Cursory: Dr. Amanda ‘Millie’ Light, a former professional dancer, is graduating from Ulster University with a PhD in Social Sciences. Her research focused on the impact of precarity on mental health, advocating for a comprehensive response. Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer during her studies, Millie persevered and successfully completed her PhD. She plans to continue her research and explore how dance can support individuals with cancer.
Dr. Amanda ‘Millie’ Light will be graduating from Ulster University this summer, having successfully completed her PhD in Social Sciences. Prior to her academic pursuits at Ulster University, Millie had a background as a professional classically-trained dancer.
It was later in life that she decided to embark on an academic journey, beginning with an undergraduate degree in English, followed by a PGCE qualification and a Masters degree.
Millie’s fascination with higher education research, which involved in-depth projects like dissertations, sparked her interest in examining various viewpoints on subjects like precarity.
This passion drove her to undertake a PhD at Ulster University, concentrating on ‘Critical Epistemologies.’ Millie perceived this as a chance to integrate her diverse background and research interests, making a valuable contribution to the field of knowledge.
“It was always the research aspects, dissertations and longer projects that interested me, and I knew I wanted to research to a higher level. The PhD opportunity at Ulster University was called ‘Critical Epistemologies’ and this really intrigued me because I am curious about the way a problem, such as precarity, can look quite different from different perspectives, and I saw this an opportunity to bring my eclectic range of experience andresearch interests together to make a contribution to knowledge.”
In 2018, Millie relocated to Belfast from Cornwall to pursue her PhD at Ulster University. Her research, titled ‘An exploration of precarity’s material and political effects,’ delves into the impact of insecure employment practices on mental health and well-being.
It critically examines the contemporary political and economic climate that contributes to precarity and advocates for a more holistic response to address this issue. Towards the end of her first year of studies, Millie received the unfortunate news of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Over the following seven months, she underwent a series of appointments, tests, major surgery, and subsequent radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Despite the challenges, Millie remained determined to continue her studies, as she expressed:
“Despite having to return home to Cornwall for treatment, Iwas still keen to keep going with my PhD, the focus helped me to not be consumed by what was happening and to have something in the future that I was still trying to achieve. My research director and supervisors were extremely supportive, and I was very much able to lead the research with timescales and targets that could be balanced with the ongoing treatment and side effects, which lasted throughout the entire project.”
Handling a cancer diagnosis is undoubtedly difficult, and Millie faced additional complexities as she returned to Belfast amidst the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The convergence of these two challenges further compounded her situation:
“This added layers on top of the already difficult time I was having due to the cancer diagnosis and treatment. Like everyone, I adapted well to home working and digitally-enabled relationships and training, but the timing of it in addition tothe delays due to cancer meant that I had to make significant adjustments to what I had initially proposed for the research regarding the fieldwork. Because of this, I had the opportunity to really spend time with philosophical theory which has enriched my work and the way that I continue to think, research, and move in the world going forward.”
Despite the challenges Millie faced, she went on to pass her viva, an oral examination where PhD researchers discuss their thesis with experts in that field, and successfully completed with no corrections, as Millie recalls:
“This is quite rare and it was an outcome I couldn’t have dreamt of. It was such a wonderful way to complete an, at times, challenging but also enjoyable journey!”
Millie has a strong desire to continue her academic journey and is actively considering postdoctoral research opportunities. Her goal is to further develop her thesis through practice-based research and publication. Additionally, she is exploring the potential of dance and embodied practices to provide affirmative support for individuals living with cancer.
If you’re interested in finding out more about undertaking a PhD at Ulster University, visit: Postgraduate Research (ulster.ac.uk)
Source: Ulster
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