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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While most PhD students have accepted that their research probably won’t change the world, they at least want to make some impact on society. But how? In Episode 16 of Doctor it! we discuss strategies of making our research more impactful, and we share experiences of being personally impacted by our research fields. Emily Genatowski and Martin Pokorny talk with Nora Hansl from the Department of Political Science about her research on valuing vaccination and Stefan Sonntagbauer, doctoral candidate in German philology, about his research on horror movies. Learn about how Nora and Stefan try to follow the logic of academic impact factors while making a difference in the world through personal encounters in the field. Do you want to find out why impact is not a one-way street? Do you want to know how Stefan and Nora cope with the psychological effects of conducting research on highly controversial topics involving parent-child relationships and ghost encounters? Listen to Episode 16 of Doctor it!

Article mentioned in the episode: “Nur online studieren macht depressiv”, derfalter.at

This episode was written and produced by Emily Genatowski, Martin Pokorny and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, recorded and edited by Christian Lendl and hosted by Emily Genatowski and Martin Pokorny. Special thanks to our guests, Stefan Sonntagsbauer and Nora Hansl.

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Are you wondering whether your next conference presentation will be a career booster or just a waste of the time that you need for writing your dissertation? Do you want to know how other PhDs have navigated their first-ever conference? Then this is the right episode for you! In Episode 15 of Doctor it! our hosts Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Martin Pokorny talk to Birte Leonhardt from the Department of Communication and David Smrček from the Department of History about their experiences in conferencing. Join us as we delve into the world of presenting and networking. Find out how Birte and David choose the “right” conferences, how they connect with experts in their fields, how they get useful feedback and how they try to avoid the classical pitfalls. Getting funding, identifying fake conferences and controlling the social environment – this and more in Episode 15 of Doctor it!

Interested in hearing more about your colleagues’ experiences with science communication? Listen also to Episode 3 of Doctor it!

This episode was written and produced by Giorgia Zogu, Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, Olga Malashkina, Christian Lendl and Martin Pokorny, edited by Christian Lendl and hosted by Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Martin Pokorny. Special thanks go out to our guests, David Smrček and Birte Leonhardt.

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In Episode 14 of Doctor it! Adityo Darmawan Sudagung and Penelope Faithfull talk to Nyamadzawo Sibanda (also known as Max) from the Department of Development Studies and Emily Genatowski, doctoral candidate in History, about the support systems PhD students may rely on during their studies. Our guests share personal experiences of arriving in Vienna, finding housing and navigating the language barriers in bureaucracy with support from relatives, colleagues and supervisors. Listen in when they discuss the ups and downs of adjusting to new academic cultures and blending into social and academic life in Vienna. Find out why Emily and Max agree that institutional support and personal engagement are crucial, how they themselves now provide support to others, and what a can of Japanese matcha and a belt have to do with getting support as a PhD student.

If you have other experiences dealing with support systems during your PhD, leave a comment on one of our channels or send us an email!

This episode was written and produced by Penelope Faithfull, Christian Lendl, Martin Pokorny and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung, edited by Christian Lendl and hosted by Penelope Faithfull and Adityo Darmawan Sudagung. Special thanks go out to our guests, Emily Genatowski and Nyamadzawo Sibanda.

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In this semester’s first episode of Doctor it! we have invited Michela Vignoli from the Austrian Institute of Technology and Marvin Stecker from the Department of Communication to talk about the use of AI in the humanities and the social sciences. Together with our host Emily Genatowski they discuss why Michela trains AI models to analyse images and texts from the 16th century and how Marvin applies machine learning in his research about contemporary political identities. Listen in when they explore the future of AI in academia beyond doomsday scenario and techno-utopia, and learn about the ethical questions that Michela and Marvin address in the daily use of AI for their PhD research. Why the movie Matrix and setting a timer with Siri are important for them: This and more in Episode 13 of Doctor it!

This episode was written and produced by Penelope Faithfull, Emily Genatowski and Martin Pokorny, edited by Martin Pokorny and Adityo Sudagung, and hosted by Emily Genatowski. Pictures by Christian Lendl, Martin Pokorny and Adityo Sudagung. Special thanks go out to our guests, Marvin Stecker and Michela Vignoli.

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“Don’t forget to write your thesis!” – In this episode of “Doctor it!”, our guests Timo Aava, doctoral candidate in East European History, and Sophie Minihold from the Department of Communication share their experiences with the ultimate boss of any PhD-journey: the thesis. The thrills and troubles of academic writing, the benefits of peer exchange and support during this – supposedly – lonely task, and when to find time for focused writing are just some of the topics they touch upon. Our host, Rasmus Wardemann, asks Timo and Sophie where and when they found a starting point (as it turns out: at very different moments of their PhD) and discusses with them the differences between taking notes and doing writing. Learn about the painful step of deleting text and what to do when things just don’t seem to go right at all. One idea, as we found out, is joining – or even organising – a writing retreat. What monasteries, mineral water, and forest sounds have to do with writing a dissertation: all of this and more in Episode 12 of Doctor it!

Websites mentioned in the episode: myNoise DSHCS Summer School, August 2021

This episode was written and produced by Angelika Hudler, Maximilian Brockhaus, Martin Pokorny, Rasmus Wardemann and Giorgia Zogu, edited by Martin Pokorny and hosted by Rasmus Wardemann. Special thanks go out to our guests, Timo Aava and Sophie Minihold.

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What happens when you graduate from a doctoral programme? Tune in to episode 11 of “Doctor it!” and find out about career opportunities after completing a PhD in the social sciences or the humanities. Our host Aayu KC talks to Faime Alpagu from the Department of Communication and Dominik Hagmann from the Department of Classical Archaeology about their experiences of starting a new chapter in life. Explore with them how the transition from a PhD candidate to a postdoctoral employee in and beyond academia feels like and learn about their personal reasons for embarking on certain career paths (and not on others). Listen in when Faime and Dominik explain why finding a suitable position may take time and share how they envision their professional futures.

This episode was written and produced by Ninja Bumann, Aayu KC, Giorgia Zogu, Nadine Riegler, edited by Nadine Riegler, and hosted by Aayu KC. Special thanks go out to our guests, Faime Alpagu and Dominik Hagmann.

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Surging energy prices, high inflation, war in Europe – the European Union is confronted with new challenges since Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In this episode, our host Bernd Christoph Ströhm from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies and Thomas Kögler from the Austrian National Bank explore the role of Germany as the EU’s economic powerhouse in addressing these challenges. Listen in when they dive into Germany’s past, discuss German economic policies and unwind the country’s vital role in the EU. Learn about ways to strengthen EU consolidation and what role Germany can actually assume in promoting “unity” within Europe. Find out about possibilities to facilitate a reform of the EU and what a Europe of different speeds means.

This episode was written and produced by Bernd Christoph Ströhm, Angelina Illes, Martin Pokorny, and Aayu KC, edited by Martin Pokorny, and hosted by Bernd Christoph Ströhm. Special thanks go out to our guest, Thomas Kögler.

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