My name is Naomi, and I am planning to start a PhD later this year. I am trying to fundraise so that I can pay the fees in full at the start of my first year. Unlike undergraduate degrees, there is no specific tuition fee loan to cover PhD fees. Funded PhD studentships are almost always tied to a specific research group at a named university and involve long lab hours. It was tough to accept that neither moving areas or long lab hours could be done safely due to my disability. But that tough part was also a key step in discovering that I have a true passion for bioinformatics. Bioinformatics uses computational methods and statistical analysis to interpret biological data. Put simply, it’s how we spot the differences or patterns that are hidden in over 50,000 rows in a spreadsheet!

My supervisor and I have developed a bespoke PhD project that will use bioinformatics and AI to examine medical conditions that particularly affect women and to examine the experience of women in seeking support, diagnosis and treatments.

We have developed a bespoke project in a research area that is rapidly expanding. It fulfils my academic goals of wanting to develop further bioinformatics experience and increasing my statistical analysis skillset. It also offers the flexibility I need, as I can work on it from anywhere, even when I am bedbound or in hospital. This is really important to me - I strongly believe that carrying on with ‘normal’ life and staying occupied as much as possible, even during flare-ups, confers so many benefits.

However, a bespoke PhD project that isn’t linked to an existing research grant has its own challenges, namely that of having to self-fund the fees and equipment needed. Due to my disability and ongoing medical treatments, I cannot work whilst studying. I have worked hard to put money aside for the PhD tuition fee but don’t have the full amount.

Fees are currently £5238/year (or £15,714 total for a three-year PhD project. The University of Brighton (UoB) offers a scholarship to alumni who undertake a PhD at UoB which gives 20% off the fees. This reduces the total to £12,571.20. However, this scholarship is not guaranteed for the whole three years. In theory, it could be discontinued at any time. This is why it has become more urgent to raise the full £12,571.20 so early on. Being able to pay for the PhD in full so early on will remove anxiety about any future changes to fees and allow me to just focus on the project.

If the PhD does not go ahead in the end, all the donations will be fully refunded.