Lucy Bird is from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work and is one of the 12 winners of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence for 2023. Lucy was supervised by Professor Emma Thomas and Professor Michael Wenzel from Flinders University.
Lucy’s thesis “We despair”: Understanding the effect of political despair on personal well-being and actions to promote social change considered why people feel despair about socio-political issues such as climate change and racial inequality, and what the impacts of experiencing despair are.
We invited Lucy to share insights into the PhD journey and what winning this award means.
What does winning this award mean?
Receiving this award is a heartwarming acknowledgement of the effort and commitment that went into my thesis, as well as the passion I have for my topic. The award also helps with the never-ending imposter syndrome, as it is a reminder that I didn’t just do a PhD, but I did it well.
However, the main thing this award highlights for me is that I had wonderful people around me throughout the journey that allowed me to complete my PhD well enough to receive this award. This award recognises not only my dedication to the thesis, but also that of my supervisors Professors Emma Thomas and Michael Wenzel, and the support of my partner, family and friends- without whom this achievement would not have been possible.
Tell us about your research
My research considered why people feel despair about socio-political issues such as climate change and racial inequality, and what the impacts of experiencing despair are. I was specifically interested in how despair impacts people’s well-being and their willingness to engage in actions to bring about progressive social change.
What was been one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey?
Going to conferences where I was able to meet incredible researchers and had the opportunity to present my own work. These conferences were such inspiring and engaging times that showed me the real power that research can have. The conferences were also a lot of fun and I made so many great connections (plus travelling to Europe in their summer was a pretty great).
How did your supervisors support you during your candidature?
My supervisors are the main reason I was successful in my PhD. My primary supervisor Professor Emma Thomas has always been the most supportive, encouraging, and inspiring supervisor. Not only did Emma support me academically throughout my candidature, but she also mentored me professionally and gave me countless opportunities to develop. Emma taught me many new skills, pushed me to tackle challenges like complex statistical analyses and helped me improve my research and communication skills immeasurably. Additionally, my associate supervisor Professor Michael Wenzel always gave me such fantastic advice, was cool, calm, and collected when I was not, and always gave me the help I needed when I was struggling.
How has your PhD influenced your future career? Where do you see your career heading in the future?
At the start of my PhD, I didn’t plan to stay in academia or research but due to having such a supportive group of colleagues and having some great experiences throughout my candidature, I am hoping to stay in research (for now at least). I am currently doing a post-doc and plan to apply for other exciting research opportunities that present themselves. I have always been passionate about social and climate justice, and now I am able to translate that passion into research that helps to try and bring about positive social change.