Background
I took up my current position as Lecturer in Social Gerontology at Keele in January 2006. Following a career in Australia as a teacher and lecturer in secondary and tertiary education, and as an independent research, education, and training consultant, I moved to the UK in 1997. In 2000 I completed an MSc in Social Research at the University of Surrey with a thesis on the retirement transitions of M&S managers. From 2001-2005, I worked full-time as a Research Fellow in the Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender (CRAG) at Surrey, where my projects included the EU-funded Sleep in Ageing Women and the ESRC-funded Negotiating Sleep among Couples (2003-2006).

My interest in ageing has evolved in parallel with my own process of ageing. I’ve always been interested in life course transitions and this interest was further encouraged at Surrey where I was privileged to work with some of the leading figures in ageing research, including Sara Arber, Kate Davidson, and Jay Ginn.

PhD experiences
Title: The social context of women’s sleep: perceptions and experiences of women aged 40 and over

University of Surrey, awarded 2004.

Click here to view the abstract

The topic chose me really. At the end of my MSc, Sara Arber was awarded EU-funding to study sleep in older women; the first empirical study of women’s sleep in the UK carried out by sociologists. I subsequently was appointed as the lead researcher on the project and sleep became my life in more ways than one. It also led on to a PhD which I completed part-time alongside my work on the project. I was fortunate that all fees were paid for by the project.

I never really planned on doing a PhD, especially at my age (I submitted my PhD just before my 50 th birthday). But I found the topic fascinating and it made sense to complete a PhD as part of an overall career change which began when I moved from Australia.

Overall, I enjoyed doing the PhD. As well as offering me the chance of interviewing a range of women about their sleep, I presented my findings at a range of national and international conferences as well as on TV and radio. The PhD was not without its challenges, however. Being part of an interdisciplinary project (we had partners in five European countries) meant that I had to get my head around complex scientific approaches to the study of sleep, as well as develop a sociological perspective to the subject without the benefit of previous research in this area. My main challenge was developing skills in quantitative research and analysis to enable me to conduct a national survey on women’s sleep.

Studying for a PhD has a huge impact on your life in general. It demands a total commitment to one subject for an extended period of time and the full support of your family and friends. It occupies your mind constantly and there’s a sense of guilt which permeates your psyche if you try to take time out for holidays or relaxation. For me, it was a constant battle about why I was doing this at my stage of life rather than socialising and having a good time.

The best piece of advice I was given in terms of doing my PhD was to keep looking further into the data, rather than just focusing on the obvious themes. My supervisor was constantly asking me What’s sociologically interesting about what you’re finding? ­which forced me to go beyond mere descriptive analysis and to capture the essence of meaning in the data.

My advice to others doing a PhD would be to persevere. Expect that there will be bleak periods when you just want it all to go away so that you can have your life back. But it is worth it! Make sure you choose your supervisor well – I was privileged to have one of the best and this made a big difference to both my learning and overall experience of the PhD. Regular meetings and feedback, as well as support when you start to lose the plot, are essential if you are to make progress. And don’t underestimate the need to take a break from time to time away from your research – it’s hugely important and often leads to breakthroughs in thinking.

As for the Viva - I didn’t enjoy it at all! Despite having lovely examiners I felt totally stressed and unsure as to whether I was answering the questions appropriately. I think maybe I over prepared and over-stressed. But I needn’t have worried so much – I got through with minor corrections. Try not to be as up-tight as me when you approach the Viva – it should be an enjoyable interchange rather than the trial I perceived it to be.

Post-PhD
After completing my PhD I continued to work as a Research Fellow at University of Surrey on the ESRC-funded Negotiating Sleep among Couples (2003-2006). But I became increasingly restless and knew that, after seven years at Surrey, it was time for a change. I think it’s quite important to move on to another university after you complete your studies to establish yourself as a bone fide gerontologist. Fortunately the lectureship at Keele came up at the right time – an ideal job which has enabled me to work with a pre-eminent team of researchers in the field of ageing, including Chris Phillipson, Mim Bernard and Tom Scharf, as well as giving me opportunities to teach on undergraduate and postgrad programs. I’m teaching on an undergraduate sociology module on ageing as well as on the MA in Social Gerontology, in so doing hopefully encouraging the emergence of a new generation of gerontologists.

Although I’m not directly involved with sleep research at present, I maintain an active interest. I’ve have been working with an artist on a collaborative project on images of women’s sleep, and am currently putting together a proposal with sleep colleagues to research people’s experiences of sleep apnoea for the DIPEx website: www.dipex.org

BSG/NOGS
I have been a member of BSG since starting my MSc at Surrey in 1998. Colleagues at Surrey, including Kate Davidson, suggested I join BSG as a means of meeting other gerontologists and keeping up to date with developments in ageing research through the annual conference. Being a member of NOGS was particularly important to me while studying for my MSc and PhD. NOGS provides a forum for support and encouragement through its annual seminar event, as well as providing a network of familiar faces at BSG conferences to help overcome any feelings of intimidation experienced by students early in their career. Joining BSG/NOGS should be a priority if you are studying ageing.

I always thought the name ‘NOGS’ was a bit strange, but then again, the name is memorable. It’s worth discussing whether the name should be changed though when the new NOGS committee is formed.

Future plans
Alongside my teaching commitments, I’m currently working with colleagues at Keele on an Anchor-funded Longitudinal Study of Ageing in a Retirement Community (LARC) project which has the potential to take me through to retirement. Retirement communities are set to become more widespread in the future. Research which identifies why people move to these communities, how they adjust to life there, and the impact of change on health and well-being will help influence the nature of future retirement community development.

In September I’ll be taking over from Ingrid Eyers as Honorary Secretary of the BSG. I look forward very much to working with new and established gerontologists to promote a better quality of life in later years for all.