PhD Thesis Research Articles

Dr Who? Identity Crucibles and the DBA Doctoral Degree

AbstractThis paper explores the triggers and identity crucibles facing professional doctorate students pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA). Unlike prior research, which centres on full‐time PhD students, our study examines the identity work of DBA students, many of whom do not foresee a transition to academia. Through 35 semi‐structured interviews, we explore the identity work involved in ‘becoming a doctor’ and the identity crucibles that DBA students encounter. We identify the internal and external triggers that lead to identity work and identity crucibles, with their accompanying emotions, and examine how these crucibles are resolved. This research develops current thinking in critical management education, revealing how DBA students do not uniformly aspire to become practitioner‐scholars or academics. Instead, they start and end their doctoral studies from various and different identity positions, highlighting the complexity of these long, intellectually challenging programmes. By exploring the triggers, identity crucibles and resolutions, this study offers a nuanced understanding of the DBA student experience and provides valuable insights into how these individuals can be supported throughout their doctoral studies. This support enhances retention and completion rates for those tasked with managing these programmes and reduces the likelihood of losing exceptional scholars/practitioners.

Pedagogical reflections from a transnational PhD course in ageing

This article is based on an interdisciplinary PhD course on ageing societies. The course brought together researchers, practitioners, and PhD students representing diverse welfare regimes and scientific traditions. It departed from the assumption that learning is a process involving both cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions. It was inspired by three collaborative learning theories and contained a number of non-traditional learning activities. The students' motivation during the course was exceptionally high, and as teachers and organisers we became interested if this could be understood through the theory of resonance pedagogy. The article presents parts of the course documentation. Activities and students’ responses are described and discussed in relation to the pedagogical inspirations. Rosa’s resonance pedagogy is used as a theoretical framework in a final synthesising discussion. Diversity in scientific orientations, national backgrounds, learning activities, and using collaborative pedagogical thinking can support a learning environment with potentials for resonance.

Faculty development through higher degrees: AMEE Guide No. 180

Faculty development in medical education may take different forms and approaches ranging from standalone workshops and short courses up to longitudinal programs and postgraduate qualifications, such as Certificates, Diplomas, Master’s and PhD degrees in health professions education (HPE). Many places offer staff development opportunities to help people to learn how to teach health professional students more effectively. Yet higher degrees in HPE are expected not only to enable graduates to be better teachers or assessors but also to act on a strategic level to support institutional directions to advance teaching, learning, assessment and scholarship in HPE. This guide is for people who wish to develop programmes to provide a more systematic and deeper training for those people that see themselves as professional health professions educators and indeed, the leaders of the future. The guide discusses the rationale, plans, process of implementation and evaluation of postgraduate programs in HPE in ten phases. Different variables should be considered with respect to the local context, institutional support, readiness of expertise, availability of resources, alignment with the strategic plan of the college/university and methods to measure the impact of these PG programs.

Jobs for Economics PhDs in Government

ABSTRACTOne possible career path for an economics PhD is a role in government. About 37% of PhD students obtain jobs in government after graduation. This article details a few personal reflections on the types of opportunities, the rewards of such opportunities and the skills required.

Rapid Review of Literature Reporting the Experience of Patient and Public Involvement in Prison and Forensic Mental Health Research.

Health research authorities around the world are increasingly committed to embedding public involvement in health and social care research. However, such involvement in internationally published prison and forensic mental health research remains rare. It is therefore particularly important to understand how people are experiencing collaborative research in this field, barriers they may encounter and how these might be overcome. The aim of this review is to explore how academic, practitioner and lived-experience researchers have experienced collaborating on prison and forensic mental health research since a previous review of the topic in 2016. A rapid review of literature was completed by searching three databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO) between 2016 and July 2023 in addition to Google and Google Scholar searches and hand searching the reference lists of all screened-in documents. We used Reflexive Thematic Analysis to review the screened-in papers. We had lived-experience involvement in this study, which is outlined in our Supporting Information. The database search returned 733 unique articles. Internet searches revealed 10 potentially relevant documents. 20 documents were eligible for inclusion; 15 journal articles, three book chapters, a whole book and a PhD thesis. In the analysis, four overarching themes were developed: the positive psychological impact on lived-experience researchers; it is interpersonally, emotionally and practically challenging; facilitators of the collaborative research process; and positive impact of involvement on the research. Our findings build on the previous review by providing evidence that collaborating on research can have a positive psychological impact on people with lived experience in this setting. It also documents further challenges that are unique to the forensic setting. There was minimal reporting of the experiences of forensic mental health patients involved in research; most included documents focused the experiences of current or former prisoners. Further studies in the topic area are still needed, which utilise a research method to analyse the experiences of conducting collaborative research.

