This week we talk to Domhnall Finch from the University of Sussex about bats, and how landscape features such as hedgerows, roads and lighting affect the rare greater horseshoe bat. We ask how our changing landscapes are affecting our only flying mammal, and Domhnall tells us about his data collection both monitoring greater horseshoe populations in underground caves, and investigating how bat activity is affected by road traffic noise. For a Planet PhD first, we bring a debate point to the podcast: do we actually need bats? (no spoilers.... but tequila) We discover that not all bats hang upside down, we confirm that everything comes back to insects, and (in the outtakes) we learn how to pronounce ‘Domhnall’. Find out more about Domhnall’s research on his Twitter and Instagram: @Domhnallfinch

Planet PhD

Domhnall Finch: bats bats bats

For the first time on Planet PhD, we welcome a real life Professor onto the podcast. Prof Sunjeev Kamboj researches clinical psychopharmacology and experimental psychopathology (count how many times we get that wrong) at UCL, London. He joins to tell us what it’s like on the other siiiide -- as a PhD supervisor. We ask Sunjeev about how supervisors and PhDs can best work together towards a positive PhD experience. Spoiler: communication, baby. He gives us his tips and we discuss things we’ve found difficult from our side, as PhD students. Gigi’s commitment to sound quality brings her from a blanket tent somewhere in Brighton and we analyse Sunjeev’s Zoom bookshelf. In this episode we mention a previous Planet PhD with Vanessa Hennessy, whose PhD is supervised by Sunjeev. One our most popular episodes - in which Vanessa injects her husband with Ketamine *N.B. as part of a research study*. Listen to 'Vanessa Hennessy: Modifying Memories" for more on the awesome research going on in Sunjeev’s lab!   

Sunjeev Kamboj: On the other side…..being a PhD Supervisor

We're back! Hope you are all excited for a special lockdown themed episode of Planet PhD! Obviously what you need in self isolation is two highly qualified PhD students discussing how to keep yourself sane during these troubled times.  We have all the tips on how to keep yourself motivated, how to stop yourself from burning out and of course, most importantly, what TV to watch. We tell you what we've been up to during this time (we know you've been wondering) and give you some funny lockdown stories. Quick disclaimer, as we are being good humans and self isolating this podcast was recorded on Zoom so the sound quality isn't amazing, sorry about that! We hope you enjoy our special themed episode and please get in touch if you have any questions, any music or TV recommendations or just fancy a chat! -------- @PlanetPhD planetphdpod@gmail.com

Planet Lockdown: How to survive a global pandemic

In this episode, yes you guessed it, we're talking all about doggos! We chat to Anna Korzeniowska from the University of Sussex about her most recent paper (yay!) on cross modality in dogs. Don't worry, she explains what cross modality is (very well). We then talk about her amazing finding that dogs associate high pitch with high elevation, and vice versa, just like with humans. She gives us some reasons why that might be the case, explains her studies' interesting methodology and gives us a cracking answer to her favorite dog name.   If you like dogs (and who doesn't) and want to hear some interesting research as well as some adorable stories, then this is the episode for you! ------------------------- You can access her paper here: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/87693/

Anna Korzeniowska: Cross modality in dogs

In this episode, recorded while we attend a big scary meeting of lots of academics in Belfast, we chat about how to cope at conferences with a very special guest, Owen Middleton. We discuss our mixed experiences of conferences, and share tips on how to get the most out of them while staying healthy and happy. Owen is our networking expert, and tells us how to make friends – and how to keep them after the conference ends. We also discuss organisation, nerves, preparing for and giving a talk, coffee, being out of your comfort zone, socialising, and, importantly, how to look after yourself and your mental health. As ever, send us any questions and follow us and Owen on Twitter: @PlanetPhD | @OwenMiidleton We mention Gigi's conference talk on ivy bee sting pain, which features in a previous episode: Ouch! All about the ivy bee

Coping at Conferences (special guest: Owen Middleton)

Today we interview PhD student Maruša Levstek, who researches the psychological outcomes of participation in music and creative arts for young people. She works with the Our Future City programme in Brighton & Hove, which aims to improve youth wellbeing through creativity, while addressing inequality and lack of opportunity. In Maruša’s longitudinal study with young people in inclusive music groups, she measures a series of musical, personal and social outcomes. We chat about the psychological benefits of music participation, barriers to engagement in creative arts and how sometimes, the young people who would most benefit from engagement are those least able to access it. Participation in creative arts is something Maruša is passionate about, and along those lines we briefly mention the upcoming election (very briefly, promise). --------- Maruša works in the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, and is funded by the School of Psychology and Our Future City. Follow her research on Twitter.  

