Welcome to the very first episode of Black Future Dr! In this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing a great friend and mentor, Lateesha Osbourne. Lateesha is currently finishing a PhD in Psychology at the University of Bath, which is focused on exploring the experiences and identities of black undergraduates at the university. In this episode we discuss her research, but mostly we focus on Lateesha’s non-traditional journey to a PhD, how she navigated the application process, and what she has learnt along the way. If you’re looking for some sound advice or words of wisdom, look no further!

Guest speaker bio

Lateesha is a doctoral researcher and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion consultant. Her doctoral research focuses on Black students’ identity and sense of belonging in higher education. She uses qualitative methods to focus on how social identities are constructed, negotiated and threatened in different social contexts. Lateesha is a psychologist whose expertise includes gender, race, sexuality and other equalities communities.

Lateesha specialises in BAME engagement and has conducted interviews and focus groups with students and staff. She is experienced in facilitating open, honest and strategic discussions which identify key issues affecting the BAME community. Her knowledge of specific race equality issues has seen Lateesha liaise with key stakeholders to recommend, influence and inform Widening Participation and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategies.

Prior to her PhD, Lateesha completed a BA in Communication and Media at Bournemouth University and an MA in Gender Studies at SOAS. In her spare time she is a mentor for young women who want to pursue Higher Education. You can follow Lateesha on Twitter (@LTeesha) and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Host bio

Nina Higson-Sweeney is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. Her PhD is funded by the ESRC through the South West Doctoral Training Partnership, and she is using mixed methods to explore the symptom of fatigue within adolescent depression. Prior to her PhD, Nina completed a BSc in Psychology and a MSc Health Psychology at the University of the West of England. Nina has contributed to several peer-reviewed journal articles throughout her degrees, exploring topics such as depression, CFS/ME, HIV, and loneliness and mental health in children and young people. You can follow her on Twitter (@n_higsonsweeney) and ResearchGate.

Links to organisations

If you want to check out the African-Caribbean Research Collective, you can join us here.

Credits

Funding for this podcast is provided by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership (@_SWDTP on Twitter).

Cover art is by the talented Hannah Balogun (@hannah_balogun on Instagram).

Intro music is ‘I Was Messed Up (Instrumental Version)’ by Ella Faye, from Epidemic Sound.

Outro music is ‘Stereo (Instrumental Version)’ by Ella Faye, from Epidemic Sound.

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