Women's mental health in the doctoral context: Protective function of the psychological capital and academic motivation.

Science recognizes the anxieties, depression, stress, and "turbulences" that women face in doctoral studies, but women's mental health in this context is still little addressed, even though it is a critical aspect for the well-being, persistence, and success of women doctoral candidates, who continue to be underrepresented in many professional fields. The study aims to evaluate the relationship between academic motivation, psychological capital, and university academic performance (UAP) and to identify factors of female mental health success. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was conducted with a sample of 108 female doctoral students from a university in Lima, during the first quarter of 2024. In the quantitative phase, three standardized scales were administered to assess academic motivation, psychological capital, and university academic performance (UAP). In the qualitative phase, interviews were conducted to gather relevant information on mental health. The findings emphasize five important points: (1) levels and the relationship between psychological capital, academic motivation, and performance, (2) motivational behavior according to study cycles, (3) risk and protection profiles, (4) protective functions, and (5) mental health success factors. The results indicate that 36% of the women have a low level of psychological capital, 34% have a medium level of academic motivation, and 37% have a high level of UAP, likewise "Intrinsic Motivation toward Accomplishment" is the positive core where most of these women converge. Significant differences were found between the study cycles with academic motivation and "University Academic Performance," and a significant gap between these variables. The risk profile (which limits performance) and the protective profile which allows high performance are determined; this positive profile is identified by women who present a high level of "Self-efficacy." The study demonstrates that "Psychological Capital" and "Academic Motivation" along with the dimensions of "Self-efficacy" and "Intrinsic Motivation to Experience Stimulation" serve protective functions. Fourteen success factors for women's mental health were identified and organized into four main approaches: Optimism, Hope, Resilience, and Self-efficacy. Limitations and future projections are discussed. The practical implications include implementing psychological support programs, fostering intrinsic motivation, integrating psychological assessments, establishing support networks, and making tailored curricular adjustments.

Exploring human experience through phenomenological research

A phenomenological investigation, according to Creswell (2007) (p. 57), is described as the “life experience of several individuals on a concept or a phenomenon." Transforming individual experiences with a phenomenon to a description of the universal essence is the aim of the phenomenological method (Creswell, 2007, p. 58). This research paper aims to educate the research fraternity on phenomenological research methodology. Phenomenology is one of the most widely utilized qualitative approaches in PhD Thesis and research studies. A study that applies phenomenological research methodology aims to investigate people's perceptions and comprehension of a specific situation. According to Christensen, Johnstone, and Turner (2010), phenomenological research is distinct from other forms of qualitative inquiry in that it aims to comprehend the essence of a phenomenon from the viewpoint of people who have experienced it. To provide diverse perspectives on the topic under investigation, these investigations require a sufficient number of participants (Moustakas, 1994), for the researcher needs to describe the population of interest providing demographic information about the population to be sampled. Sampling is usually purposive or snowball; the sample size is 8-15, depending on the text referenced. A phenomenological study revolves around the lived experience of a group of people around a particular phenomenon as the main research issue. Its strong methodological and philosophical foundation makes it applicable to practically every subject.

