Monday 01-06-2026 - 12:00

European Doctoral Day 2026 Journeys into the PhD - DTA Researcher Experiences from Diverse Professional Backgrounds

 

Dr Rabia Arshad

Postgraduate Researcher Development Manager, DTA 

 

On 13 May 2026, the DTA organised a panel session as part of the inaugural European Doctoral Day. First launched in 2026, European Doctoral Day is an annual initiative that highlights the importance of doctoral education and the contributions of PhD graduates to society, academia and industry. It emphasises the diverse career pathways of doctoral graduates, their societal impact, and the value of doctoral qualifications for employers, while also aiming to inspire both European and international students to pursue doctoral studies.

 

For this session, the DTA invited a panel of current Future Societies researchers who had entered their PhDs from a range of professional and educational backgrounds. The aim was to explore their motivations for undertaking a PhD, the skills and work experiences they brought with them, how these are shaping and supporting their doctoral journeys, and their aspirations beyond the PhD.

 

The event coincided with the DTA Career Development Month, which focuses on delivering training sessions and workshops aimed at supporting career development and guidance. This panel session aligned well with the theme, offering valuable insights for prospective PhD students. It highlighted that doctoral study is accessible to individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and that it can support career progression or even serve as a pathway into a new career.

 

This blog post aims to summarise the key discussion points from the session and serve as a resource for those who were unable to attend the panel.

Three speakers participated in the panel, including two DTA Future Societies researchers and a DTA staff member who is also a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) graduate. Each brought a unique perspective, sharing their individual journeys, motivations for undertaking a doctorate, experiences during their PhD, and their plans beyond it. The key points from their presentations are highlighted below:

 

 

Dominique Delight, DTA Future Societies Researcher at Anglia Ruskin University

PhD topic: The Wellbeing Impact of Community Creative Writing Programmes on Adults Age 55 plus: a mixed method study

 

Dominique’s journey into doctoral study is far from conventional. She began with an undergraduate degree in Government and History at the London School of Economics, before taking a creative and unconventional career path as a carnival artist. She worked with Notting Hill Carnival in London and later in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

 

Her time in Trinidad was transformative. It sparked a deep passion for community arts and reinforced her interest in the relationship between creativity, politics, and social change. She became particularly interested in how creative expression can give voice to underrepresented communities, enabling them to challenge power structures while also supporting wellbeing. Living in Trinidad for three years, she immersed herself in Caribbean literature, drawing inspiration from writers such as V.S. Naipaul, which in turn inspired her own writing. She co-authored the Trinidad and Tobago Rough Guide and wrote on Trinidadian arts for the Caribbean Press.

On returning to the UK, Dominique completed a Master’s in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. However, rather than following a traditional route into publishing, her work was shaped by her personal experience of using writing as a means of coping and self-expression. She began facilitating a creative writing group for The Big Issue, supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.

 

This experience led her to develop and secure funding for a three-year arts project at a day centre for vulnerable and homeless adults on England’s south coast, where she worked as Writer-in-Residence and Project Manager. During this time, she published two articles in therapeutic writing anthologies and was continually inspired by the stories and creativity of participants.

In 2007, Dominique co-founded Creative Future, a UK-based charity supporting underrepresented artists and writers. The organisation supported over 1,000 individuals annually through training, mentoring, and showcasing opportunities. In 2013, she also established the Creative Future Writers’ Award, the first UK writing competition dedicated to writers from underrepresented backgrounds. The award continues to run annually, with many early prize winners going on to achieve publication and recognition through major literary prizes.

 

After more than a decade leading Creative Future, Dominique moved into work as a creative wellbeing coach and became Lead Facilitator for the Creative Health Network in Sussex. Although she had not initially planned to pursue a PhD, she was motivated by a strong desire to evidence the wellbeing benefits of creative writing, something she had witnessed throughout her career. When she saw an opportunity to undertake doctoral research in this area, she seized it.

