Postgraduate scholarships

‘Now in my final year of my PhD in Management Studies – and that of my scholarship – I want to recognise what a great privilege it has been for me to hold the Douglas and Gordon Bonnyman Scholarship. I have always considered this scholarship as a reflection of my donors’ faith in me and my research, and I am ever grateful for their immense kindness and generosity.

‘I was born and raised in India, in a family of modest means, but one that has deeply cherished learning. My parents made every effort to ensure that their children wanted for nothing when it came to their education and made tremendous sacrifices to support me through school and higher education.

‘With their support, I went on to earn an MA and an MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and pursued my interest in working in the development sector, to make a difference to those less privileged than I. I worked with various civil society organisations, helping them raise philanthropic capital to advance their critical work supporting under-served communities across India.

‘Throughout my professional journey, I continued to hold resolutely to my dream of returning to a university to further my long-term interest in studying the moral principles of Mohandas Gandhi, particularly the relevance non-violence in our times. Witnessing firsthand the tremendous potential of philanthropy and working at the frontlines of developmental challenges and the many forms of violence that people and communities endure only further strengthened my resolve. It was the support of my scholarship that transformed this dream into reality.’

‘I am a PhD student in the School of Biology based at the Scottish Oceans Institute. My research studies how pelagic (open water) predators find prey which is unevenly distributed in both space and time. How do these predator-prey dynamics shape ecosystems, and what are the consequences of anthropogenic activity for these interactions?

‘I was able to travel to Arctic Canada for a second season of fieldwork, carrying out echosounder surveys of zooplankton prey in bowhead whale foraging grounds. I also travelled to the Chagos archipelago in the central Indian Ocean to carry out seabird at sea surveys within a large no-take marine protected area, and had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a British Antarctic Survey scientific research cruise on the RRS Sir David Attenborough, conducting echosounder surveys of Antarctic krill using a novel fisheries acoustic instrument mounted to the vessel’s hull. Shortly after that, I travelled to Disko Bay in Greenland to collect data complementing my Canadian fieldwork, as this area is another key foraging ground for the same population of bowhead whales.

‘These incredible experiences have helped me to develop my scientific skills as well as my logistical and planning skills. I have been able to carry out groundbreaking research in some of the most remote places on the planet. Through these field trips I have also made connections with scientists across biology, chemistry and oceanography, building friendships and foundations for future collaborations.

‘More recently, I’ve been surfing regularly, enjoying the waves at East Sands, right outside the front door of my workplace. I have also continued volunteering as a surf mentor for The Wave Project – a charity that provides surf therapy courses for children and teenagers – in order to become more involved with the community and share my enjoyment of the ocean.

‘I have remained involved with teaching in the School of Biology as a demonstrator, a workshop leader, and as Academic Skills Project Coordinator. I have also been working as a coordinator for the Summer Teams Enterprise Programme. I have greatly enjoyed demonstrating and appreciate the opportunity to support students earlier on in their academic journey and encourage their enthusiasm for biology.

‘Throughout my PhD, the AD Links Postgraduate Scholarship funds have contributed to my stipend for living expenses. Having a stipend means I can treat my PhD as my full-time job, and my time and energy are free to focus on research rather than taking on excessive additional work. This allows me to be flexible with my time, which means I can take advantage of opportunities to travel for fieldwork, which has undeniably been the highlight of my PhD experience. This not only improves my PhD research, but my prospects for future employment as I have the opportunity to network with scientists around the world.’

‘Ever since I learned to read, I have been fascinated by the way that the stories we tell each other shape not only who we come to be, but also how we construct the world that surrounds us. That interest modelled my academic interest as an undergraduate student in Mexico and now, as I work towards my PhD in Hispanic Studies, it continues to guide my endeavours.

‘My thesis explores different elements of Latin American history and literary traditions, and I could not be more excited about the work I have done this last year. Every day, through my research, I discover that the land that I call home is a network of stories, disputes, and conversations open to intervening, questioning, and resignifying.

‘I have attended the monthly postgraduate meetings organised by students in the School of Modern Languages. In these meetings, we help each other to navigate the different resources we have as students and offer brief presentations about our respective research projects to receive feedback from our colleagues in order to sharpen our arguments and improve our public speaking skills.

‘Being a student is not only about the day or night-long reading and writing sessions, but also about engaging in the varied activities offered by the vibrant community that surrounds the University of St Andrews. Since the start of my studies, I have been able to engage with one of my most lasting passions outside the classroom: music. Attending the community-run symphonic concerts, as well as the different lunchtime performances, has become one of the greatest joys of my life in Scotland. As a member of the Laidlaw Music Centre, I also spend some of my spare time playing the piano and occasionally composing my own music.

‘It is common to hear the phrase “grateful beyond words". Such a statement seems suspicious when pronounced by someone whose life is lived mostly in, through, and for words. It is not however, I consider, a final statement, but merely a temporary one. The fact that the scholarship that allows me to pursue my postgraduate studies in the University of St Andrews bears the name of the founder of the Department of Spanish certainly makes things even more complicated.

‘It is a great honour and a great responsibility to walk in Professor Woodward's wake, and I am certainly grateful beyond words. However, in every text I read, in every idea that I do my best to convey in my work, in every conversation held by the Scottish coast, either in English or in Spanish, I am trying to find such words and bring them back from “beyond”. Muchas gracias.’