Written by Dr Lucy Robinson, ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow 2025/2026, Cardiff University
Over the past year, I’ve been fortunate enough to have undertaken a WGSSS ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Cardiff University. The broad purpose of the fellowship is to consolidate the work of a PhD through developing outputs, networks and research and professional skills. More information about the remit of the fellowship can be found via this link: Postdoctoral Fellowships – Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences.
Under the mentorship of the brilliant Professor Dawn Mannay, my project – “I’m not sure they know I’m a service child”: Understanding, supporting and promoting service children’s experiences in English state schools” – sought to both complement and extend the existing social and academic contribution of my doctoral research by adopting a targeted and innovative approach to impact. In doing so, my programme of activities was multifaceted with each activity contributing to at least one of my three key goals:
i) realising the impact of my doctoral research on practice
ii) communicating my research findings, knowledge exchange and networking
iii) supporting my professional development.
As my fellowship draws to a close, I have sought to capture the essence of what has been an incredibly rich, varied and rewarding experience. I have done so through the infographic below – my fellowship year in numbers. Part way through my fellowship, I also wrote a blog post, as part of Cardiff University’s ‘Meet the Researcher’ series, where I reflect on my fellowship; providing further insight into the scheme.
