Autism, Ableism and the PhD with Piangfan Naksukpaiboon
Piangfan Naksukpaiboon is currently an Early Stage Researcher and doctoral candidate in Medicine focusing on cancer genomics at the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast on the SPaRK program which is a Horizon2020 funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral training programme. Her move to Norway was when she discovered that she has Asperger’s Syndrome. However, she never let it define who she is. In this episode Piangfun discusses her experiences as a neurodivergent scholar, including facing skepticism about her abilities. She discusses negotiating ableism in academia and her process of self-advocacy. Piangfun also shares how facing illness led to her passion for archery and how interests outside the PhD have helped her on the journey. We finish with a top tip about being honest with yourself and others. You can find Piangfan Naksukpaiboon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piangfannaksukpaiboon/ You can find a transcript of this episode at thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft