PhD Inspiration - Professor Allen Pacey, The University of Sheffield

Considering a PhD, but wondering what you'll actually get out of it? We've sat down with some of the UK's top academics to hear their experiences and thoughts on postgraduate study. Professor Allen Pacy is the Professor of Andrology at The University of Sheffield. Here he shares some advice for new students.

Video Transcript

Why did you choose to do a PhD?

I chose to do a PhD because I was insanely curious about things. So, by O-levels as it was, I found that my appetite for science was only partly answered. A-levels filled in the blanks. When I did a degree I still felt there was more to learn and so the obvious thing to do was to try and find a PhD so I could really get my teeth into something and be the world expect in something.

What did you get out of doing a PhD?

I think I gained the confidence to be able to science well. Science is very complicated but also at the same time it’s very simple. So, I got the skills and I got the confidence to be able to devise an experiment. To devise an experiment that was going to give me an answer and an answer that I could interpret. One that I could interpret in a wider context.

What was the biggest challenge during your PhD?

I think the biggest challenge during my PhD was one of developing skills of perseverance, robustness and motivation. Things don’t always go right and things don’t always work in the way that you had intended. I was working on an organism that only bred for four days of the year. If my experiments had failed or if I’d missed it then that was a whole year down the drain. I had to plan, plan, plan, for a short time work, work, work and not sleep. Through thinking it through well in advance and devising my experiments well I was able to carry out the experiments that I needed to.

Why should people do a PhD?

You should do a PhD because you really, really want to and you are passionate about it. You shouldn’t do a PhD because you can’t think of anything better to do. You are going to be really tested during the course of performing a PhD so you’ve got to be passionate about it. It doesn’t matter whether you are directly passionate about the thing you’re researching along as you can be passionate enough for the three or four years that you’re going to be researching that thing for.

I do think if you aren’t motivated and you are a bit half-hearted about the whole thing then the PhD is going to be a struggle. If you are really passionate about learning, about contributing to science then a PhD can be immensely rewarding. It can set you on your future career trajectory.

What’s your top PhD tip?

I think my top PhD tip would be make sure you communicate with your supervisor and build a relationship with your supervisor. Really, your supervisor should be your best friend and your harshest critic at the same time. If you squirrel yourself away in the lab and don’t explain what you’re doing, and don’t explain when things go wrong then your supervisor can’t help you.

Similarly, the combined forces of both your brains could come up with something that is even better than either of you ever thought. So, have regular meetings, make sure you communicate all the failures as well as the successes and I think together, with you and your supervisor it will be a great partnership.