STUDENT VIEW

WHEN PHD STUDENT MARTINA PIZZOLATO ATTENDED AN ONLINE COURSE IN FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION AT THE END OF HER MASTERS SHE FOUND HERSELF PERUSING AN ACADEMIC CAREER IN ART AND DESIGN.

Martina, originally from Italy, was finishing her dissertation for her masters at Bournemouth University when she attended an online class in facial reconstruction. “I come from a forensic anthropology background and in that field, you learn very little about craniofacial analysis and identification. During my masters, I attended an online course in facial reconstruction and realised that I wanted to be a part of that field”.

After visiting a postgraduate event on campus, Martina met Professor Caroline Wilkinson and was amazed by the facilities available within the School of Art and Design. “The reason why I chose to stay in the UK after my masters was because of the Face Lab. It is a pioneering lab for craniofacial identification and is essential for my course.” Although she could feel the step up from her masters to PhD, Martina made the most of her experience by attending webinars and online events in the first few weeks of her course. “When I started, I felt a bit lost with all of the information that you receive, but the Doctoral Academy staff were incredible and whenever I had issues or questions, they were always ready to answer straight away,” she explains. “The webinars helped me meet other postgraduates in different faculties and departments so you can create a connection with people like you that are going through the same things as you. This can make a real difference”. Throughout her PhD course, Martina made the most of a range of opportunities to gain experience within the field, including some roles within the university itself. “As well as working alongside the rest of the staff in lab projects, I felt that the course that trained me to become a paid demonstrator in the University was such a valuable experience, whether I wanted to stay in academia or not”. Now, looking towards the future, Martina is hoping to continue along a similar path. “My goal is to have a career in academia in the field of craniofacial identification and become competent in facial reconstruction. I also would love to be able to keep researching the field and hopefully get into teaching”. After changing her academic focus during her postgraduate journey, Martina urges others to not be scared to do the same. “Do not feel that you have lost time by doing something different to your chosen PhD subject, you will have developed abilities and skills that you can then use during your new postgraduate journey. At the end of the day, the PhD is all about learning and motivation”.