• Question: How does the amount of money you get as a grant affect your confidence?

    Asked by MakeBriocheNotWar to Deborah, Euan, Maheen, Rob, Stu on 20 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Euan Allen

      Euan Allen answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      Sometimes people thinking that your research might not be as exciting as you think it is, or as important for technology development, can be quite difficult and hard to take. This can be a good thing though, as it can focus your ideas onto the best ones, and somethings you do just have bad ideas and somebody needs to tell you.

      There is pressure to make sure you get a good amount of grant money, but I haven’t quite reached this stage yet so I haven’t experienced the pressure (yet)!

    • Photo: Maheen Siddiqui

      Maheen Siddiqui answered on 21 Jun 2016:

      I haven’t yet had to apply for my own grants, so I don’t have too much experience with this. But as Euan said, sometimes the research that you are extremely excited about may not seem as interesting to others, this can make you feel a bit let down and frustrated!

    • Photo: Rob Stanley

      Rob Stanley answered on 22 Jun 2016:

      It’s difficult, especially when finishing your PhD when your money has run out. I think I can say that all of us do this job because we enjoy it, rather than for the money. But you still need some money to survive, and it can be very stressful having to worry about both work and money.

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