CIRCLING THE DATA – LEARNING TO USE FEMINIST POSTSTRUCTURALIST DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

New and novice qualitative researchers can be overwhelmed, and they may face uncertainty with the variety of available approaches when choosing their research methods. Feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis is a qualitative analysis method that has not been described extensively in the literature, despite variations in its application by different researchers. In this paper, the author will describe her use of these analytical methods for her doctoral research study. The aim of this paper is to provide researchers with an in-depth example of how feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis can be used in qualitative research. To begin, a brief description of the theoretical perspective, feminist poststructuralism, that informs feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis will be provided, followed by an outline of the analytical process that was used. Two examples of how the analysis methods were applied to the data will be shared. Strengths and challenges will be identified, and suggestions will be made for researchers who are interested in using this method of analysis. This first-person account contributes to improved understandings of discourse analysis generally, and feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis specifically. This account will be of particular interest to researchers new to discourse analysis or who are considering using feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis

Bioethics knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare professionals in Cameroon: a cross sectional analytical observational study of doctors and nurses in Cameroon’s Southwest Region

Knowledge of bioethics could assist healthcare professionals in working ethically, thus enhancing the quality of patient care. We conducted a study to assess physicians' and nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours regarding healthcare ethics in Cameroon's southwest region. 469 healthcare professionals were recruited, with 89.8% being nurses and 10.2% being doctors. Women made up 79.6% of nurses, while men made up 60.4% of physicians. The percentage of healthcare professionals who demonstrated good knowledge regarding the most commonly applied biomedical ethics principles varied from 62.9 to 73.1%. There were significant differences in agreement levels between doctors and nurses on statements such as physician-assisted suicide, physicians not refusing to assist with abortions if the law allowed it, and seeking informed consent only for operations and not tests. Nurses were three times more likely to agree with the statements that doctors cannot refuse abortion if the law allows it and that patients who want assisted suicide should be assisted to get it. Most healthcare providers were found to consistently adhere to healthcare ethics in their practices. However, there was a significant difference in opinion between doctors and nurses when asked if they ordered tests that were not medically necessary but were ordered for patient satisfaction, with nurses having a lower likelihood of agreeing to such practices than doctors. While participants demonstrated a moderate knowledge of healthcare ethics, additional educational interventions are needed to cultivate more favourable attitudes toward specific aspects of healthcare ethics, such as informed consent, patient autonomy, paternalism, and confidentiality.

On the Importance of Data – Introducing Perspectives as New Manuscript Type to SYNLETT

Ruben Martin was born in Barcelona (Spain) in 1976. After receiving his PhD at the Universitat de Barcelona with Prof. Antoni Riera, he moved in January 2004 to the Max-Planck-Insitut für Kohlenforschung (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany), as a Humboldt postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Alois Fürstner, where he worked on iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. In May 2005, he undertook further postdoctoral studies at the Massachusets Institute of Technology (USA) with Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald where he developed new metal-catalyzed C–C and C–N bond-forming reactions. In September 2008, he initiated his independent career as an Associate Professor and subsequently as ICREA Research Professor (Spain). His research interests concern the discovery and development of synthetically useful organometallic methodologies. Manuel van Gemmeren was born in Madrid (Spain), and raised in both Spain and Germany. After studying chemistry at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (Germany) until 2010, he conducted his doctoral studies in the lab of Prof. Benjamin List and obtained his degree in 2014 (summa cum laude). Subsequently, he joined the group of Prof. Rubén Martín for postdoctoral studies. From 2016 onwards, he established his independent research group at the University of Münster (Germany). In 2022, he joined the Otto Diels Institute of Organic Chemistry at Kiel University (Germany) as tenured professor for Organic Chemistry. Research in the van Gemmeren Lab focusses on the development of novel synthetic methods, typically based on Pd-catalyzed C–H activation, that enable challenging transformations to proceed with catalyst-controlled reactivity and selectivity. Debabrata Maiti received his Ph.D. from John Hopkins University (USA) in 2008 under the supervision of Prof. Kenneth D. Karlin. After postdoctoral studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; USA) with Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald (2008–2010), he joined the Department of Chemistry at IIT Bombay (India) in 2011, where he is currently Professor. His research interests are focused on the development of new and sustainable synthetic and catalytic methods.

First person – Yuli Buckley

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Yuli Buckley is first author on ‘ Fis1 regulates mitochondrial morphology, bioenergetics and removal of mitochondrial DNA damage in irradiated glioblastoma cells’, published in JCS. Yuli is a PhD student in the lab of Jason Mears at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA, investigating mitochondrial dynamics in glioblastoma.

