A review of the last few months at the GCDC from Dr Beth Breeze
Academic life has a curious attitude to fresh starts. On the one hand, every discipline is engaged in an ongoing and never-ending conversation in which all new knowledge and insights build on what came before – either supporting, adjusting or rejecting what has previously been found. On the other hand, the academic life includes twice as many ‘starts’ to the year as the non-academic life, with the new academic year beginning in September (in the northern hemisphere) and the new calendar year beginning in January. The opportunity to ‘begin again’ twice as often is appealing. If we are not on track with our planned schedule of research, writing and publications then the 1 September and 1 January both provide an excuse to wipe the slate clean and begin again to keep on top of our ambitious ‘to do’ lists.
My new year in 2022 began in the company of two of our wonderful first year GCDC students: Mark from Nigeria and Basma from Palestine had not returned home for the Christmas break, so we celebrated the start of a fresh calendar year together. It was a joy to hear how their first terms had gone, and to learn more about their plans as they settle into their doctoral studies at Kent.
Just a few weeks later, the hopefulness of that conversation contrasted sharply with the fear and misery caused by the start of Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Our students are conducting research that has global application, including studies of conflict situations, so are following developments particularly closely. They, and all of us connected to GCDC, are watching in horror and sadness as reports of new atrocities emerge every day. The urge to help is strong, and I congratulate all who are using their time and what resources they have, to help fellow students and citizens that are affected by war in Ukraine and in all the many other conflicts that continue to rage and cause suffering around the world. The colour scheme in the front image of this newsletter makes clear that, no matter what part of the world our students are focused on in their research, we are all keeping the proud people of Ukraine in the front of our minds and hearts.
I also congratulate our GCDC students for many academic successes this term, including presenting their research at in-person conferences (at last!) and on webinars., as well as getting involved in useful initiatives on and off campus to improve the environment and share their cultural heritage with each other.
It continues to be a privilege to support this very special group of students, and I wish each and every one of them well as we head into the third and final term of the year. It won’t be long before they are moving into the second or final year of their PhDs, or moving on to their next challenge. I for one am glad that another fresh start is always on the horizon.
Dr Beth Breeze
Director, Global Challenges Doctoral Centre