Dr Ajantha Abey - More Research Habits I Wish I'd Started Earlier in My PhD

Dr Ajantha Abey narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.

In part one, Ajantha covered the practical lab-hacks: experiment numbering, file naming, reference managers and spreadsheets. This time he moves up a level, to the habits that sit around the experiments rather than inside them. He makes the case for recording why you made a decision and not just what you did, keeping every half-formed idea in one running list, building relationships with colleagues long before you need a protocol or a reference, going to small local meetings from the very start, saying yes to teaching, outreach and committee work, and paying attention to what comes after the PhD while there is still time to explore it. None of it is glamorous, and Ajantha is the first to say so. But the argument he makes is that a PhD is a marathon, and the systems you set up in year one are the ones that stop your future self getting lost.

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-more-research-habits-i-wish-id-started-earlier-in-my-phd/

--

Dr Ajantha Abey is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Kavli Institute at University of Oxford. He is interested in the cellular mechanisms of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other diseases of the ageing brain. Previously, having previoulsy explored neuropathology in dogs with dementia and potential stem cell replacement therapies. He now uses induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons to try and model selective neuronal vulnerability: the phenomenon where some cells die but others remain resilient to neurodegenerative diseases.

--

Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

This podcast is brought to you by University College London in association with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support.

--

Leave us a Tip

https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

Follow us on social media:

• https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/
• https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/
• https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher
• https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social

Download and Register with our Community App:

https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher