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We Spent a Lot of Time Talking about Research
The methodology.The literature. The data. The thesis. The publications. The outputs. But there's another part of research that doesn't always get the same attention: The person doing it.
What happens when you know your research well but still question yourself?
When you have a hundred things to do and aren't sure what to tackle first?
When your research isn't going according to plan?
When feedback hits harder than you expected?
When you find yourself comparing your progress to everyone around you?
When you realise that the PhD is changing you, but you're not quite sure who you're becoming?
Or when you start thinking: What happens after this?
These aren't separate from the research. They're part of the researcher experience.
That's What We're Exploring
The Researcher Experience, a conversation about the human side of research.
A free 2-day experience for PhD and other research students as well as early-career researchers. This isn't another workshop about how to write a better paper or get more done.It's a chance to step back from the research for a moment and explore:
How you're experiencing research.
How research is shaping you.
What you're learning about yourself along the way.
And what you want your next chapter to look like.
Across the two days, we'll explore the parts of research that are deeply human — identity, confidence, uncertainty, self-trust, relationships, pressure, sustainability, direction and possibility. And we'll connect those experiences to something bigger: Your development as a researcher.
2 live online sessions. October. Free.
Register Free
DAY 1 - UNDERSTAND
What's actually happening for me?
Research isn't just intellectually demanding. It can be personally demanding too. The uncertainty. The pressure. The feedback. The competing priorities. The moments of confidence and the moments when you question yourself. Day 1 is an opportunity to step back from the research and reflect on your experience as a researcher.
We'll explore:
- The hidden side of research — the things you're expected to navigate that aren't always taught.
- Researcher identity — who you're becoming as you move through your research journey.
- Self-trust — learning to trust your thinking when there isn't always a clear answer.
- Sustainable research — doing meaningful work without research consuming everything.
- What comes next — where you are now and where you might want to go.
🔸 Your Researcher Development Snapshot
You'll reflect on what's working, what's challenging, which habits are serving you, and what you might want to change. Day 1 will allow you to work through your own Habit Formation Activity with Katherine Anderson. We'll then turn that reflection into action — identifying one small change you can start practising straight away.
DAY 2 - BECOME
Who am I becoming?
Day 2 is about stepping back and thinking beyond what's immediately in front of you. What matters now? What do you want to develop? And what do you want the next 90 days to look like?
We'll explore:
- From knowing to becoming — turning knowledge into capability.
- Self-leadership — taking ownership of your development.
- The role of practice — how meaningful change actually happens.
- Your environment — the people and spaces that support your growth.
- What's next — thinking intentionally about the researcher you're becoming.
🔸 Your 90-Day Researcher Development Plan
We'll bring everything together and create a practical 90-day plan specifically for you so you can be clear and create momentum for the rest of 2026. You'll identify:
What matters now.
What you want to achieve.
What you'll do.
What might get in the way.
What support you need.
Because reflection is valuable. But when reflection becomes intentional action... that's where development begins.
This Experience Is For You If...
You're a:
✔ PhD, Masters, or other HDR student
✔ Postdoctoral or early-career researcher
✔ Researchers curious about learning new tricks to success
✔ Research professional
And somewhere along the way, you've realised that research is about more than the research itself.
Perhaps you're...
...Capable, but still second-guessing yourself....Busy, but not always feeling like you're moving forward.
...Motivated, but stretched.
...Confident in some areas and uncertain in others.
...Trying to figure out what "being a researcher" actually means for you.
...Starting to think about what comes after your PhD.
Or simply curious about the person you're becoming through your research journey.
You don't need to be struggling to benefit. You just need to be willing to pause, reflect and look at your experience from a different perspective.
This Isn't Another Research Workshop
We're not going to give you another checklist.We're not going to tell you how to squeeze another hour of productivity out of your day.
We're not going to give you another formula for writing your thesis or your paper.
And we're not going to pretend that two days can solve everything.
Instead, we're creating something a little different.
A space to talk about the person behind the research.
The uncertainty.
The confidence.
The identity.
The pressure.
The possibility.
The questions.
The growth.
The parts of research that are rarely included in the methodology chapter, but that can have an enormous impact on how we experience the journey and the results we achieve.
What You'll Take Away
- A new perspective
A chance to step out of the research and see yourself as the researcher behind it.
- Greater clarity
A clearer understanding of what's working, what's challenging and what you want to focus on next.
- Your Researcher Experience Snapshot
A reflection tool to help you understand where you are right now.
