Kate Marshall - project planning

Well I started my PHD in the Zoology Department in October. I was looking at how animals diverge in terms of the colour patterns within just one species and I am using lizards in the Greek Islands as a model system to study this. I am really looking forward to it. I’m really excited about it, also a little bit nervous.

When you start to plan, problems that you wouldn’t normally have known were there come to the surface and you have to deal with them. So it is much better to start planning as early as possible.

I’ve first of all had to think about getting research permits to conduct my studies in Greece. I decided to start asking them for permits as early as possible, so pretty much as soon as I started my PHD I got on their case and I started emailing – started phoning them and I’m glad I did actually because if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have my permits now to do my research.

I think you can’t plan for the unexpected. I think there are always things that are going to happen that you don’t think are going to happen, so I think always plan for problems to arise. I think planning a project does ease the nerves of taking on that responsibility. When I was writing the drafts I did realise that it was feasible to do the project and also not just feasible, but something I would be really interested in and you need that enthusiasm to do the project. You are planning over such a long term period I think right at the start of your PHD, you need to know specifically what you want to have achieved by say six months or by two years. Whether you are going to be able to get some data and whether you are going to be able to cover the costs of you field work and whether what you’re planning in the duration of your PHD is going to be achievable.

When I started talking to the people just in the tea room over morning tea they started to give me some really great advice and through that I was able to just get to grips with how PHD students actually – they don’t just work on their own, they don’t just think on their own, they go out and get advice.