In order to achieve our highest potential in life, a little attention on the subject of mind and consciousness will make a big difference. We start to discover our thoughts as well as our time have great value, and help us understand the richness of the heart and of the head.

Dr Prashant Kakoday is presently based in Cambridge. He did his Diploma in ENT surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in London in 1982. For the past 30 years, he has involved himself in the understanding and teaching the spiritual and holistic principles of life and health. His views on health entitled "The Concept of Total Health" were presented to various medical institutions including the World Health Organisation. His main interests are in the field of psyche, emotions, behaviour and health. He is himself a student and teacher of meditation with Brahma Kumaris spiritual university. He feels that present day society is conditioned into limitations and that a fundamental shift is necessary for this civilisation to survive. His ideas on consciousness and health, have led to him being invited to speak in more than 80 countries. He has spoken at various Universities, Medical Schools and organizations including the United Nations in Geneva. He presently coordinates the Inner Space and the Center for Integral Health in Cambridge, UK.

The PhD Social Support Network is an informal, weekly lunchtime drop-in for any PhD student. You can stop by, eat your lunch, have a chat with other students from across the University and receive support from those who are also undertaking a PhD.

It offers you:

1. Information and signposting to support services
2. A time to share experiences with one another
3. Valuable time away from your desk to relax and chat

Where/when?

Online (Microsoft Teams), every Tuesday, 12:30-13:30. No need to book, just turn up!

We can all recognise that undertaking a doctorate is challenging by its very nature, but the unprecedented times we are now living in threaten to further compound the risks to our mental and physical wellbeing as Doctoral Researchers. At Heads Together, we strive to create an informal and safe environment for Doctoral Researchers to collectively explore their wellbeing concerns, in hopes that these difficult conversations might be made easier. We also believe it is important for staff to be part of some of these discussions, and would like to warmly invite staff members – particularly supervisors and DPLs, amongst others – to join us for this Doctoral Researcher Wellbeing week session, with a view to fostering, and strengthening collegiality amongst staff and Doctoral Researchers.

Specifically, our wellbeing week session will focus on areas of wellbeing that Doctoral Researchershave highlighted that they struggle with the most. We plan to send out a short, anonymous survey in advance to both staff and PGRs, allowing us to draw out the most relevant topics for discussion and to field some pointers from staff who have already completed their doctoral journeys. On the day, our hope is that Doctoral Researchers and staff alike will contribute to a relaxed and helpful conversation in a safe environment, steeped in shared understanding and friendly advice.

Prior to attending, please complete this brief online survey.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

• Improved understanding of the experiences of Doctoral Researchers and staff, bolstering mutual respect between the two populations
• Useful coping strategies for common wellbeing concerns, born from the experience of others
• Signposting to further help within the university 

Rachel Armitage is a third year Doctoral Researcher studying means of tackling mis and disinformation on social media. She co-founded the Heads Together PGR peer network with Chloe Blackwell in early 2020.

Chloe Blackwell is a third year Doctoral Researcher studying the spending, needs and living standards of families raising children with autism. She is a co-founder of Heads Together.

Guy Tallentire is a third year Doctoral Researcher in Geography and Environment, researching glacier meltwater and sediment production and transport in the Arctic. Guy is the Lead Doctoral Researcher Representative for the School of Social Sciences and Humanities and has been a regular attendee of Heads Together since it moved to the online world. 

We all have tried and tested food-and-drink-related routines that we engage in every day, whether deliberatively or not. We tend to repeat these routines because they have somehow satisfied a need or two in the past – perhaps that might have been to stave off hunger, enjoy your meal and/or keep you awake during the day (COFFEE!!).

We tend to find it difficult to break these daily food-and-drink choices because it’s a step into the unknown, even if we know deep down that something’s still not quite right – perhaps you still feel tired during the day or can’t focus when reading a long document. A question that’s buried within us all is: will changing my food and drink choices satisfy my needs and desires as well as my current routines?

Chances are, there are changes to your food and drink choices that you can make that will improve your life in some way, and that aren’t a million miles away from what you’re doing now. You just need to know what to do and how to do it.

Through a mixture of presentation and group interaction, this workshop will explore various food and drink decisions that people make every day that may not best support their wishes to thrive both in and outside of work. Importantly, this workshop will present some solutions for you to try. Matters will be considered from a variety of perspectives and workshop attendees will be asked a series of questions at various points to prompt discussion. Attendees will be encouraged to share examples of their own food choices, if they feel comfortable.

*Chris would also be happy to take questions about food, diet and routines at the end of the workshop, so come with your burning questions.*

Intended Learning Outcomes:

• Develop your knowledge of various every-day food-related decisions that we make that may not best support your goal of performing your best at work.
• Engage in discussions with others to learn how food choices and routines differ between people and what others feel they want to change about their diet.
• Consider which simple changes you can make that may help you thrive both in and outside of work.
• Receive resolutions to your burning questions about food, diet and routines.

Presenter biography:

Dr Chris McLeod is a University Teacher in Psychology and Chartered Psychologist who lectures, teaches and supervises students across all Parts of the Psychology undergraduate programme at Loughborough University. Chris’s main research interests are in exploring psychological drivers of episodic eating behaviour and interventions to increase the health span of adults.

Considering your next career steps can for some be daunting. As part of Loughborough University's Employability Month, this employer panel event will enable attendees to find out about different career paths that are available after doctoral graduation.

Meet Doctoral Graduates who work in a variety of roles.  Find out what they do, their career path to this role, how their use their doctorate in their work and tips for those thinking of pursuing this career route.  You might also like to refer to Vitae’s resources of the same name and their researchers’ career stories.  

Speakers to be confirmed in due course.

Faciliator biography:

Eve Uhlig is a Careers Consultant at Loughborough University who brings her experience of working in industry and higher education to support doctoral researchers with their career choices, decision making and transition.