Cultural transposition: Adapting an Appreciative Inquiry to support organisational change in a non-Western context

This doctoral research study employed an Appreciative Inquiry as a culturally adjusted method for enabling six university educators to develop critical thinking (ijtihad) in Yemeni graphic design education.[1] Emanating from a constructivist paradigm, the study recognised the role of sociocultural contexts in knowledge formation. The Appreciative Inquiry was divided into four stages (Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny) based on Cooperrider and Whitney’s (2005) model. The study utilised Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP)[2] based on a traditional cultural construct known as Halakat Elm (حلقات علم, knowledge circles). These circles were shaped by three cultural principles: wa’adeuk fa’ajbuh (واذا دعاك فأجبه); Husn al-Dhann (حسن الظن); and sadakat al elm (صدقة العلم). Key themes were identified through a Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The outcomes demonstrated that an Appreciative Inquiry developed inside the culturally specific construct of the Halakat Elm can serve as an effective, culturally responsive approach for developing co-creative approaches to organisational and pedagogical reform. [1] The project was granted ethics approval (21/129) on July 8, 2021. [2] A Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) operates online. Here, individuals engage in instruction-based learning or group discussions within a specific domain, forming social structures to facilitate knowledge sharing and creation (Wenger-Trayner, 2015).

Two reflections on the PhD thesis: Thesis by monograph, thesis by publication, and the viva process

This paper provides two reflections on the authors’ experiences of writing a PhD thesis by monograph, and a PhD thesis by publication, and discusses the advantages and challenges facing students and supervisors approaching these formats. It concludes with reflections on how to prepare for the viva process. This paper is aimed at prospective and current PhD students, and supervisors, who may find these insights useful to inform students’ choice of thesis format.

A student’s guide to the writing parts of a research project in physical geography and allied disciplines

ABSTRACT Writing is involved in all aspects of graduate student research. Here we provide detailed guidance on writing for research, especially for master’s theses and PhD dissertations and primarily for physical geography and other earth science students. The main sections of a research paper (Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions) each have specific requirements of what to include and exclude. While there are many aspects to research writing, they should be thought of as a process leading to a final product. The proposal becomes a well-developed first draft of the Introduction, Literature Review, and Methods sections, with Results, Discussion, and Conclusions added after the data are collected and analyzed. New information and improvement of the writing lead to the frequent updating of all sections. In addition, Research Notes are fundamentally important to the process of research and students should develop the habit of entering and maintaining high-quality notes. The Supplement is where details are presented that are important but not included in the main text. References need to be taken seriously from the beginning of the project and the is the last major part to be written but must be carefully crafted.

Doctoral Supervision: A Reflection Matrix for Process and Progress

Successful doctoral studies rely heavily on the quality of supervision, particularly the relationship between supervisor and doctoral student. This relationship influences both the doctoral process and the final product—the completed thesis. Prior research indicates that supervisory alliances play a critical role in doctoral completion, with insufficient supervisor support often cited as a key factor in student attrition. To assist supervisors, especially those new to the role, this paper proposes a structured yet flexible reflective checklist. Grounded in two systematic reviews, the checklist combines five key supervisory dimensions—relationship, domain/research knowledge, pedagogical competencies, functional aspects, and methodological understanding—with both external (e.g., departmental structures, financial opportunities) and internal (e.g., motivation, academic identity) factors affecting doctoral progression. This framework encourages supervisors to continually examine and refine their practices, thereby fostering an environment that supports effective doctoral training. Ultimately, the reflective checklist serves as a customizable tool to prompt ongoing awareness, adaptation, and development in supervisory practice.

Becoming a Researcher: An Empirical Study on the Factors Influencing Chinese PhD Students’ Research Career Intentions

Increasing the attractiveness of research careers for PhD students has been a key objective of science, technology, and innovation policies worldwide. This study draws on an expanded career construction theory framework to examine the effects of proactive personality, employability social capital, and career adaptability on PhD students’ research career intentions as well as the moderating role of gender in this structural model. We collected data from 795 Chinese PhD students at 10 universities via an online questionnaire survey. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that proactive personality had no significant direct effect on research career intentions; however, it could influence research career intentions indirectly via the separate and chain mediating effects of employability social capital and career adaptability. In addition, gender was shown to moderate the relationship between employability social capital and research career intentions. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are highlighted, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

An open chat between Prof Asifa Akhtar and KlaudiaJaczynska.

