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  Holly Giles

Role: Guest Contributor

Postgraduate expertise

Holly is a third year PhD student at the University of Reading. Her undergraduate degree was in Biomedical Sciences at Cardiff University during the pandemic. Following this she moved to the University of Liverpool for an MRes in Musculoskeletal Ageing, before coming back home for a PhD in Food and Nutritional Sciences. Her research focuses on food science for older adults in the prevention of ageing diseases. She also has four dogs and loves walking them as a break from research.


Latest blogs from Holly Giles

Help! I’ve Run Out of Money For My Research!

What do you when you run out of money mid-research? PhD student Holly has created a battle plan for when you need more research money.

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Critique Is Not Criticism: Dealing With Peer Reviewers’ Comments on Your Paper

Have you just got some peer review comments back on a paper? PhD student Holly talks you through what you should do, how you should approach these comments and what your replies should look like.

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Taking a Break Over the Holidays: Advice From a Third Year PhD Student

PhD student Holly talks about taking a much-needed break this Christmas and how to truly relax during the Holidays.

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Protecting Your Mental Health During Your PhD

PhD student Holly talks about the importance of looking after your mental health during a PhD and how you can go about it.

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Motivations for Completing a PhD: Looking Back from Third Year

PhD student Holly takes a look back on what motivated her to do a PhD in the first place.

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Halfway Through My PhD: What I Wish I’d Known At The Start

PhD student Holly gives her top tips for her past self of all the things she wishes she'd known on day one of her PhD.

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What is a DTP and Why Do I Love Being Part of One?

PhD student Holly talks us through what being on a Doctoral Training Partnership is like and the benefits of receiving extra training as part of it.

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How to Manage Your Finances as a PhD Student

PhD student Holly talks us through how she manages her stipend and what other sources of funding are available to PhD students while you study.

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An Average Week as a Second Year PhD Student

PhD student Holly talks us through an average week as a second year PhD student and the difference between a lab and writing week.

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How Do I Build My Professional Network as a PhD Student?

PhD student Holly offers four top tips to help you make lasting professional connections during your PhD!

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Completing a Placement During Your PhD

After her own work placement, Holly shares her tips on how to make it work for you during your PhD.

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Changing Plans and Learning to be Flexible in your PhD

Eighteen months into her PhD, Holly reflects on the most challenging parts of her PhD journey so far.

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Understanding the Publication Process

Holly shares her top tips for getting your work published while doing your PhD.

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Being Both Student and Teacher During the PhD

Holly talks about the different ways PhD students can get teaching experience and how she found it.

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Surviving the Confirmation Viva

After one year of PhD study, Holly passed her doctoral confirmation review. Here's her advice.

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Getting involved in your department during your PhD

Now in her second year, Holly shares the many ways PhD students can get involved in their university department.

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Starting My Second Year: Goal Setting and Words of Advice

We've been following Holly along throughout her first year of PhD study. Now she's officially starting second year, she's got some words of advice for new students.

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Writing Your Confirmation Report

At the end of your first year you'll be expected to undergo a confirmation review and submit a report. Here's Holly's experience.

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Reflections on the First Year

Holly is officially coming to the end of her first year of PhD study. She talks to some other students to compare experiences and lessons learnt along the way.

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Conferencing 101: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Attending My First Conference

Academic conferences are a great place to present your work, find out about the latest research and network with like-minded people. After her first event, Holly share's some advice.

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