- A framework for your development
A practical way to think about moving from: UNDERSTAND → DEVELOP → APPLY → EXPAND
- Your 90-Day Plan
A clear focus for what you want to develop and the steps you want to take next.
- A sense of connection
An opportunity to meet other researchers who are navigating their own versions of this experience.
The research matters.
But so does the researcher behind it.
What if you gave yourself two days to step out of the research? To pause.To reflect. To reconnect with yourself. To think about where you've been. And to consider where you're going.
Join us for The Research Experience, a conversation and inspiring two session about the human side of research.
2 live online sessions · October · Free
You don't need to have everything figured out.You don't need to be struggling. You don't need to know exactly what's next. Just come as you are.
Why Complete Thesis Support
For more than a decade, Complete Thesis Support (CTS) has worked alongside researchers through the intellectual, practical and human experience of research.
We've supported hundreds of researchers through different stages of their journey — from thesis development and writing to methodology, publishing, examination, career transitions and everything that happens in between.
And over the years, we've come to understand something important: The research is only part of the story.
Behind every thesis and research career is a person navigating uncertainty, learning to think differently, developing confidence, finding their voice and figuring out what comes next. That's why CTS is evolving.
We're building a broader researcher development ecosystem focused not only on the research researchers produce but also on the researchers themselves.
And The Researcher Experience is an invitation to step inside that conversation.
You Don't Have to Take Our Word For It
Here's what researchers we've worked with have experienced.
"I take this opportunity to thank you and your team for the excellent presentations and the advice/tips on taking on PhD Thesis/Publications. I could not thank you all enough. Your teachings and documents will be a reference for me, not just for my PhD now, but a skill that will be carried on into the future." RM, PhD Student, The Univesity of Melbourne
"Could not be happier to belond to this group! Glad that I found a great team of professionals fully committed with their work and passionate about helping and supporting students in their thesis." BL, Masters Student, Universite catholique de Louvain, Belgium
"I have been working through stuff and Izelle, the slides have been very helpful to keep my structure I feel less stressed. Thank you so much. I don't know how many times I wanna quit but every time I talk to u, I see some light." JW, PhD Student, University of Sydney
"...have been reflecting today just how amazing and dedicated you are with helping students. Exceptional people like you, make all the difference to helping others reach their best selves. It's truly special and feel so grateful to have met you." JM, PhD Student, Monash University
"I am listening to some of the Q&A sessions, and I am getting so much out of them, I wish I had been confident to attend them earlier on - you have no idea how everything in these recordings is helping me so much." BM, PhD Student, RMIT
"10/10! In the last week - since starting this program 😉, I've achieved more clarity around my thesis and more confidence in my ability to achieve it than in the past three years of my PhD. Honestly. Stress levels have gone from 10 down to a 2." RH, PhD Student, The University of Melbourne
"You are truly an inspiration and always remind me to be positive. It's always amazing speaking to you. Keep doing what you are because it's fantastic." MK, PhD Student, The University of Bradford, UK
Meet Your Speakers
Dr. Izelle Labuschagne
Founder of Complete Thesis Support & the Thesis Mastermind
She is an accomplished researcher and neuroscientist, with over 16 years of experience. She brings a strong passion to support early-stage researchers. Her student supervision expertise has been the best, with some of her last PhD students passing without corrections, just like she did in her PhD.
Izelle is also a very experienced examiner of all other types of theses (Masters, Doctorate, and Honours) and has been a panel member or Chair of many student milestone reviews across many universities and institutes for over 12 years.
With a strong team around her, Izelle has a strong passion to empower and lead research students to achieve their thesis goals with ease and confidence so that they can start their dream careers.
Izelle has an impressive track record of publications and has recently published in Nature and Lancet journals.
Alexandra Gorelik
She brings 17 years of high-quality research experience as an analyst and research methodologist with a background in statistics/data science and quality assurance from an M.Sc. degree in Quality Assurance and Reliability.
She has experience in data management, analytics, and business intelligence, with an established reputation in study design and conduct of both qualitative and quantitative research.
As a passionate teacher, Alex enjoys seeing students excel and grow in their core research skills and in improving others' awareness of the value of the data, ways to maximise data captcha, and the use of existing and novel technologies to collect data. She's experienced in working with students on all various types of theses, especially Honours, Masters, and PhD.
Alex has an impressive track record of publications in top journals and national awards for clinical trails. She has recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