To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025, we invited Prof Asifa Akhtar, Vice President of the Max Planck Society's Biology and Medicine section, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Honorary Professor at the Albert Ludwigs University and recipient of the 2025 FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award to meet and chat with Klaudia Jaczynska, final year PhD student at Jose Rizo's laboratory in UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and 2024 FEBS Open Bio Article Prize winner. We invited them to talk about challenges limiting equal representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, initiatives to foster supportive environments as a research institute and the importance of highlighting diverse examples of success.

The concept of the ancient homeland of the Fenno-Ugric-speaking peoples in light of complex research

Extended, completed review of the theses of the PhD dissertation completed under the supervision of László Klima and submitted to the Uralic Linguistics and Languages Programme, Doctoral School of Linguistics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, in 2023. The dissertation’s primary objective was to investigate, applying an interdisciplinary approach, the prehistory and location of the ancient homeland of the Uralic-speaking peoples. This study was needed due to the decreasing tendency in research in Hungary on the Uralic prehistory compared to Finland. In the past three decades, some attempts have been made to integrate new results, but the old theory of the Uralic homeland being in Western Siberia could not be challenged. The research presented in the dissertation is based on reassessing previous results of linguistic palaeontology, archaeology, and archaeogenetics.

Young, female and scientist: exploring barriers, challenges and opportunities.

Different societal, systemic and personal barriers exist at various stages along a female researcher's career that can potentially undermine their success. The equation for women to reach higher positions in STEM is a multivariable one, and while there has been considerable progress towards addressing some of these compared with the past, current solutions are inadequate and do not address all facets. Here, we asked female winners of the FEBS Open Bio poster prize about their experiences regarding barriers they have faced at the predoctoral and postdoctoral stages, their opinions on how these can be addressed and their advice to new students entering a PhD degree.

Refining Established Practices for Research Question Definition to Foster Interdisciplinary Research Skills in a Digital Age: Consensus Study With Nominal Group Technique.

The increased use of digital data in health research demands interdisciplinary collaborations to address its methodological complexities and challenges. This often entails merging the linear deductive approach of health research with the explorative iterative approach of data science. However, there is a lack of structured teaching courses and guidance on how to effectively and constructively bridge different disciplines and research approaches. This study aimed to provide a set of tools and recommendations designed to facilitate interdisciplinary education and collaboration. Target groups are lecturers who can use these tools to design interdisciplinary courses, supervisors who guide PhD and master's students in their interdisciplinary projects, and principal investigators who design and organize workshops to initiate and guide interdisciplinary projects. Our study was conducted in 3 steps: (1) developing a common terminology, (2) identifying established workflows for research question formulation, and (3) examining adaptations of existing study workflows combining methods from health research and data science. We also formulated recommendations for a pragmatic implementation of our findings. We conducted a literature search and organized 3 interdisciplinary expert workshops with researchers at the University of Zurich. For the workshops and the subsequent manuscript writing process, we adopted a consensus study methodology. We developed a set of tools to facilitate interdisciplinary education and collaboration. These tools focused on 2 key dimensions- content and curriculum and methods and teaching style-and can be applied in various educational and research settings. We developed a glossary to establish a shared understanding of common terminologies and concepts. We delineated the established study workflow for research question formulation, emphasizing the "what" and the "how," while summarizing the necessary tools to facilitate the process. We propose 3 clusters of contextual and methodological adaptations to this workflow to better integrate data science practices: (1) acknowledging real-life constraints and limitations in research scope; (2) allowing more iterative, data-driven approaches to research question formulation; and (3) strengthening research quality through reproducibility principles and adherence to the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data principles. Research question formulation remains a relevant and useful research step in projects using digital data. We recommend initiating new interdisciplinary collaborations by establishing terminologies as well as using the concepts of research tasks to foster a shared understanding. Our tools and recommendations can support academic educators in training health professionals and researchers for interdisciplinary digital health projects.