Sarah McGrath

Sarah McGrath, 28
Primary degree BA Natural Science (specialising in Genetics), Trinity College, Dublin, 2002
Postgrad degree PhD Botany, Walsh Fellowship, Teagasc, 2008

I loved the lab work I did at college and in the 18 months I spent working in industry. In these settings you’re given tests and methods to use, but I wanted to have the freedom to work on something new and use techniques I hadn’t tried before. A research PhD seemed the perfect choice.   

The research lifestyle

I didn’t realise how much work would be involved until I started. As well as lab work my studies involved a great deal of reading and report-writing. Every now and then I’d come up against brick walls, but I enjoyed figuring out how to overcome them. It’s all a learning curve, and not just in terms of what you’re researching. I liked the mix of lab, computer and field work as well as the opportunity to discuss my work with others researching at the same level.

It’s taken me four years to gain my PhD. I studied full-time, but postgraduate research isn’t your usual nine-to-five job. I received funding for my tuition fees and maintenance, but any support is limited to a fixed amount of time. I often worked late evenings and usually one day at the weekend. A laptop is a good investment – it was great to be able to work from home when writing up reports and my thesis.

I recently completed my thesis and I’d like to go into an academic position, with opportunities to lecture. I think my qualification will help me find a job; the fellowship scheme has a great reputation in my field and the skills I’ve gained are applicable for other research centres and within industry.

Top tips

Choosing postgraduate study simply for those letters after your name or to keep up your student lifestyle is all well and good, but you need to want to get back into the lab because you love your research. I’d also advise you to contact the institutions you’re interested in to find out more about their supervisors. Your relationship with your supervisor can make a world of difference to your postgraduate experience so you need to be sure that it’s going to work well for the next three or four years.
What is life like as a research student?
Postgraduate research: what you need to know 

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