Tag Archives: love

She was proud of me despite finding the obsession with sex rather embarrassing

Dedication

I dedicate this thesis to my father, Dr Jack Martin Kirkman, MB, BS (1918-1994). He was an adventurer and autodidact who learnt to drive in a T-Model Ford and to fly in a Tiger Moth, later flying Spitfires as a fighter pilot. He enrolled in medicine as a mature age student and was valued and respected as a general practitioner. With his adventurous spirit, interest in technology, support for social justice, and pursuit of lifelong learning Jack has been an inspiration and role model.

Acknowledgements

Relationships are complicated and I have some complicated relationships with the people acknowledged here. I first met Christopher Fox when I visited him in his office to ask if he was interested in supervising my candidature. Supervision has been complicated over the five years of candidature yet Chris has been a constant source of support and influence, even during the middle period when he was not an official supervisor. When I needed someone Chris came back on board as an honorary associate supervisor demonstrating dedication and belief in the topic—and me. Thank you; you rock. Thank you to Virginia Dickson-Swift who took on the role of principal supervisor and cheerfully assisted in steering me through to the end with prompt feedback, practical working structures and useful conversations. I appreciate that Amanda Kenny accepted me as a candidate and later connected me with Cindy Masaro, which led to a visit to Canada. Rob Townsend briefly stepped in as supervisor. I am very grateful for the participants who gave their time, stories and insights; and without whom this research would not exist.

Actual and virtual communities have made a huge contribution to my learning and ultimate success in the PhD process. The Health Sciences post-grad lab at La Trobe Bendigo has gone through a few locations and different populations. My initial companion in the dungeon lab was Karen Marshall whose friendship and intelligence was vital for a number of reasons. One of her excellent skills was to listen intently and have useful contributions to make when my ideas were unfocussed, managing to find the point I was struggling to express. In the latest iteration of the post-grad lab (not a dungeon; it has great views of sky) the collegiality and sense of community has been an example of how such things should be. Charon Freebody, Elena Wilson and Diana Guzys gave friendship and willingness to participate in discussions. Twitter has been like an associate supervisor and through the discussions, links to resources, and community culture of #phdchat I have had access to a 24/7 source of support and up-to-date ideas. The #sexgeekdom community, online and in person, has been a source of friendship, current research and fun times. Daniel Reeders has been a great sounding board and source of up-to-date information on matters HIV and STI, theory, and health promotion. Mark Tolley kept me functioning with therapeutic massage and simultaneous thoughtful insights. Caitlin Whiteman tested her new editing skills and did a brilliant and speedy job of editing the manuscript, teaching me new things as she went.

Cindy Masaro generously invited a complete stranger to stay for a month, and shared ideas, support and encouragement, in Canada and via Skype. Joy Johnson gave time, wisdom and generosity in allowing me to visit the Institute for Gender and Health at the University of British Columbia and provided supervision while I was there in August 2012.

My family has been encouraging, supportive and shown belief in me and my work. I am sad that my mother, Yvonne Kirkman, died before the thesis was finished; she was proud of me despite finding the obsession with sex rather embarrassing.

Huge thanks, love and appreciation go to Jim Ettles who manages a very complicated relationship with grace and generosity.

Contributor: Linda Kirkman

Source: Kirkman, L (2015) Doing relationships differently: rural baby boomers negotiate friends-with-benefits relationships, PhD, La Trobe University Melbourne

Making me realise that I should never let being dyslexic hold me back from what I want to do

This PhD thesis is the culmination of a life-long interest in geology and has turned into as much a labour of love as a scientific study. Numerous people over the years have helped me get here, so there are many people I need to thank. Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisors from Durham University, Richard Davies and Richard Brown for their support, encouragement and advice throughout this project. I would like to thank my supervisors from Statoil UK Ltd, Jenny Morris and Rosie Fletcher for their guidance and assistance, and for giving me valuable insights into the petroleum industry. I would also like to thank my past supervisors, Dougal Jerram and Dorthe Møller Hansen for helping to set up this project. I am very grateful to the Volcanic Margins Research Consortium for providing excellent field trips, a place to discuss my research and access to some of the most knowledgeable people in my field, both in academia and industry. I would especially like to thank Tim Watton, Sam Clark, Bansri Raithatha, Heather Rawcliffe, Catherine Nelson, Clayton Grove, Nick Schofield, Simon Passey, David Brown, Richard Walker and Brian Bell for interesting discussions, both in the class room and down the pub. At the end of my PhD, this thesis was examined by Peter Burgess from Royal Holloway, University of London and Claire Horwell from Durham University. I would like to thank both of them for the many suggestions that improved this manuscript.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Statoil UK for funding this project through the CeREES scholarship program, and for providing much of the seismic reflection data. To David Ellis, Peter Dromgoole, Alex Reid and Adam Pugh for useful discussions and advice throughout my PhD. To DONG Energy UK for providing an internship and for letting me get my hands on industry data without any real expectations. To Mike Smith, Steve Cannon, Catherine Horseman, Alwyn Ross, Rémi Rateau, Giuseppina Pezza and Richard Nice for letting me ask many, many questions about Petrel. To the Rosebank partnership, Chevron, Statoil, OMV and DONG Energy, for permission to use the work undertaken during my internship as part of my PhD thesis. To Chevron, CGG Veritas, Fugro Multi Client Services, PGS, Spectrum ASA and WesternGeco for providing the seismic data under licence from Statoil UK Ltd and DONG Energy UK. To Halliburton for providing the seismic interpretation software through the Landmark Universities software grant program and Schlumberger for providing Petrel under licence to DONG Energy UK.

