Lisa Sugiura 2nd year PhD student, September 2014

Hi, I'm Lisa Sugiura and I studied 2nd year PhD student within Health Sciences at the University of Southampton.

The experiences I’ve had in studying at the University of Southampton have been life changing in an incredibly positive way.

As a Health Sciences student I am unusual in that my background is in law and I have a Masters' in criminology but it's the ideal match for my research which focusses on the purchasing of prescription medicines online.

I was initially attracted to the University as a leader and pioneer in web science, as well as it being part of the Russell Group.   There are also world-renowned experts attached to my course and it offers me an exciting environment for interdisciplinary thinking.

Fundamentally I knew this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was just too good to pass up!

I'm based in Health Sciences and have a supervisor here but I also have a supervisor in Criminology.  Working in Health Sciences I am exposed to people with different backgrounds and experiences and I'm able to use traditional social science methods in a digital context.

My research is both incredibly interesting and challenging.  I'm constantly pushed to acquire new skills and new ways of thinking which wouldn't have happened if I'd stayed within my original field.

The level of support and expertise here is far higher than I've experienced previously.  The encouragement is not just academic but on a social level too.

Once my PhD is completed I intend to apply for a lectureship or postdoctoral studies.