Impact Magazine 5
A postgraduate perspective
Amy Louise Blaney explains how financial support is enabling students like her to showcase research , support professional development and write their theses with fewer interruptions .
“ My name is Amy and I ’ m currently in the final stages of my PhD in English Literature at Keele . I arrived at Keele in 2018 to study for my MA after spending 11 years in employment , staying on to study for my PhD because I felt so supported by the staff and community that has been built here .
“ Both my MA year and the Continuation year of my PhD have been self-funded so there have been several occasions where I have been reliant upon the financial support offered by the University and our associated alumni community , to support my studies .
“ During my MA year , support from the Keele Postgraduate Association ( KPA ) Bursary enabled me to attend and present at my first major international conference . Five years later and I ’ m currently preparing to present a paper to the British Society for Eighteenth- Century Studies in Oxford . This trip will also be supported by a KPA Bursary . Conferences like these are vital for
postgraduate students like me because they often lead to publication and teaching opportunities , in addition to supporting our professional development and allowing us to showcase – and receive feedback on – our research . As funding options during both MA and Continuation are very limited , the KPA Bursary is , therefore , an extremely important source of support .
“ During my PhD I have also benefited from the support of the Keele Key Fund and the University Hardship Fund . The Hardship Fund stepped in when , during the Covid-19 pandemic , my aging laptop decided to stop working completely . I was able to purchase a new laptop , allowing me to continue with my PhD studies with minimal disruption .
“ The Keele Key Fund , meanwhile , provided support for a postgraduate research ( PGR ) Café Writing Retreat , during which 20 postgraduate research students and 3 leaders ( myself included ) went to the Peak District for three days of uninterrupted writing . As many of our PGR students have caring , parental , or working responsibilities , the retreat provided space for focus in a supportive and collegiate environment . Having successfully trialled the retreat with the support of the Key Fund , the Keele Doctoral Academy are now working towards making it a regular part of their funded events offering . You can read more about this project in the Keele Key Fund section of this magazine .
“ In 2023 , I was honoured to be awarded the Bob Beattie Postgraduate Student of the Year Award , in part because of my work with the PGR Café . The Bob Beattie Awards are a highlight of our postgraduate calendar at Keele and it ’ s such a wonderful way of showcasing the work being done by our existing postgraduates whilst recognising and honouring the contributions of previous members of the Keele community . I ’ d therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all those who continue to contribute to life here at Keele . As I hope this piece has shown , your contributions really do make a difference to postgraduate students like me , and we are very grateful for your ongoing support .”