From Durham University, I am grateful to all the administrative staff for practical support throughout my PhD, including Katie Daniels, Andrea Bailey, Karen Atkinson, Janice Oakes, Paula Elliot and April Furnal. I would also like to thank members of the academic staff for advice and support, including João Trabucho-Alexandre, Jon Gluyas and Chris Greenwell. In addition, I would like to thank Dave Stevenson and Gary Wilkinson for data loading, software and hardware support. I would like to thank my fellow postgraduate students for providing a sense of community and camaraderie, there are too many of you to mention but I would especially like to thank Claire McLeod, Isobel Yeo, Harriet Ridley and Amy Clarke. I would also like to thank Mark Ireland, Steve Richardson, Katie Roberts, Amélie Leduc, Dom Maloney and David Moy for helping me get to grips with my research and the more technical elements of interpreting seismic reflection data. Many thanks to the Durham Volcanology Group for providing interesting discussions and introducing me to other aspects of volcanology. Going back in time, I want to thank my classmates and lecturers from the Geology Department at University of Leicester who helped me to believe in myself, made learning a fun experience and who provided me with a strong foundation in the subject I love. I am also grateful to Paul Starr and Paul Edmunds who taught ‘A’ level geology at Bishop Stopford School, Kettering. You set me on the path I am on now and I have never looked back.

On a more personal note I would like to thank Emily Boon, Karen Bianchi, Kathy Mather and Jo Variava for never letting me doubt myself and for reminding me there is a whole world outside of my PhD. I would especially like to thank Rhian Meara for toblerone martinis, peanut butter M&M’s and for always being there when I needed her. I would also like to thank Helen and Mike Hedley for their support and for always inviting me to take a break and go away with them to play in the snow. I am eternally gratefully to my family, my parents Helen and Michael, my siblings Tom and Fiona, my Grandmother, the American and Canadian contingents and those family members more recently rediscovered. Thank you for encouraging me, supporting me and making me realise that I should never let being dyslexic hold me back from what I want to do. This PhD is a testament to your faith in me, I hope I have made you proud. Finally I would like to thank my long suffering other half Ben Hedley. Words cannot express my gratitude for everything you have done. Thank you for accompanying me on this adventure, I look forward to our next one!!

Contributor: Kirstie Wright

Source: Wright, K (2013) Seismic Stratigraphy and Geomorphology of Palaeocene Volcanic Rocks, Faroe-Shetland Basin, PhD, Durham University

Thank you for being my muse, editor, proofreader, and sounding board

Carrying out the requisite work and then writing this thesis was, undoubtably, the most arduous task I have undertaken. However, one of the joys of having completed the thesis is looking back at everyone who has helped me over the past three, seven, and twenty-five years.

I would like to begin by thanking my three supervisors: Professors Sasha Movchan, Ian Jones, and Natasha Movchan. It is an often used cliché, but in this case it is no overstatement to say that without the consistent guidance, tutelage, support, unparalleled knowledge, and encouragement of my three supervisors, this thesis would never have existed. In particular, I would like to thank Natasha who went above and beyond to read every line of the manuscript in meticulous detail. I must say a special thank you to Sasha and Ian who, during my third year as an undergraduate, whetted my appetite for research and gave me the opportunity to study mathematics further.

Thank you also to Will Daniels and Serco Assurance for piquing my interest in industrial mathematics and providing me with such an interesting project to study during my third year as an undergraduate.

I would also like to thank the co-authors of my papers: Dr Mike Nieves for his encouragement, support and guidance; Dr Michele Brun for his hard-work, willingness to help, and knowledge, but mostly for his sense of humour; and Professor Ross McPhedran for his unsurpassed experience and knowledge of Mathematical Physics.

I should also like to thank fellow graduate student Stewart Haslinger, and indeed all the graduate students at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, primarily for giving me someone to moan at when work wasn’t progressing according to plan.

To my family, particularly my parents and sister, thank you for your love, support, and unwavering belief in me. Without you, I would not be the person I am today.

Above all I would like to thank my wife Nicola for her love and constant support, for all the late nights and early mornings, and for keeping me sane over the past few months. Thank you for being my muse, editor, proofreader, and sounding board. But most of all, thank you for being my best friend. I owe you everything.

