Fallon ⋅ Born in Bradford, Age of Wonder

Researcher Details

Name
Fallon

Nationality
UK

University
Bradford

Research Pathway
Wellbeing, Health and Communities (WHC)

Thesis Project
Developing key guiding principles for a physical activity whole-systems approach for teenage girls living in low socioeconomic status communities

Mode of Study
Full-time

About the Placement 

Role Title

Research Assistant

Mode of Placement

Part-time

Placement Location

Hybrid

How did you find your placement?

I contacted a host that I was interested in working with

What were your main responsibilities during your placement?

• I worked on data on adolescent perceptions of mental health, physical health and body image.

• Using data from 5 focus groups on the above topic, I was responsible for data familiarization; data curation; coding qualitative data in NVivo; working with the wider research team on analysis, and supporting with literature searching.

• I attended project update meetings (bi-weekly).

• I supported with data collection (interviews and focus groups); as well as the project’s summer event for participants; and gained experience of working with community groups for health promotion.

• I have developed and am going to be submitting an academic paper as part of the health project that I have been analysing.

Why did you choose this role with this particular host?

I find the project really interesting, and as this focuses on the wider influences on health, this offered a new opportunity to gain knowledge in the health of young people outside of the physical activity realm.

What was your greatest achievement during your placement?

Probably completing an academic paper that I am working on to publish!

Were there any challenging aspects during your placement?

Because I chose to do my placement part-time alongside my PhD and other work commitments, there were moments where balancing everything felt a little tricky. I sometimes put pressure on myself to keep up with the same targets I’d usually set if I wasn’t on placement. In hindsight, it was more about me being hard on myself, and it actually taught me a lot about managing expectations and finding a healthier balance moving forward.

How did your placement help you to develop your current skills and knowledge?

I developed confidence in conducting qualitative research methods involving interviews and focus groups that will positively influence me when I start data collection for study 2 of my PhD next year. It also helped me to (and continues to as I am still working on this) develop my skills and awareness of publishing work.

How has your placement experience influenced your future career goals and aspirations?

It’s confirmed that I really want to go into research and/or academia, whether that be in the private or public sector. I would love to really put my research into practice following completion of my PhD – particularly in promoting physical activity among teenage girls.

What tips or advice would you give to current or future WRDTP postgraduate researchers interested in undertaking a placement?

Make sure you pick a placement that you are interested in – from my experience I have really enjoyed being part of the project that I am passionate about.