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Christian Lunlad

PhD Student Experience

Spoiler alert: It’s nothing like your undergraduate years.

Angelica Leigh

Research collaboration

Faculty mentors point the way. You push the boundaries to new knowledge.

“When I first started my doctoral program, I was pretty lost — I had no idea how to navigate the process of starting a research project. After spending about a week agonizing about this, I talked with two students in my program, who told me to start building relationships with faculty in our department. After a series of one-on-one meetings, I formed collaborations with two faculty members and, by the end of the semester, began building a relationship with my advisor, Shimul Melwani. I learned that relationships are important — and that it’s okay to ask others for help and guidance.” Angelica Leigh (PhD ’20)

Teaching others

What you teach will drive you. Who you teach will inspire you.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my teaching experience in the PhD program. I loved having the opportunity to take my passion for business strategy and translate it into classroom discussions with our undergraduate students. I was impressed by the caliber of the students here at Carolina, and I felt like I learned just as much from our group discussions as the students did.  It was both energizing and inspiring, which helped not only my teaching but also my research and other areas of life.  Overall, I loved the feeling that I was helping to make a difference in these students’ lives and education.” Travis Howell (PhD ’20)

Travis Howell

Our PhD Students