeli89(a)unitus.it<mailto:f.pietrangeli89@unitus.it>) who will join our lab while she is here.
They all are members of this mailing list, so feel free to write them a wee welcome. @Students: It would also be great if you could add them to your WhatsApp group so they don’t miss out on the gossip, we supervisors are not supposed to hear. ;-)
Best,
Till
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear PhD Lab,
Unfortunately, our old Wednesday 11:00-12:30 time slot creates clashes for a couple of people.
I have a preference to keep the lab on Wednesday, as I know that it would work for our part-timers who have to balance their PhD with work commitments.
So my suggestion is to move to Wednesdays 14:30-16:00. To my knowledge there is no teaching scheduled at Stirling on Wednesday afternoons.
Added benefit: Our PhD Lab would follow the newly revived Economics Seminar series (12:30-14:00), which I encourage all of you to attend (please let me know if you haven’t received invitations to the seminar series yet).
So could each of you you please send me a quick message whether 14:30-16:00 would work for you?
Thank you,
Till
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear PhD Lab,
With the Autumn term about to start, it is time to agree on a new time slot for our PhD Lab.
Let's start in two weeks' time (the beginning of PGT teaching) and meet weekly again thereafter.
To keep things simple I am going to suggest to keep our old slot, Wednesdays 11:00-12:30. The advantage of this slot is that there should be no clashes with teaching, as Wednesdays are usually kept free of teaching activities in Stirling, so this should give us a good shot at avoiding clashes.
Should that time slot not work for us, I would try to find a better one via doodle, but ex ante, Wednesdays should be the easiest to pull it off. Once we have a date, I will get rooms booked.
Could you drop me a short line to let me know if Wednesdays 11:00-12:30 works for you?
Best,
Till
________________________________
Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159