Doctor it! – Details, episodes & analysis

How do you best reach out to potential co-authors? How and when do co-authors agree on the order of authors when writing a paper? In Episode 18 of Doctor it! you will find answers to these questions. Our hosts Giorgia Zogu and Ying Liang Zhang talk to Jana Bernhard-Harrer from the Department of Communication and Nisa Iduna Kirchengast from the Department of Classical Archaeology. Jana and Nisa provide insights into how they have navigated expectations and hierarchies, dealt with challenges, and benefited from contributing to publications. Listen in when we discuss the disciplinary specifics of co-authorship and offer practical advice on building productive research partnerships. 

This episode was written and produced by Giorgia Zogu, Ying Liang Zhang and Atika Aisyarahmi Munzir, recorded and edited by Christian Lendl, and hosted by Giorgia Zogu and Ying Liang Zhang. Special thanks to our guests, Jana Bernhard-Harrer and Nisa Iduna Kirchengast.

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What did you expect from your PhD journey when you started? Were these expectations met so far? In Episode 17 of Doctor it!, our hosts Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Emily Genatowski talk with Aleksandar Anđelović from the Department of History and Ying Liang Zhang, doctoral candidate in African Studies, about initial expectations, unexpected challenges and transformative moments. Listen in when they explain why they conduct their doctoral research in Vienna, how they carved out their research projects and why they adopted their plans on the way. About accumulating skills, academic criticism, peer feedback and changing career plans – listen to Episode 17 of Doctor it! and learn what Aleksandar and Ying Liang would do if they had a time machine.

This episode was written and produced by Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, Emily Genatowski and Ying Liang Zhang, recorded and edited by Christian Lendl, and hosted by Emily Genatowski and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung. Pictures by Christian Lendl. Special thanks go out to our guests, Aleksandar Andjelovic and Ying Liang Zhang.

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To what extent does the legacy of colonialism influence academia and how are researchers at the Vienna Doctoral Schools aiming to overcome inequalities of power? In the semester’s final episode, our host Angelina Illes talks with Daniela Paredes Grijalva from the Institute for Social Anthropology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Marcela Torres Heredia from the University’s Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology about their doctoral research projects in which they apply decolonising approaches. Listen in when they discuss how we can break with asymmetric power relations in academia by changing how we design and conduct research. Learn about how Daniela and Marcela engage with their research partners in Indonesia and Colombia, and find out how they reveal alternative ways to understand the world and to address today’s planetary challenges.

This episode was written and produced by Angelina Illes, Nadine Riegler, and Ninja Bumann, edited by Nadine Riegler and Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Angelina Illes. Special thanks go out to our guests, Daniela Paredes Grijalva and Marcela Torres Heredia.

For most PhD students, their dissertation is their only “baby”. However, how is it to have an actual child while being a PhD student? In episode 7 of “Doctor it!” our hosts Rasmus Wardemann and Ninja Bumann talk with Kata Tóth from the Department of East European History about how she fulfils care obligations while pursuing a career in academia. Together, they explore the many challenges Kata is facing and how having a child has impacted her doctoral research. Listen in and learn about the importance of academic and familial support structures and find out about fluffy toys for parents in academia.

This episode was written and produced by Maximilian Brockhaus, Bernd Ströhm, Nadine Riegler, and Ninja Bumann, edited by Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Rasmus Wardemann and Ninja Bumann. Special thanks go out to our guest, Kata Tóth.

COVID-19 led to frustration among many PhDs. Archives were closed, summer schools got postponed and small talk at online conferences turned out to be a truly difficult task. In episode 6 of “Doctor it!”, our host Aayu KC is asking whether and how setbacks can nevertheless be seen as an opportunity to grow. She talks to Angelina Illes from the Department of Art History and Martin Pokorny, doctoral candidate from Sociology, about how the pandemic affected them and their research. Together, they explore the feeling of stuckness and share their experiences with communication difficulties and changing circumstances. Listen in when Angelina and Martin talk about how they learned to respect other peoples’ and their own boundaries and find out what waiting around for an Avril Lavigne concert has to do with doing a PhD during a pandemic. Our guests’ advice on overcoming setbacks: be brave, creative and more punk!

This episode was written and produced by Angelina Illes, Aayu KC, Nadine Riegler, Bernd Ströhm, Rasmus Wardemann, and Giorgia Zogu, edited by Martin Pokorny and Nadine Riegler, and hosted by Aayu KC. Special thanks go out to our guests, Martin Pokorny and Angelina Illes. 

