Lucie Ollis
"I think that everything I do while completing my PhD at Surrey will make me more employable, especially finishing my Stage 2 qualification and Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching."
Course
Health Psychology PhDEntry year
2017Research project
A quantitative investigation exploring the psychological and physiological determinants of resilience and their association with recovery and wellbeing.
"I chose to study for my PhD at Surrey because of the excellent research opportunities available here. The University also offers many extra options (e.g. teaching and Stage 2 in Health Psychology) that many others do not. I also had similar research interests to influential academics at Surrey and was really interested in collaborating on research projects with these experts.
My main research area is related to stress, resilience and recovery in the workplace. Helping people to become happier and healthier at work is one of my main aims and one that the company I am collaborating with, BioBeats, is very passionate about.
So far, I am really enjoying my experience of doing a PhD at Surrey. It can be easy to feel lost and lack motivation as your work is very self-directed, so I couldn’t have continued in this process without the support from my supervisory team, BioBeats and, most importantly, my office colleagues. I know I can rely on the friends I have made since starting my studies at Surrey and that they will always be there to pick me up when I’m feeling down or congratulate me when something goes my way!
"I think we have built a community within postgraduate psychology that will help us all move towards the finish line."
I’ve made some great friends at the University and we enjoy the odd social activity in and around Guildford (including Bright Club and Pint of Science). I think we have built a community within postgraduate psychology that will help us all move towards the finish line.
Surrey’s campus offers everything that you need while you’re studying – office space, technical support, student services, library resources and coffee…!
My main supervisor is Professor Mark Cropley. Mark has been great over the past two years. We often meet for lunch and are in contact at least a few times per week. He pushes me to do my best but always provides support along the way. He’s also given me the opportunity to do some great things such as publish papers, travel to conferences abroad and complete courses to broaden my skillset. Mark was the one who put me in touch with BioBeats, so if it wasn’t for him – I may not have had the opportunity to start the PhD in the first place!
Conducting research is a really exciting part of doing a PhD. Although I am in the early stages of my PhD, I think that my research will make a valuable contribution to my field. I also love being able to teach both the undergraduate and postgraduate students and see how they improve over the academic year. I’ve been lucky enough to take part in lots of other exciting projects over the past 18 months including writing a book chapter for the Higher Education Department and doing some qualitative analysis for a charity.
During my PhD, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with companies both within and outside the University. I have also met academics at conferences who were interested in my work and have built connections that are very valuable. I think that everything I do while completing my PhD at Surrey will make me more employable, especially finishing my Stage 2 qualification and Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching.
Discover more about our postgraduate courses in psychology, including our PhD Health Psychology.
