Kensa Broadhurst
University of Exeter

Cross-posted from A Study of the Cornish Language from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century

Last week I was in the very privileged position of attending the PhD Academy at Venice International University. The week long course promised to improve research practice and transversal skills for young scholars, but in reality it offered far more than that. Nineteen PhD researchers from sixteen nations, based in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas and representing the widest possible range of research topics, alongside faculty staff from Italy, Belgium, and Slovenia, came together to both learn from each other and share experiences and ideas. It was a true example of international collaboration between well-established scholars and those just setting out on their research journeys. For me, it was incredible to be at an academic event and be the only representative from the United Kingdom. As such, it allowed me to gain a wide range of valuable insights, alongside getting to know a group of people who are all either leaders in their field, or with the potential to be so in the future. All this, in one of the most beautiful settings in the world (and one which offers many research questions of its own), Venice.

Venice International University is a collaboration between nineteen universities from all over the world. It offers summer schools (such as the one I attended in June on Linguistic Landscapes), the PhD Academy, and opportunities for undergraduates to spend a semester at the university on the island of San Servolo, located between the historic centre of Venice and the Lido. As such, the university is a true example of both interdisciplinarity and international collaboration.

We spent the week listening to talks on a wide range of topics including: publishing; job applications and interviews; applying for grants; mentors; and the thorny issue of stress and building resilience. We constructed individual development plans and wrote press releases about our research as well as conducting mock tv interviews. There was also a discussion of the growing presence of artificial intelligence in academic research and how this can be both a force for good and something to be wary of. We also had to present our own research to the group whilst simultaneously being judged on our communication skills. I was in awe of the range of research being carried out by my peers, and that most were not native English speakers, yet spent the entire week on a course delivered through the medium of the language. There is some truly ground-breaking, and perhaps world-changing, research being done by my fellow students and it was a real privilege to both discuss their work and get to know them socially too. Watch out for developments in how sub-Saharan Africa deals with mosquitoes; the targeted use of radiotherapy; and childhood renal problems in the future. Other students are working on how the range of domestic legal systems influences judges sitting in the International Courts in the Hague; the effects of Airbnb on cities; and the legalities around insolvency.

Would I recommend such a course if you get the opportunity to attend? Definitely. The chance to talk about a wide range of topics with such a group of academics who are either at the top of their field, or who are likely to end up doing world-leading research was invaluable. By embracing interdisciplinarity and international collaborations we have the opportunity to achieve so much.

What about my research? Were the others interested? As well as being the only representative of the UK, I was also the only historian, and one of only a few scholars based in the Humanities. Over the week I was asked many questions about my research, and I would like to think I have persuaded a Slovenian Law Professor about the importance of passing on his local dialect to his daughter – minority languages are as important as every other research topic!