In this episode, “Doctor it!” explores how to organise, realise and make the most of a research stay abroad. Joining us this time are Eline Castelijns from the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology and Aleksandar Ranković from the Department of Contemporary History. With our host, Rasmus Wardemann, they talk about how they ended up in Slovenia and Zambia respectively and delve into their personal odyssey of getting funded. Listen in when Aleksandar and Eline explain how they brought together their roles as researchers and social human beings in new environments and how they both relied on the support from local people. Find out about lively LGBTQ history in Yugoslavia and land grabbing in southern Africa, learn about the fear of missing out key moments during your stay and understand why it’s normal that researchers only realise the value of their findings when they are back home.

This episode was written and produced by Maximilian Brockhaus, Angelina Illes, Giorgia Zogu, Aayu KC and Ninja Bumann, edited by Martin Pokorny and Nadine Riegler, and hosted by Rasmus Wardemann. Special thanks go out to our guests, Eline Castelijns and Aleksandar Ranković.

For the semester’s final episode of “Doctor it!”, we have done a showcase of what researchers at the Vienna Doctoral Schools are interested in. In this episode, Bernd Christoph Ströhm hosts an expert interview about the Western Balkans with his research colleague Mario Holzner, Executive Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies. Listen in when they dive into the region’s past, explain the current constitutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina and discuss Russia’s and China’s influence on the region. Learn about the alternatives that existed to the breakup of Yugoslavia and why a boarding pass tells us a lot about the present situation of the Western Balkans.

This episode was written and produced by Bernd Christoph Ströhm, Maximilian Brockhaus, Martin Pokorny, Amara Ugbo and Rasmus Wardemann, edited by Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Bernd Christoph Ströhm. Special thanks go out to our guest, Mario Holzner.

In the third episode of “Doctor It!”, our host, Rasmus Wardemann, talks to Lonneke Delpeut from the Department of Egyptology and Byeongsun Ahn, doctoral candidate in Sociology, about science communication as an important part of our PhD-journey. Listen in when they discuss their changing expectations and practices of disseminating research within and outside of academia, the skills they have developed over the years and how Covid-19 has changed science communication. Our guests provide insights into how they managed to find a balance between reaching out to other academics and the wider public, all while dedicating themselves to their own research. Hear their stories about mummies and citizen participation, find out why Egyptology “torpedoed” into the 21st century and understand the struggle of explaining to your parents – and, eventually, yourself – what you are actually doing as a PhD student.

This episode was written and produced by Max Brockhaus, Rasmus Wardemann, Bernd Ströhm and Martin Pokorny, edited by Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Rasmus Wardemann. Special thanks go out to our guests, Lonneke Delpeut and Byeongsun Ahn.

In a seminar room, whether physical or digital, PhD candidates navigate between student, researcher, and teacher. As first-time course instructors, they encounter two big questions in particular: How do you teach what you do? And what are your resources and tools to master this task?

In episode 2 of “Doctor it!”, we hear insights into this from PhD candidates Azade Kakavand from the Department of Communication and Cosimo Paravano from the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. They share their experiences from “both sides of the desk”, sometimes sitting next to, sometimes vis-à-vis from students, peers and researchers with advanced expertise in research didactics. Listen in and hear their dialogue with our host Rasmus Wardemann, in which they address the myth of the “natural teacher” and share their teaching strategies in dealing with different group sizes and course types. Find out what difference an alumni-pen makes for Azade’s consciousness as someone in a position to impart academic knowledge and what Cosimo means by “teaching does not have to happen behind closed doors”!

Articles and podcasts mentioned in the episode: “The Damaging Myth of the Natural Teacher” “Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning”

This episode was written and produced by Angelika Hudler, Max Brockhaus, and Rasmus Wardemann, edited by Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Rasmus Wardemann. Special thanks go out to our guests, Cosimo and Azade.

In the first episode of “Doctor it!”, our host, Rasmus Wardemann, talks to the first-year doctoral candidates Julia Schulte-Werning from the Department of History and Quirin Rieder from the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology about their experiences of getting into a PhD programme. From trying to meet expectations to managing their research time, our guests give us first-hand insights into what it means to go into your first PhD year. Julia and Quirin share their personal journey to the projects and positions they presently work in and provide recommendations to everyone out there embarking on a similar path into doctoral research.

The background behind Rasmus’ aphorism “remember to forget”, glimpses into “PhD-FOMO”, and what objects embody Julia’s and Quirin’s concrete early experiences in their PhD programmes: find out about it by listening to Episode 1 of “Doctor it!”!

This episode was written and produced by Max Brockhaus and Angelika Hudler, edited by Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Rasmus Wardemann. Special thanks go out to our guests, Julia Schulte-Werning and Quirin Rieder.