Hear from our past students

I came to Warwick to do my PhD as an international student, having done a BA and MA in Italy. I chose Warwick because of its strengths in the philosophy of mind, which has always been my primary interest. The regular WMA seminars contributed to building a friendly PhD community, and every member of staff was always available to meet and talk about a paper of mutual interest or my work in progress.

When I started, my English still needed improvement, and I had little experience with writing an essay. In Italy I had mostly oral exams, and writing was limited to the final thesis. My supervisor at Warwick, Matt Nudds, and the Graduate Progress Committee were understanding, and supported me as I learned the craft of essay writing and found my own voice. Based on my experience, I would definitely encourage international students to come to the UK for a research degree, and to Warwick in particular. It would make a big difference to their philosophical development, whatever their future career plans.

After my PhD, I got a postdoc position at Salzburg University with an Austrian grant. What helped me in securing this funding was developing a strong project proposal early on, which focused on a new research question while using the skills and knowledge built during the PhD. Since then, I have held academic positions at Turin, Tübingen, Konstanz and Dortmund, often through my own research grants. Feedback and advice from my PhD supervisor and other Warwick staff members has been key at every step of the way.

- Giulia Martina, PhD Philosophy (2020)

Warwick is an excellent place to carry out research in philosophy! I was lucky enough to complete my PhD and to hold a postdoctoral research position at Warwick, and the standouts for me are the diverse but overlapping range of interests, and the active, welcoming environment.

Working on temporal experience and cognition, I was able to benefit from feedback and discussion from members of the department working mainly in mind and action, from those working in the phenomenological tradition, and from those working in aesthetics. The melting pot of ideas at Warwick, and the encouragement to pursue these from varied perspectives, makes the whole research experience fertile and rewarding.

The encouragement and support to help you develop other skills as a researcher is also excellent. Whether you want to start a reading group, to audit a course, to give a talk on your own research, or to hear others provide talks on their research, there are ample resources for doing so and there is always a lot of encouragement, both from staff and other graduate students. Whatever the topic, there is likely someone with overlapping interests, and whatever the event you wish to organise or take part in, there are likely numerous opportunities to do so. The flexibility of staff and their willingness to engage with the graduate community really sets Warwick apart from other departments.

- Jack Shardlow, PhD Philosophy (2019)

The raw concrete and geometric form of the buildings of Coventry stood in stark contrast with the vibrant, welcoming community I got to know during my postgraduate studies at Warwick. My time at Warwick consisted, on the one hand, of individual research with my supervisor and other members of staff who generously gifted their time to engaging with my work, and, on the other hand, active participation in a philosophical community that nourished my philosophical development more broadly. Weekly seminars and taught lectures on diverse topics beyond my main area of research, reading groups centered on key philosophical work in the philosophy of mind and action, guest speakers representing a variety of philosophical traditions, and fellow students from a wide range of philosophical backgrounds sharing their work were just some of the enriching experiences that allowed me to enjoy the academic community at Warwick. It was amazing!

- Juan Camilo Espejo-Serna, PhD Philosophy (2016)

I did both my MPhil and my PhD in philosophy at Warwick. My experience throughout was very positive. My supervisors strongly supported my philosophical development, engaging with my work in great detail, and in a highly constructive spirit. There were also lots of opportunities to get involved. Beyond seminars, workshops and conferences put on by the department, I was encouraged and enabled to organise my own events, to contribute to how the degree programmes were run, and to develop independent support networks. All of this served as an excellent preparation for pursuing a career in academia after the PhD, and I find myself drawing on my experiences at Warwick as a role model for the kinds of experiences I want my own students to have.

- Simon Wimmer, PhD Philosophy (2020)

A famous psychologist called Lev Vygotsky argued that our cognitive development is inextricably connected with our social environment. Each one of us, said Vygotsky, learns within a zone of proximal development. That is the gap between what we can do and what we are capable of doing. According to Vygotsky, that gap is filled with the help of those in our social environment who scaffold our development. In other words, we have potential that can be unlocked only with the caring help of others in our social environment. When I think of my years as a graduate student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Warwick, I think of how true this theory is. Members of staff at Warwick take the time to ensure that their graduate students are supported with the appropriate scaffolding to fulfil their intellectual potential. This takes the form of excellent supervisions and feedback, organising cutting-edge research events ensuring that the graduate community is vibrant and stimulated, the possibility of taking postgraduate classes in topics that are relevant to one’s research, setting up international collaborations with some of the most important research institutes in the philosophy of mind, and gaining teaching experience. All of this helped me to have a fun yet rigorous experience in writing both my MPhil and PhD, to acquire the confidence required to present my research internationally at conferences and to set up interdisciplinary collaborations, and the vision to articulate the direction of my research in research proposals and job applications. I honestly don’t think there could have been a better place to develop as a researcher and teacher in the philosophy of mind than Warwick’s Philosophy Department. I think Vygotsky would agree.

- Daniel Vanello, PhD Philosophy (2017)