How to Stay Connected as a PhD Student

This blog has been co-written by Ian and The University of Edinburgh. Ian is currently doing a PhD in the School of Biological Sciences at the university, and is originally from China.

Hi, I’m Ian and I’m from China. I’m currently doing a PhD in Biology at The University of Edinburgh, which I started in October 2024. I'm looking into the biological rhythm of yeast cells, and I'm studying them computationally, using machine learning and mathematical modelling. This means, I don't actually do any lab work -which may be quite different from what many people might expect. PhDs can feel very isolating and more so if you have no lab work. It’s important to stay connected to friends, family and your life outside your research and here’s some ways I do it!

Before starting my PhD, I did an MSc in Bioinformatics, also at Edinburgh, which was a Taught Masters programme, and I had classes most days.

But on a PhD level, a lot of your time will be spent working alone on a specific project. It may even be one not a lot of people know much about. Even your PhD supervisor may not always be so familiar with the minute details because it’s you who’s doing most of the specialist reading and research. It can be quite intense, and I understand some people can find it to be quite an isolating experience.

So, for that reason, it’s really important to keep in touch with other people. I’ll give you an example from my experience. I was trying to train a machine learning model, and it was one of the very first ones that I had trained, and I really didn't know where to start. So, I just reached out to others! I was in a group and all it took was asking, “Well, how do you do this?" Sometimes, it's as simple as just asking for advice from students or professors. You can even end up collaborating with many of these people in the future. It doesn't (and shouldn't!) feel like you're alone in the process at all.

I also attend social events that are organised by the university, my department or by people in my accommodation. There are so many social events taking place you can participate in. I also attend socials with the research groups I work with. I think it's really important that you get along with the people you work with regularly. We’ll sometimes go for a hike to Arthur’s Seat – an extinct volcano in Edinburgh . There are so many hiking spots around the city and I think going out for a walk really freshens your mind. We’ll also sometimes go for a tasty hot pot, for example. These are the some of the things that keep you going and keep you connected while you're doing your PhD.

So, yes, I do maintain a fairly strict Monday to Friday routine for my research but I try not to work on weekends. I put everything into my calendar so I can effectively manage my time. Of course, sometimes I will have to do some reading on the weekends, and that’s fine too. But it is important to take care of yourself. That’s why I make sure I do something fun at the weekends and try to attend at least one or two social events during the week so I don't feel burned out. I find that making time for myself also gives me the motivation and energy to keep going in my research.

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