In this reflective blog post, PhD researcher Mònica Piferrer Gómez shares her honest journey through the challenges and unexpected rewards of doctoral life, drawing on her experience as an international student who presented at our recent Research Café. From the loneliness that can accompany early-stage research to the confidence gained through community, mentorship, and presenting her work to a supportive audience, Mònica explores how stepping beyond her comfort zone helped her find connection, clarity, and a renewed sense of belonging within the research community.
Starting a PhD might have been one of the most significant decisions of my life, and it has come with unexpected loneliness. Although the name of these studies is already intimidating, it was not until I spent day after day and week after week on my own—reading smelly and dusty books or never-ending PDFs, applying to call for papers that take months to answer, or writing desperate emails to field specialists to unblock my research—that I realised that not only it can get lonely, but in fact, it is lonely. To have consistent support and a work network, you need to go the extra mile and seek these ties with determination. That willingness brought me to new places: suddenly, I was presenting my ongoing doctoral investigation at the Research Café, organised by the Graduate and Researcher College of the University of Kent. More than a thousand kilometres from home.
I am a PhD student in Comparative Literature at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and I was scared to death about moving to another country for four months to enrich my research. Being a people person, I need my family and friends close—and, not least importantly, the sun. However, this university has proven to me that this fear was not justified but only a reaction to stepping out of my comfort zone. In fact, apart from the voluntary cloistered sessions in my room or the library to focus on my writing, I have never had a dull, solitary moment. Firstly, I was lucky—or maybe it was my charm, which I would never discredit myself for—to find friendly, funny, and down-to-earth peers. Secondly, I got in touch with thoughtful faculty members—especially my supervisor here, Dr Stella Bolaki, whose insights and guidance have been detailed and empathetic. Last but not least, the Graduate and Researcher College has played an enormous role in deepening my knowledge by providing training to improve my reading and writing and to explore different career paths.
Among these activities, however, the Research Café stands out for encouraging students to take a more active role. Not only can you enrol as an attendee, but you can also become involved by presenting your research. As an international student, this opportunity was ideal to practise my oral English skills in an academic context, which is much trickier than a regular one, I might add. Moreover, preparing the presentation helped me make more sense of what I have been researching here, as I had to outline it in a clear, understandable way for a lay audience. After my talk, both the organisers and audience made me feel very welcome by asking me specific questions about my research. This feedback allowed me to practise talking about my research without a script I had prepared for my slideshow and to explore perspectives beyond my own. After all, the most important thing for any researcher is to assess the impact their research will have.
And if you do not feel like presenting, you can always enrol as an attendee and get to know other researchers with similar or different interests, which will definitely expand your horizons. The peer-to-peer conversation is fostered by the organisers, who allocate time and provide guidance for group activities. In this year’s edition, the topic was the different routes to a PhD, which sparked an interesting chat on both the professional and personal levels. As we had more time to reflect, we had a thoughtful discussion—led by the organisers’ questions—about the different feelings and experiences we might encounter throughout our journey.
I am grateful that the GRC organises these initiatives, which create opportunities to both attend and present. They offer a welcoming environment where participants can engage at different levels of confidence, lowering barriers to participation and fostering dialogue, collegiality, and a sense of collective belonging—especially valuable in the often-isolating context of doctoral research. In the end, the Research Café is a one-for-all. Curious about the vibe? Pop in. Feeling bolder? Dare to present in a judgment-free space.