By bringing together students from differing fields of study and allowing them to share, compare and contrast their work and their experience, this series highlights the wide variety of important, interesting research and study taking place at Queen’s University. Here, Janine Geddis talks with Wanqi Jia. Their conversation has been edited for clarity.

Janine Geddis: Hi Wanqi, looking forward to talking with you. Allow me to introduce myself: I’m a mature student, formerly employed in an adolescent mental health department, which led me towards a degree in psychology. Originally, I had planned to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology, but my plans changed. During my undergrad, I found that I really enjoyed the research component of my study, and this led me towards doing a Masters in Human Rights Law. For my Masters dissertation, I looked at the mental health of human rights defenders in the context of the Right to Health, and I am now building on that research for my PhD, bringing together psychology and human rights law. So, tell me about your story? I’m excited to hear about your work and chat about postgraduate life.

Wanqi: Hi Janine. I look forward to our conversation. I notice that we immediately have something in common: changed plans! I started my academic journey with a BSc in biotechnology and food engineering, then completed an MSc in advanced food safety, afterwards with one-year industry working experience. Now, I’m pursuing a PhD in environmental science, with a key focus on the biogeochemistry study of agronomic practices on UK grasslands. My research now involves a lot of elemental analysis work in the lab, which I really enjoy.

Janine: That sounds really interesting! It's not an area I know anything about (my gifts are in the humanities subjects rather than the sciences) but it sounds like we both love research, which is no surprise considering we’ve both chosen the PhD journey. It’s interesting that you mention your change of plans. What was the catalyst for change for you?

Wanqi: There were definitely a few turning points in my ambitions and plans. Firstly, while doing my placement experience after my master’s degree, it became deeply obvious to me that I still wanted to be doing theoretical research within an academic atmosphere. Secondly, I found I was further developing the biogeochemistry skills needed to pursue this research, because while it still relates to my previous experience, stresses on analysis of region environment change and can transform agriculture and food systems. So a passion for the research I’m doing now was a big factor for me; as, of course, was developing the skills needed to carry it out. As you say, our subjects are very different, but was your research driven by a similar passion?

Janine: Absolutely. Your placement sounds like it had a major impact, and I can certainly relate to that. I work part time doing research for a small charity, and it always confirms that research is what interests me, even if the balance of part time work and study can also be tricky at times. I only do 6 hours per week at my job, so the actual time demands aren't too intensive, but it’s tricky to split my focus towards very different research areas! Doing a PhD is a grand adventure that is exciting and a bit terrifying all at the same time! It’s such a big decision to go on this journey. I think so much of deciding to do a PhD is having a passion and then finding a way to pursue it. Can I ask, what is it that made you choose Queen’s University as the place for yours?

Wanqi: Choosing Queen’s was one of the big decisions for me, of which there were many. Of course, firstly (and so importantly), I had to receive funding support. An important part of any research is that the funding body think the project is important and something they can continuously support. After that, a big factor in my choosing Queen’s was that the latest Research Excellence Framework ranked the university first place in the U.K. for Agriculture and Food Sciences. That made me choose Queen’s over any other organisation and set me on this “grand adventure” as you so nicely put it. Speaking of which, allow me to ask, what about your own adventure do you find particularly exciting and what do you find terrifying?

Janine: Well, primarily it's so exciting to be fully invested in an area of research I care so much about. My PhD is my own proposal rather than someone else's that I applied to work on, so it’s something I’m passionate about. It's also very exciting to feel that I may be able to contribute something useful. Of course, the flipside to that is that the expectations that come with it can be mildly terrifying: wondering if I will actually contribute something valuable; not to mention the more operational aspects of presenting your research and public speaking that are just outside the comfort zone of (and frankly terrifying to) an introvert like myself!

Wanqi: That’s a great description of the two sides of working on research you’re so passionate about. I think a lot of students could relate to that.

Janine: I agree, and for me personally, sometimes the excitement and terror have the same root cause. This is perhaps more personal than I am expected to get in these discussions, but I do feel it is a valid point – I am a mature student who worked in administration for years, and although they may not have intended to, many of the people I worked alongside during that time made me feel that I wasn't as good or as smart as them, because I didn’t have a degree. Now that I’m here, with an undergrad and a Master’s degree behind me, working on a PhD, it’s exciting to be doing something I love which challenges me and interests me. Logically, I know that I’m just as capable of doing this as anyone else, but it’s also terrifying because those former experiences do lead me to doubt myself a lot of the time. It is a constant battle with Imposter Syndrome, feeling like I’m not capable, that I don't belong, that I am not as smart. I am very fortunate to have excellent supervisors who, aside from being experts in their fields that I can learn a lot from, are wonderful people who are very supportive and encouraging. That really does make a difference. Having a real enjoyment of research and a passion for my subject area also helps. It is also really helpful to know that there are very few academics who don't battle with Imposter Syndrome to some extent at one time or another! I wonder if these things are relatable to you in your very different field of research. I’d love to hear more about your thesis.