Her PhD focuses on the impact of community creative writing programmes on wellbeing, particularly among underrepresented groups. Drawing on over 20 years of professional experience, she brought a wide range of transferable skills to her research, including project management, fundraising, communication, and writing. She also emphasised the importance of producing research that extends beyond academia, engaging practitioners, policymakers, and organisations in the arts and health sectors.

 

Her research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining large-scale survey data with in-depth qualitative insights. This enabled her to engage over 400 participants, while also capturing rich, detailed experiences. Her findings provide strong evidence that community creative writing programmes can improve quality of life, increase confidence and motivation, and help reduce loneliness and social isolation. The research also highlights their potential to support individuals experiencing mental health challenges and those from underrepresented backgrounds.

 

Reflecting on her doctoral journey, Dominique spoke about developing new skills, including learning statistics later in her career, and discovering a newfound appreciation for data and its potential to tell compelling stories. She also highlighted the value of creativity within academic research, particularly in communicating complex ideas through accessible and visual formats.

 

Looking ahead, Dominique hopes to build a career in creative health and wellbeing research, working with NGOs, government bodies, or health organisations to inform policy and practice. Her ambition is to apply her research to support individuals’ wellbeing on a wider scale.

 

 

Elisha Doi, DTA Future Societies Researcher at Teesside University

PhD topic: An Exploration of the effectiveness, and people’s experiences, of the curable pain app for the management of chronic pain.

 

Prior to starting her PhD, Elisha worked clinically as a physiotherapist within the NHS, specialising in chronic pain, an area she remains deeply passionate about. She was drawn to the complexity of chronic pain, recognising it as a field that brings together many of the biological, psychological, and social factors that make healthcare both challenging and meaningful.

 

While she found the work highly rewarding, it was also emotionally demanding. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic intensified these challenges, as she was redeployed to COVID wards and began experiencing significant burnout. This period prompted her to reflect on her long-term career path and consider alternatives to full-time clinical practice. She sought greater variety and sustainability in her work, alongside a desire to challenge herself intellectually through doctoral study.

Elisha entered her PhD after several years away from academia, having moved directly into clinical practice following her undergraduate degree. Without a prior master’s qualification, she initially found the transition into academic research both unfamiliar and overwhelming. Concepts such as ontology and epistemology were new to her, and she described the first year as a steep learning curve, requiring both academic adjustment and personal resilience.

 

Alongside her doctoral studies, Elisha chose to continue working clinically. Maintaining this connection to practice helped her stay grounded in her purpose and reinforced her motivation during more challenging phases of the PhD. However, this dual perspective also prompted deeper reflection on healthcare systems and patient experiences. She began questioning whether existing systems are genuinely accessible and effective for those they are designed to support, particularly given the complex and often overwhelming realities of patients’ lives.

 

Her research focus subsequently evolved. What began as a more traditional evaluation of a digital pain management intervention developed into a broader and more critical exploration of digital health. Her work now examines questions such as who benefits from digital health technologies, who may be excluded, and what assumptions underpin the design of healthcare interventions, particularly in contexts where patients face constraints related to time, energy, financial resources, and wider life pressures.

 

Over time, Elisha came to recognise the significant value of her clinical background within her research. Skills such as communicating complex ideas clearly, navigating uncertainty, and engaging empathetically with individuals proved highly transferable, particularly in qualitative research. Her experience of working closely with patients had already prepared her to engage with complex, sensitive narratives around identity, isolation, and wellbeing, without oversimplifying these experiences.

 

A key turning point in her PhD came with the publication of her first academic paper. Rather than focusing solely on traditional academic metrics of success, she was particularly struck by the responses from individuals living with chronic pain, who reported feeling understood and represented in her work. This reinforced her belief that research should not only be rigorous, but also accessible and meaningful to those it seeks to serve.

 

Throughout her doctoral journey, Elisha has developed a strong interest in qualitative research approaches and creative forms of academic communication. She has embraced writing styles that make complex ideas more accessible and engaging, challenging traditional expectations of academic expression. This has shaped her evolving perspective on academia, where she now seeks to balance critical rigour with clarity, inclusivity, and public engagement.