Finally, despite my love for mathematics, the work reported in this thesis would not have been possible without the financial support of an EPSRC studentship (EP/H018514/1), for which I am grateful.

Contributor: @DanielColquitt

Source: Colquitt, D J (2013) Mathematical modelling of the dyamic response of metamaterial structures, PhD, Liverpool University

Thanks to all those on #phdchat…for the enormous help, moral support, motivation and kindness

To describe this as a journey is an understatement. It has been hard work, ridiculously difficult at times, but extremely rewarding, and I am surprised and amazed to have made it to this point. I have a number of people to thank for their support in getting this far on this doctoral journey.

First, thanks very much to my supervisor Ron Thompson, for his constant support, advice, calmness and tenacity over the last five years, and also to Roger Crawford my second supervisor for his advice on my draft thesis, and a big thanks to all the tutors who generously gave up their time for me to interview them.

Next on the list, a massive thank you to my husband, Duncan, and my lovely children, Nicola, Sam, and Lauren for all their love and support, for putting up with my moods and grumpiness at times, and for allowing me time away from family stuff to get this thing completed, and to you this thesis is dedicated. I am also forever indebted to my mum and dad for all they sacrificed for us, and thanks also to my lovely brothers: Dave and Pete; and sisters: Janet and Debbie, who are so supportive in whatever I do in my life.

A huge thank you to two very special colleagues: Cath Ellis, for believing in me and giving me the confidence to start on and continue on this doctoral journey; and to Liz Bennett, who I have been lucky enough to have had travelling this same journey alongside me, and whose constant support, practical advice and optimism has helped to keep me going, and dragged me to the finish line. I’d also like to thank Cheryl Reynolds and David Powell for all their support along the way.

Finally thanks to all those on #phdchat on Twitter, too many to name individually, for the enormous help, moral support, motivation and kindness. Phdchat is a great example of the affordances of social media, providing a personal learning network of doctoral students worldwide supporting and collaborating together.

Contributor: @SueFolley

Source: Folley, S (2013) Bridging the gap between face-to-face and online teaching: a case study exploring tutors’ early experiences of teaching online in a UK university 2009-2012. Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield

If you could see me now, I know you would be so proud. If I can be even half as courageous as you, I’ll do well.

With greatest thanks to my husband Daniel. We both know I could not have done this without you. Thank you for keeping me sane – a feat that easily exceeds that of researching a doctorate. Love you to bursting.

To Chris Griffin and Dawn Robins, sisters and fellow students, for love and understanding at every stage. To my brother, Al Robins, for practical gems of advice such as “Just get on with it, Sis”. Thank you Bruv, I hope you’ll be as proud of me as I am of you. To my Mum, Teressa Robins, thank you for your unwavering love and your faith in me. To my Dad, the late Christopher Robins: If you could see me now, I know you would be so proud. If I can be even half as courageous as you, I’ll do well.

To my lab-mates Lucy Chambers and Natalie Gould, thank you for your wonderful patience, continual support and warm humour – I am lucky to have made such great friends. To Aurelie Lesdema, thank you for the practical help you so cheerfully provided, and for your infectious smile. To Pennie Ingram, Elly Adams, and all in the Psychology school office: thank you for everything you do behind the scenes to make life easier for us.

To Janet Collett, Martin Eve, Rachel Entwistle, Tish Marrable, Sarah Pannell, Jannie Roed and Liz Thackray: thank you for the pep-talks, cups of tea, hugs, sound advice, encouragement and kicks-up-the-backside. All administered with impeccable judgement and timing. To Craig Haslop and Chris Kempshall, for the wonderful camaraderie as bizarrely we find ourselves approaching the finishing line together, and for educating me in subversive ways to ‘stick it to the man’.

I wish to express my deep gratitude to the academics that have shaped my curious career path so far. My thanks go to Dr Ray White, for sparking and cultivating my interest in psychology. To Dr Tamzin Ripley, for being a cracking role model, and to Professor Chris Darwin for down-to-earth pragmatism. To Dr. Anne Hole for boundless empathy and sensible advice. To Professor Pete Clifton and Professor Marion Hetherington for such a positive viva experience in the face of so many null results. Finally, and most of all, to my supervisor, Professor Martin Yeomans, for believing in me, and for all the support, encouragement and cajoling that was necessary to make me understand I could do this. Thank you.

This research was funded by a BBSRC Case studentship with Mars UK in the role of industrial partner. I wish to thank both organisations, and Penny and Francesca at Mars UK in particular, for providing me with insight into the industry way of doing things, and for being ever positive in the face of experiments that didn’t go quite as we had hoped.

A final thanks must go to Keith Blount, developer of Scrivener (probably the best writer’s software in the world) and Scapple for envisioning and creating outstanding software and tech support that goes beyond the extra mile.

Contributor: @SarahR_H
Source: Robins-Hobden, Sarah Louise (2012) Sensory-specific satiety and repeated exposure to novel snack foods: short- and long-term changes in food pleasantness. Doctoral thesis, University of Sussex.