The Black PhD Experience

William Ackah is Senior Lecturer in Black and Community Geographies at Birkbeck, University of London. Jacqueline Darkwa is a documentary filmmaker and science communicator. Wayne A. Mitchell is Associate Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London. De-Shaine Murray is a Wu Tsai Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University. Madina Wane is a research scientist working in the biomedical sector and the co-founder of non-profit organisation, Black In Immuno.

Foreword - Jason Arday and Wayne A. Mitchell


Introduction: Black PhD Journeys in Context - William Ackah





Part 1: The ‘Weighted’, Waiting Game: Being Black and Applying To Do a PhD - Wayne A. Mitchell


1. Underrepresented and Undervalued: My Reflections on School, University and the Doctoral Application Process - Sophie Martin


2. Climbing the Rough Side of the Mountain: Getting into a PhD Programme - Katty Wadda


3. What I Wish I Knew: Deciding on when to Pursue the PhD - Esther Osarfo-Mensah


4. The Long and Winding Road: Tackling Barriers and Prejudice on the Journey to PhD Study - Sigourney Bonner


5. Ignorance Is Not Bliss: What Every Potential Black PhD Science Student Needs to Know - Jason Amartey


6. Being One of the Few Among the Many: My Journey to the PhD Starting Point - Nina Higson-Sweeney


7. Making the Garments Fit: Transitions to a Better Place - Dwaynica Greaves


Reflections on Part 1 and Prompts for Action - Wayne A. Mitchell





Part 2: Being Black Is Not an Optional Luxury! Struggles for Rights and Recognition in the White Academic Space - Madina Wane


8. Studying While Black: Reflections on Researching Blackness in White Space – Alanah Mortlock


9. Through, Around or Over the Gate? Navigating Academia from a Black Muslim Woman's Perspective - Amira Samatar


10. Fighting the Power: Challenging Institutional Discrimination – A Personal Perspective - Hanna Akalu


11. The Missing Ones


Reflections on Part 2 and Prompts for Action - Madina Wane





Part 3: For Us, by Us: Finding One Another Amid the Storm - Jacqueline Darkwa


12. That Ain’t It, So We’ll Create It: Supporting Black Students When and Where Our Institutions Fail - De-Shaine Murray


13. Finding the Black Immunologists in a Pandemic - Madina Wane


14. In the Meantime: Creating Change Through Community - Paulette Williams


15. Networks, Networking and Finding My Place in the Academic Space - Deyl Djama


16. #BlackInTheIvory: Social Media as a Tool for Racial Healing - Louisa Brotherson


17. Unravelling the Tapestry of Unspoken Rules: Living with Being Different in the Academic Space - Mary Agyapong


18. Making Space for Black Voices and Black Visions: The Formation and Work of the African Diaspora Postgraduate Network - William Ackah


Reflections on Part 3 and Prompts for Action - Jacqueline Darkwa





Part 4: Academic Support: The Right Thing, in the Right Place, at the Right Time – De-Shaine Murray


19. Reaching Beyond the Horizon: Being Inspired to Succeed Against the Odds - Simone Webb


20. In and Out of Prison: My Personal Research Journey of Being a Black Woman, Researching Black Women - Angela Charles


21. Not in This Alone: Being Supported to Break Down Barriers to PhD Success - Peggy Warren


22. When Seasons Change: Dealing with a Change in my Situation While Studying for a PhD - Rees Johnson


23. Believing That the Impossible Is Possible: My Story of Being Supported to Succeed - Clíona Kelly


Reflections on Part 4 and prompts for Action - De-Shaine Murray





Part 5: Reflections at the Completion of the PhD Journey - Madina Wane


24. What It Means To Be the First: My Journey from Windrush to PhD - Julia Morris


25. Why the ‘P’ in PhD Stands for (Black) Power - April-Louise Pennant


26. (Un)Making the Imposter Syndrome - Barbara Adewumi


27. I Came All This Way for This?! An International Student's Experience of UK Higher Education – Anon


Reflections on Part 5 and Prompts for Action - Madina Wane





Conclusion and Recommendations - De-Shaine Murray


Our Ancestor’s Wildest Dreams … (Fictionalisation) - Jacqueline Darkwa


Afterword: For Our Community - De-Shaine Murray