 

Reflecting on her experience, Elisha described the PhD as transformative, not only in developing her as a researcher and clinician, but also in shaping her personal outlook. Her interactions with research participants deepened her understanding of human complexity, resilience, and the importance of feeling heard and valued. These experiences have also influenced how she defines success, shifting from a focus on achievement and progression towards impact, meaning, and connection.

Looking ahead, Elisha hopes to integrate her clinical and academic expertise more formally, contributing to research that remains closely connected to real-world practice. She emphasised the importance of maintaining a strong link between research and lived experience, noting that healthcare professionals bring valuable insight into the complexity of human lives and of health care system. For her, this ability to engage with complexity, rather than simplify it, remains one of the most important contributions to both research and practice.

 

 

Dr Rabia Arshad, DTA Postgraduate Researcher Development Manager

Research topic: Entrepreneurs’ Perceptions Towards University Incubation Programmes: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Tenant Entrepreneurs in the UK University Business Incubators

 

Rabia completed her Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) as an international postgraduate researcher (PGR) at the University of the West of Scotland between 2017 and 2021. Prior to this, she obtained an MSc in International Banking and Finance from the University of Salford in 2013. Following her master’s degree, she worked as a teacher for IGCSE and A Level students. While she greatly enjoyed teaching, she found school-level teaching to be highly demanding, which motivated her to pursue a research doctorate with the longer-term goal of moving into university-level teaching.

 

However, her career trajectory evolved during her DBA as she developed a strong interest in supporting postgraduate researchers. During this time, the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden transition to online learning significantly impacted the motivation and engagement of many PGRs. In response, Rabia initiated an online community to help maintain connection, motivation, and peer support among researchers. Her efforts led to her involvement in a university-led peer learning initiative, where she took on the role of a PGR Leader. Within this initiative, she helped establish online sessions in which PGRs shared research skills in areas such as literature reviewing, academic writing, and referencing, etc. Her prior experience in teaching proved invaluable in facilitating these sessions.

This experience enabled her to clearly identify and develop her interest in researcher development and support. It also provided her with transferable skills and valuable insight into how universities design and deliver training and development opportunities for postgraduate researchers.

In 2022, Rabia transitioned into a professional services role as a Programme Training Manager at the DTA, where she supports the development and delivery of the PGR training programme. Many of the skills and experiences she gained through the peer-led learning initiative during her DBA have been directly transferable to this role and have played a significant part in her professional development.

 

Her own experiences as a PGR continue to shape her work. She recalls the challenges she and her peers faced during their doctoral journeys, and these lived experiences now inform the design of training provision at the DTA. For example, as an international PGR, she was not fully aware of the importance of applying for small grants, such as funding for conferences or research activities. Recognising that others may face similar gaps in awareness, she now incorporates workshops focused on identifying and applying for such opportunities, particularly highlighting their importance for postdoctoral fellowship applications. Similarly, she was not aware at the time that she could apply for Associate Fellowship of Advance HE through her involvement in peer-led learning, nor of the value this recognition could add to her academic CV. As a result, she now includes targeted sessions, particularly for international PGRs, to raise awareness of these opportunities.

The core skills she developed during her DBA, including critical thinking, academic writing, and data analysis, continue to be central to her current role, particularly in the preparation of evaluation and impact reports.

 

Reflecting on her doctoral journey, Rabia emphasised that undertaking a doctorate is an intellectually transformative experience. It broadens perspectives and shapes how individuals engage with the world. She noted that those who undertake doctoral study often develop strong qualities such as thoughtfulness, resilience, and empathy, reinforcing her belief in the vital role of education in addressing global challenges.

 

She strongly recommends pursuing a PhD, but only where there is genuine interest and passion for the chosen research area. Without this, while valuable skills may still be gained, it can be more challenging to make a meaningful contribution to the field. This is particularly important for international PGRs, especially those who have not previously studied in the country where they intend to undertake their doctorate. Taking time to identify a research topic of genuine interest, as well as a supportive supervisory team, can make a significant difference to the overall doctoral experience.