Let's Return to Academia

So I graduated in 2021 and now it's 2024. Can time stop going so quickly, please! Now the last time I was properly posting on here I wrote about not getting funding for a PhD. I had spent the later months of 2021 applying for iGGi and a studentship at York University to research memory and video games. I worked hard alongside my prospective supervisor to prepare my proposal, but sadly couldn't secure funding. What have I done since then? I went to work in IT for a bit, but more importantly I managed to achieve a life goal! I lived in Japan for a year. I went to study Japanese language in Tokyo and got to travel all over the country, meeting lots of wonderful people, having interesting experiences and eating plenty of quality food. I'd have loved to have worked there long term, but it was proving difficult to acquire work that didn't involve teaching kids English and I had become burnt out by the classroom setting. 

Months Spent Applying for PhD - Not Getting Funding

 

From October 2021 to March 2022 I have been dedicated to applying for a PhD, specifically for one at York University with Dr. Fiona McNab as supervisor. The project was titled “Understanding the Limitations of Working Memory and the Role of Attention Using Games” and was intended to look into unique mechanisms found during distraction in delayed and maintenance conditions. The four studies in the project would have used games participants would play.

I secured a place, but regretfully did not get selected for the two studentships I applied for. I did not get short-listed for iGGi, however I did manage to get to the final interview with the departmental studentship, though there were only six places for the fourteen people interviewed and sadly I was not among the chosen six.

Why I am more excited for Augmented Reality than the Metaverse

With Zuckerberg recently popularising the term ‘Metaverse’ it is a bit easier for people to discuss the upcoming virtual space we might one day be spending most of our time in. Of course it’s not a new concept, the idea has been around for decades and many virtual worlds already exist (MMO’s, Second Life, VRChat, PSHome and more). But with improvements to VR headsets we are near normalisation of such concepts and acceptance in the mainstream. The next decade or two is going to be huge for VR

Welcome!

Hello! Thank you for visiting my website. I recently graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a 1st in Psychology. I intend to use this blog as an excuse to showcase academic writing, research and general interest stuff.

I am interested in memory, cyberpsychology and games research. The site is a little barebones at the moment, but please check the research tab to find my dissertation on Problematic Internet Use and Impulsivity. I'll be writing more soon!