https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/46684 2026-10-23T12:53:36Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150390 Title: An appreciative inquiry into the service needs of doctoral student hands-on practices for enhancing researcher mental health and well-being Authors: Camilleri, Mary Joan Abstract: The Counselling Services Unit adopting research and evidence based interventions regularly refers to studies regarding student wellbeing at the University of Malta to plan its way forward. Quantitative studies conducted by Cefai and Camilleri (2009) and Cuschieri et al (2020) indicated that 65% of the students felt regularly satisfied and confident about their wellbeing. Over 50% of the students reported feeling overwhelmed. Third- and fifth-year students finishing their under-graduate and Master's degree respectively felt more stressed than first-year or single students. Dalli Gonzi and Camilleri (2021) noted that third, and final-year students tended to be in transition with final-year students moving into professional practice. 40% of students surveyed had difficulty discussing problems with anyone, including family and friends while 96% noted that their greatest source of stress were exams and assignments. Cefai and Camilleri (2009), recommended further studies taking on board students’ views, particularly the avoidance of professional help due to stigma. This inquiry adopts this recommendation for doctoral students.; The inquiry aims at a) increasing understanding of doctoral students’ experiences during their doctorate journey; b) gaining insights into strategies used and resources required by doctoral students to better cope with their studies; c) supporting the emergence of themes that identify ways of facilitating a healthy adjustment/transition through the doctoral journey; d) creating and evaluating relevant interventions. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145791 Title: Doctoral school annual lecture 2025 : mental health in academia : towards a more sustainable future Authors: Mol, Stefan T.; Vella, Nicholas C. Abstract: With what has been dubbed ‘the mental health crisis in academia’, and mounting evidence that mental health issues such as depression and burnout are more prevalent amongst academics than in the general population (with PhD candidates and postdocs most affected), it is time for the research community to introspect and to break the silence around researcher psychological well-being and ill-being. In his keynote address, Stefan Mol will talk about the state of mental health in academia, introduce a number of manifestos he collaborated on, and present the initial outcomes of the Sustainable Working Conditions in Academia Survey (STAIRCASE). This was the result of the Researcher Mental Health Observatory (ReMO) Cost Action project, focused on creating the largest ever European Benchmark of the contextual antecedents of Mental Health across more than 30 countries. In addition, some training opportunities that early career researchers may benefit from in nourishing and sustaining their own mental health, will be introduced. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111156 Title: Inspiring alumni stories : testimonials of blue doctorate holders Abstract: This booklet of testimonies retraces the career paths of doctors in marine, maritime and coastal sciences. It focuses on experiences outside the academia. It is a collective output of a European Erasmus+ project involving the universities of Brest, Gdansk, Cadiz, Split, Kiel and Malta working within SEA-EU DOC project. This project aims to broaden employment opportunities for doctors by preparing doctorate students for a wide range of career options matching the reality of the labour market. The sectors constituting the blue economy are developing very dynamically. It is, therefore, important to analyse development opportunities for PhD holders based on examples of successful careers outside the academia. The method used to examine these “success stories” was an interview. The interview analysis allowed to draw conclusions on the factors that may influence the success of doctorate holders in developing careers outside the academic sector. This, in turn, allowed to identify the key elements that should be included in doctoral training programmes and ensured that doctoral students obtain the qualifications and skills expected by employers of the current and future labour market. These interviews are used as informative material to present the diversity of employment opportunities for doctorate holders. They are disseminated through open online access on the SEA-EU platform and the partners’ websites. The main objective of the interviews is to get a picture of PhD graduates’ career path from the moment they decided to undertake PhD studies up to the point when they developed their careers. During the SEA-EU DOC project, a total of 60 doctorate holders from 6 countries were interviewed (51% of them were male and 49% female). Participants represented diverse scientific fields. The Earth sciences (41%) was the most represented field, while engineering (16%) was the least. The majority of doctorate holders worked at their current job for over three years. Most of them (77%) worked in their home country. Among the interviewed PhD holders three most popular blue economy sectors were environmental monitoring and protection (32%), offshore wind power (16%) and science communication (12%). The two least popular sectors were marine biotechnology and mineral resources (each 2%). Additionally, 22% of doctorate holders worked simultaneously in at least two sectors. This collection of testimonials presents the diversity of career paths of doctorate holders and focuses on valuable skills acquired during the doctorate that can be transferred to any work context. It is also intended to be a collection of messages sent by these doctorate holders to current doctoral students and to companies likely to hire them. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/94688 Title: Doctoral School annual lecture 2021 : everyone runs a business Authors: Smith, Russell Abstract: Obtaining a PhD is not easy. And neither should it be. It identifies the holder as having made a significant contribution, to a body of academic knowledge, all to the satisfaction of academic experts in the field. That takes years of dedicated study and experimental work. Towards the end of that period of intensive work, many doctoral students begin to question their future and suffer from the Quo Vadis syndrome. The choice often appears simple: either pursue an academic career or not. But this is the trap of the ‘single pursuit’ illusion ... the idea that only one option at a time is possible. A common view, although one that I now know to be false. Taking a PhD is not common. So why not be uncommon?; In this talk, Professor Smith argues that everyone in the world of work actually runs a business by selling their know-how. In other words, they are the business. All businesses sell just that one thing, know-how, either packaged as a product and/or a service. The doctoral student must step back and look at themselves from a new perspective. Will you sell your know-how to one customer and become an employee? Or will you sell it to multiple customers and become an employer? It is all a matter of assessing the true risk and reward from the commercialisation of your know-how, not the conventional perception. 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z