Maruša Levstek: music for youth wellbeing

Today Veronica interviews the one and only Gigi Hennessy, Planet PhD co-host, about her newly published research! Gigi’s new paper investigates the stinging risk and sting pain of the ivy bee, Colletes hederae, a relatively new member of the UK solitary bee fauna (also known in our lab as the ‘Marilyn Monroe bee’). Ivy bees first came to the south of the UK in 2001, and have been spreading. Since they arrived, pest control officials have had repeated calls from people with ivy bees in their gardens. This little solitary bee can nest in large aggregations, with several bees flying close to the ground when they start to emerge in September… “the lawn looked like it was moving” was one comment. But does the ivy bee sting, is the sting painful, and is the bee a risk to the public – should we be calling the exterminator? Tune in to hear about a slightly ‘out there’ methodology, the surprisingly fertile world of insect bite and sting pain research, and some important take home messages for bee conservation. We also discuss Gigi’s recent experience of the dark side of Twitter, and she gives us her tips for any researchers in similar situations.  The paper is available here, or get in touch with Gigi with any questions and for a pdf version. Disclaimer: do not tell your children to run around in barefoot in ivy bee aggregations. Which, by the way, the authors of the paper didn’t ever say.  

Gigi Hennessy: Ouch! All about the ivy bee...

In today's episode of Planet Bee-hD we delve into the weird and wonderful world of parasite bees! Parasite bees account for 15% of the global bee species, yet most people don't even know they exist. Don't worry if you don't  know what we mean by parasite, by the end of the episode you'll be an expert, just like us. Let us talk you through some of the crazy lifestyles these species live using four (plus one sneaky bonus edition from Veronica) examples. Learn about how bees smell, the epic battles fought by some species and of course some bee sex facts. Twitter: @PlanetPhD 

Planet Bee-hD: Parasite bees

This week we chat to Giada Brianza from Sussex Uni's Human-Computer Interaction Lab. Giada tells us about her research into olfactory cues and body image, specifically how different scents like lemon and vanilla can influence how we perceive our bodies. This could have a therapeutic role in the future, which is increasingly important since problems arising from body misconception, including eating disorders, are on the rise. We speak about other fascinating sensory ‘cross-modalities’. What does a lavender scent ‘feel’ like? What scents are linked with piano music, compared to brass instruments? What colour is the taste of peppermint? Giada gives us her tips for PhD life - especially a moratorium on any decision-making on Sundays… ---- Find out more about the SCHI lab here: https://multi-sensory.info and on Twitter: @schi_lab

Giada Brianza: how smells affect your body image

In this week episode we talk to Noora Nevala from the University of Sussex on her work on colour vision in Zebra fish.  We chat all about how the light environment an organism lives in may influence its colour vision, how colour vision actually works in fish and the most important question of all, why is a Zebra fish called a Zebra fish? We have a very fishy fun fact discussing the deep sea fish Macropinna microstoma (we highly recommend you look it up) and Gigi finally learns how fish mate. --------------------------------------- Follow Noora on twitter @noornev

Noora Nevala: Colour vision in Zebra fish

This week Patricio Saavedra from Sussex University tells us about his research into political protests around the world. Specifically, Patricio has studied the controversial issue of protester violence, and how public support for any non-peaceful action by protesters is affected by the ‘political openness’ in their country, i.e. the level of state repression.  *** NB: this episode was recorded just before the recent protests in Chile *** We speak about protests in the UK, Chile, Europe and Hong Kong, and police repression methods including water cannons, tear gas and infiltration. We also discuss the fascinating role of both media and social media in defining public attitudes towards protesters. How important is public approval for protesters’ actions? Has technology changed modern protests compared to past actions? How can social media help to mobilise protesters, bear witness to actual events, and document the brilliant creativity displayed in protest actions?   Patricio also tells us about his research into student wellbeing, and gives us both his evidence-based and personal advice for PhD students - including the importance of building a community both at work and outside of work.    For more on this topic, see Patricio’s latest Open Access paper: https://psyarxiv.com/rm7jg/ Find Patricio on Twitter  

