How do you map the different dimensions of a doctoral student’s experience, many of which are unseen? How does an academic institution support the growing number of students who are often balancing doctoral pursuits with the hidden worlds of employment, personal and caring roles? This book proposes a mapping tool and conceptual framework, informed by theories of agency and Actor-Network Theory on the role of student agency, help-seeking and dynamic interaction with human and non-human actors (e.g. doctoral policies, technologies, online resources and guidelines) as influences on the advancement and completion of a PhD qualification. It offers a theorization of the "new doctoral researcher" by registering a shift in perspective from who doctoral researchers are (e.g. personal characteristics/ demographics) to where individuals are located, and what else (occupational/situational/availability of time) might potentially facilitate or impede advancement with the doctoral degree. Presenting autoethnographic research and case studies, the book provides insights into the doctoral student experience and offers recommendations for academic institutions on actions that can be taken to create a more dynamic, and transparent doctoral system which encourages agency, interaction and accountability, on the part of the student and the academic institution.
