By Matt Barrett

While I swiftly learned to never compare your PhD life and schedule with other PhD students…a year into my PhD presents a great opportunity to highlight what a day in the life looks like for me, and how it may be so different to others.

Currently, my days largely revolve around data collection for the second study in my PhD. This study is looking at gut hormone responses to each macronutrient in older adults with low appetite.

7:15am – Alarm:

The day begins with putting to use all that nutrition knowledge…PB & J on toast followed by a short cycle to the lab (more often than not in a coastal headwind!).

8:00am – Prep time:

My data collection involves many different elements, meaning there is plenty of preparation needed for each testing day. This includes things like making sure I have the appropriate phlebotomy equipment ready, the centrifuge is cooled and the necessary meals are prepped for the day.

8:30am – Participant arrival:

As soon as participants arrive, I check their study eligibility and pop a cannula in their arm, to allow me to take regular blood samples throughout the day. After this, we take the first blood sample and record their subjective appetite. Participants are then faced with a macronutrient breakfast of either 100% fat, protein or carbohydrate (not as bad as it sounds!).

8:45am – Experimental block begins:

Over the next four hours I monitor the participants’ appetite, alongside taking regular blood samples. In the final hour of this block, I head to the kitchen to prepare the unlimited pasta meal!

12:45pm – Unlimited pasta time:

At the four-hour point we take the final blood sample and appetite measure and remove the cannula. We then provide an unlimited pasta meal to measure a participants energy intake in response to the macronutrient breakfast. Once complete, this marks the end of their testing visit, and they are free to leave.

1:00pm – Clean up and data storage:

Once the participant has left, I then clean down the lab and make sure all data has been recorded for the day. Storing the blood samples in the -80ºC freezer marks the final task for data collection.

1:45pm – Lunch and afternoon tasks:

The beauty of the methods I use in data collection is that I now have the afternoon to complete other tasks related to my PhD. These tasks can include things like enrolment visits for prospective participants, catching up on writing or assisting with the athlete consultancy service we run. This routine is also great as I can plan my remaining tasks around an afternoon swim, run or gym session.

4:00/5:00pm – Day complete:

Around this time, I’ll be making my way home. This routine provides a great work-life balance and allows me to carry on doing the things I love outside of my studies.

And that’s a typical day in the life for me! While testing days can be intense, the flexibility my PhD provides me allows me to balance my studies with other interests, making the PhD journey feel sustainable and rewarding.