Patricio Saavedra: beyond peaceful protest

In this episode we speak to Alex Kolliari-Turner about his research at the University of Brighton. Alex studies how using anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) can cause a 'muscle memory' effect where muscle fibres retain a greater number of myonuclei - potentially leading to enhanced athletic performance far into the future. We discuss what this could mean for the length of performance bans in competitive sports.  We also speak about the widespread issue of doping in sports, a famous case of using guinea-pig testicular extract to enhance vigour, and even the use of performance-enhancing substances by the ancient Romans.  Alex is addressing a scarcity of human participant research that is crucial for this field - see below for how to get in touch if you're interested in contributing to this exciting research. ***RECRUITMENT CALL!*** Alex' next sampling weekend is coming up on 26, 27 and 28 October! Find out more on his Facebook page and please get in touch with Alex (A.Kolliari-Turner@brighton.ac.uk) if you're interested in participating. As we discuss in the podcast, it's fun and you get body mapping info and images of your muscle fibres as a reward! NB: There are also sampling dates for 2020, so if you can't make it this weekend ask Alex about the 2020 dates.

Alex Kolliari-Turner: steroid use, muscle memory & performance bans in competitive sport

In this weeks episode we travel to London where we interview Georgia Orton from the University of Kings. Georgia tells us about her work on catalysts for proton reduction and hydrogen oxidation. You can hear her explain what this means and hear us struggling to understand her talk about anything that's smaller than a bee! We learn how chemists work with highly reactive chemicals and how it's so important to keep a cool head.  Stay tuned for some talk about hydrogen fuel cells, chemistry's place in creating clean energy and Gigi not understanding how electricity works.    --------------- Follow Georgia on Twitter @GeorgiaRFO

Georgia Orton: Hydrogen producing enzymes

Jason Preston from the University of Brighton is studying men’s experiences of fatherhood in multiple settings. In this episode we discuss current expectations of fatherhood and how these have changed, traditional father stereotypes, and Jason’s ongoing research into men’s experiences of being a father in the modern world. We also talk about media influences on concepts of fatherhood, including harmful advertising, including a recently banned Philadelphia ad; the time Piers Morgan was pied by Harry Hill after his comments on a photo of Daniel Craig with a papoose; and how Jamie Oliver has helped to change men’s perceptions of cooking. We discuss paternity leave and the role of the state, and Jason's findings as he speaks to fathers in Brighton as part of his research. He gives us his tips on PhD life - beating writers' block, keeping a healthy PhD life, and the importance of a cup of tea and biscuits. Jason also mentions The gender wars of household chores: a feminist comic and a controversial ad for Alexa - listen in for more on these.

Jason Preston: fatherhood in the modern world

In this episode we recap on what we’ve been up to over the summer (hint – not on holiday), and introduce the second series of Planet PhD, starting next week. Included in our summer beecap are bee stings and cow-related misadventures, fieldwork highs and lows, and some of what we’ve learned along the way (including that bumblebees aren’t as smart as we thought). We discuss the risk of burn-out during data collection and how to avoid it. .....coming up in this series! We talk anabolic steroids, horseshoe bats, fatherhood in the modern world, colour vision in fish, how lemons affect how you see your body, and much more. Tune in next week, and find us on our Twitter/Instagram: @PlanetPhD

Planet PhD Series 2: Summer Bee-cap

In this Brighton-based podcast, Veronica & Gigi take a break from studying bees to explore the strange worlds of other PhD students, finding out what they do and why. They report first-hand experiences of being a researcher, complete with misadventures, solidarity and topical issues. Supported by the Sussex Researcher Development Programme.