Student experience

Find out more about our students varied research interests and what it’s like to be part of the Graduate School community.

Working with your supervisor

We asked some of our supervisors and research students to talk about what it's like to study for a PhD in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

Watch the videos below to find out about our supervisors' research interests, and what it's like working with your supervisor and being part of our research community.

They also give you their top tips for a great supervisor and student relationship.

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    Elevator pitches

    Watch some of our PhD students make 'elevator pitches' to explain their theses in short video presentations.

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      Find out more about the PhD students who feature in the elevator pitch videos:

      David Hartley, PhD student in Creative Writing

      My project will explore autism in relation to the fantastical other. I will write a fantasy novel which will explode apart the cliches of autistic representation, and my critical work will examine autistic identity and empowerment in relation to popular figures of the fantastical genres.

      For more information about myself, including links to some of my published writing, please visit my website.

      Yi-Chi Chiu, PhD student in Chinese Studies

      I am exploring how decadence is defined in the context of Taiwan’s urban literature. Many people link decadence with a more negative idea, for example, individualism, indulgence and demoralisation. But, in this research, I would like to reverse the primary negativity of decadence.

      Sarah Botfield, PhD in Archaeology

      I am studying part-time for a PhD in Archaeology at the University of Manchester and my thesis is entitled 'Representations of the Natural and Cultural World in Mid-Late Neolithic Ceramics'.
      Although interested in all periods of history and prehistory, it is the Neolithic period I am most drawn to. 

      I completed an MPhil at the University of Birmingham, 'Grooved Ware Pottery In the Upper Thames Valley: Context and Design', in 2011 which left me with so many questions I wanted to answer that the most natural step was therefore a PhD, hence my thesis subject.

      I also work part-time in the heritage sector as a Historic Environment Records Officer for a local unitary authority and am also an active member of a local Archaeological Group and have been involved in several excavations spanning the Bronze Age, Early Medieval, Medieval and Post Medieval periods.

      Stefano Locatelli, PhD in Economic and Social History

      I am currently reading for a PhD in Economic and Social History at the University of Manchester. Previously, I studied History (BA) and Historical Sciences (MA) at the University of Milan, where I met Professor Lucia Travaini and her passion for Medieval Numismatics, which is also mine now. I collaborated on several projects involving the University of Milan and other institutions, such as the Coin and Medal Department of The British Museum, for which I am volunteering. Finally, I am an alumnus of the School of Archival Science, Palaeography and Diplomatics of the State Archives of Milan.

      •    View Stefano Locatelli's LinkedIn profile
      •    View Stefano Locatelli's PhD student profile