Wanqi: Thanks for sharing that Janine, and as I said, I think a lot of what you’ve mentioned is relatable for a lot of PhD students. The working title for my thesis is the temporal and spatial biogeochemistry of grassland. To try and explain it a bit, I’ll start by saying I’m keen to address the knowledge gaps derived from element perspectives. Originally, trace-and macro-element analysis wasn’t conducted to modern analytical standards, and thus questions regarding elemental biogeochemical cycling could not be answered, especially considering the variables came from different horizons, fertiliser treatments and grass or silage harvest season associated with Northern Irish grasslands. This study impacts with five decades of elemental profile creation (since 1972 and with 25 elements information included), calibrated mathematical model for the Hillsborough grassland by simulation of sedimentary cycle on a spatial and temporal scale (formulating, testing, forecasting of future changes and estimating for missing values). Currently, I plan to introduce TELLUS database to facilitate this process and hopefully can apply to much wider grasslands around Northern Ireland. Tunnel vision is pivotal, to some extent, to doing research project that sort of mindset always inspire me and keep me moralised to get things done. I hope I’ve done an OK job of giving some introduction my work, and I’d love to hear a bit about yours!                                                                                              

Janine: Thanks for that introduction, Wanqi. Your thesis sounds fascinating, although I can imagine even on first thought that it must bring constant challenges. In terms of my thesis, while it may seem like quite a jump from psychology to human rights law, mental health has always been an area I am interested in, and I believe that poor mental health can result when an individual's human rights are not respected. That can cover a very wide range of issues but for me, when deciding on a topic for my Master's dissertation, I wanted to look specifically at the mental health of human rights defenders for a number of reasons. They are devoted to protecting the rights of others, oftentimes facing a lot of trauma through the nature of their work, but there is very little structure in the profession that protects the mental health of those exposed to primary and secondary trauma. As I began researching, it also appeared that human rights defenders were also facing the same organisational stressors as many other professions, and nobody was researching this. Ironically, in the scholarship that has been published, nobody referenced the right to health. My research aims to explore more fully the operational and organisational stressors impacting the mental health of human rights defenders, while reviewing international human rights law and domestic legislation to assess whether it is adequately upholding the right to health which is a key human right. There are few people who have not experienced stress at work but while there are extensive health and safety protections that prevent employers from permitting physically unsafe working environments, the same is not true of mental health and I guess a big part of what drives my continuing passion in this area is the chance to add to the evidence of why mental health protection in the workplace is  just as important.

Wanqi: You’re certainly right when you mention challenges. The truth to be told, this is a long-term grassland experiment which needs to be constantly analysed, so at this point I dwell in the lab every Monday to Thursday to ensure the instrument are running my samples in normal condition, and compile the raw data go through statistics test to see what’s divergence that beyond my understanding or unexplainable on Friday. The hardest part is always data interpretation for me, as I must elucidate the logic and concise way to present the findings when comes to publication pressure. Fortunately, there is support around me to help with this. The discipline (agricultural subject) conference would benefit me the most as this is rare opportunity to spin out mine study as an early career researcher let alone the networking chance with researcher from England and EU. Also, the Transition Skills in year 1-3 series by Dr Abbie Edgar in the Graduate School are fantastic courses that help my gain in-depth understanding of PhD extensively.

Janine:  Hey again Wanqi! Your study sounds fascinating – one of the key things everyone mentions in respect of PhD research is that it must add something new to the knowledge base and it certainly sounds like your project will do that. That must be exciting, to be able to bring new perspectives and new standards to an area to answer long overdue questions. Your week is so different to mine! In a humanities subject, I obviously don't have lab time, and for now, much of my week is spent reading and familiarising myself with the existing academic literature on my subject. It sounds like you are generating your own data through your sampling and analysis which must be exciting and motivating, it's very dynamic and fast moving. My weeks are much slower paced! Like you, I find the Transition Skills workshops from the Grad School are fantastic and I have learned so many useful skills through them. That's interesting that you face a lot of publication pressure. I have heard that the pressure to publish in the sciences is much more extreme.

Wanqi: There is an element of pressure. But, then again, such pressure brings us back to what you mentioned at the start: a PhD is all about finding a passion and then discovering a way to pursue it. Funding challenges, finding the right supervisors, and (in my case at least) publication pressures are all part of what we have to overcome in order to pursue that passion. On that note, it has been great to talk to you. I’ve learned a lot about we – and I imagine most PhD students – have in common, which has been very valuable. Thank you and good luck with your research going forward!

Janine: Thank you Wanqi, it’s been great to discover what we have in common and how our journey’s vary. For one thing, I am encouraged to think about publishing but don't currently have the pressure your area of study seems to bring. I am quite grateful for that! I suppose the fast-evolving nature of your work and study area, and the need to keep ahead of developments, and relay findings creates that pressure. My area is not so quick to change! My study is multidisciplinary so there isn't really a discipline-specific conference for me, but law conferences focusing on socio-legal aspects and methodologies are useful, as are conferences on mental health and psychology. I agree with you that networking and the chance to 'get our research out there' is so useful for early career researchers. I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago that was law focused, but not overly relevant to my area. However, I met someone who was able to put me in touch with someone she knew in Galway University who is working on a similar area so the networking aspect was very useful! All the best for your research and data analysis, Wanqi. Take care!