Kenn is a second year PhD student in the psychology department in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. He is interested in children's emotional and cognitive development, particularly in the question of how children come to understand their own emotions and those of others. Kenn is a graduate of the PhD plus Foundations series, having successfully completed the series in his first year of PhD training.
Q. What are your post-PhD career aspirations?
I hope to pursue a tenure track-professorship at a research-intensive (R1) university.
Q. What were the highlights of the PhD Plus Foundations series?
I participated in the Foundation series to prepare myself for the long journey of attaining my doctoral degree. The Foundation series not only eased my anxiety of starting my program in the midst of a pandemic, but also gave me applicable skills (e.g., project management, time management, etc.) that I will draw upon through my academic career!
Q. What professional skills did you develop through this module? Have you applied those skills and strategies in your PhD training?
I would say that time management and project management were the areas I further developed in this module. Time management has been skill that I continue to strengthen and adapt as I navigate through my PhD program. Project management was a skill that I quickly integrated when I took on research assistantship for my dissertation research. I was able to apply what I learned in the Foundations module to create a learning environment that caters to our different skillsets and delegate appropriate tasks that honors the different abilities in my team.
Q. How have the strategies and skills learned, and community developed through this core module assisted in your personal and professional development, as well as planning for diverse careers?
I can say that the fundamental skills (e.g., effective communication, setting SMART objectives, etc.) I took away from this module can be applied to my life outside of my doctoral degree. I have developed a mindset to apply these skills to promote a balanced life between school and personal realms.
Q. What is your advice or recommendations to peers on how to best leverage PhD Plus program?
Be open-minded and accept the areas that you need work on, while offering your expertise on other areas that you have a lot of experience with!