PhD candidates produce research outputs for universities, and are a valuable part of the academic workforce. Yet, they remain to be seen only as ‘students’ and therefore do not qualify for an income, only a stipend.

Did you know that the Australian federal government has the baseline for PhD stipends at 6% below the poverty line? Sadly, many universities don’t see reason to pay above this legal minimum.

Danielle Udy, having recently completed her PhD at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (a faculty at the University of Tasmania) has been a force for good in Tasmania, bringing this issue to the public eye in recent months.

Tune in this week to hear Danielle and Olly candidly talk about the shocking reality for PhD candidates that have to struggle through at least three years on an unreasonable income. Danielle also tells us about the fantastic work she did within her PhD on the relationship between Australian rainfall and Antarctic snow, and her recent award for it. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Olly Dove (@littledove440)

Production: Olly Dove (@littledove440)

Media & Promotion: Ellie Clapham (@EleanorClapham1)