The Fireside Thesis

Please welcome to the fireside Dr. Nicole Cochrane (@tinyhistorian), an expert on the histories of art, archaeology, and occasionally Napoleon Bonaparte. In anticipation of the upcoming Napoleon biopic (directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby), Nicole gives us a brief introduction as to who Napoleon was, what he did, and why the heck he's so famous. 🇫🇷We break down a number of myths (e.g., did he really shoot the nose off of the Sphinx), quote Abba's classic "W...

Please welcome to the fireside Eleanor Haward, a composer and teacher currently conducting her PhD in Music Composition at the University of Aberdeen. Eleanor's thesis looks at the connections between words and harmony in music, considering whether or not music has an "emotional grammar." 🎶 We chat all things music, but also the importance of cultivating community throughout the postgraduate experience. If you'd like to learn more about Eleanor's work, check out her socials: Websi...

Please welcome to the fireside Brittany (Bee) Eldridge (@BEldridg39), a doctoral candidate studying at University College London! Join us as we chat about the depictions of stepmothers in Disney's expansive corpus. 📽️ Bee breaks down the representations of the "other" mother in three core texts - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Tangled (Rapunzel) - expanding on what these representations mean for consumers worldwide (yes, you too!). For more on Disney Studies, take a loo...

Please welcome to the fireside Hugh Carter (@Hugh_Carter_), a PhD student examining the biogeography of starfish at University College London. He is also the curator of echinoderms at the Natural History Museum London - and so was ready to chat all things starfish-adjacent (e.g., google the brittle star, for a real shock!). We discussed the ups and down of academic research, "brooding" methods in starfish, and what happens to starfish when they get too hot (a clue: it is not pretty). As...

Please welcome to the fireside James Jefferies (@jamesjhistory), a PhD researcher studying at the University of Essex. James discusses his ongoing doctoral project, which focuses on the Second World War "in the air," as depicted by popular culture sources. From video games where you get to play an RAF pilot, to smash-hit films like Dunkirk or the Battle of Britain, James covers it all! Importantly, he explains how these popular culture sources inform our understanding of history, myth, and me...

Please welcome to the fireside B. Mackenzie Barnett, a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University, Canada. On today's episode, we talk about how mindfulness-meditation training can be used as a tool to combat systemic racism in the Canadian healthcare system. So take a deep breath and dive in with us as we discuss hope, intentionality, work-life balance, and more. And as always: stay curious, stay cozy.

Who doesn't want to give pizza a chance? Please give Alex Hughes (@MrAlexHughes) a warm welcome to the fireside! Alex recently finished his PhD from York University, where he explored the topic of pizza-consuming habits in Canada and the US for his doctoral dissertation. We discuss how using the lens of pizza can tell the fascinating story regarding the cultural divergence of two lakeside cities: Toronto and Buffalo. We also debate what makes the "perfect pizza" and of course, chat abou...

Please welcome to the fireside Tasha Kitcher (@tasha_kitcher), a PhD student at Loughborough University who is researching the electrophone: a Victorian-era streaming device. Tasha talks us through what this nineteenth-century invention promised, who it was targeted towards, and hypothesises on some reasons it didn't make the grade. She also shares the joys and complexities of taking on such a large project, as well as draws some parallels between the broadcasting-streaming-crossover device a...

For the second episode of The Fireside Thesis, Claudia Bruhn talks about her ongoing postdoctoral research on the topic of Arctic Environmental Microbiology. Claudia discusses the elegance of the scientific method, the advantages and disadvantages of fieldwork, and how to inject creativity into academic research! She also chats about what it's like to be a woman in STEM and provides advice for future researchers. Lean into the curiosity as we deep-dive into the sciences in a comfortable, info...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Fireside Thesis, a cozy podcast about emerging work in the postgraduate community. Join me as I chat with my dear friend Fiona Young about her ongoing doctoral research on the subject of natural disaster narratives. Fiona is a PhD researcher in the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, who is completing her second year of studies. Lean into the nervous laughter as we talk research over two generous glasses of white wine. ...

Welcome to the Fireside Thesis, a cozy podcast about emerging work in the postgraduate community. I'm Clare Church, a PhD history student living in the UK. Join me as I chat with other early-career researchers about their fascinating works in progress. Over the course of this first season, I’ll speak with scholars from around the world about their ongoing research. From political science to microbiology, music to psychology – these episodes strive to break down complex research topics into co...