Question: do you have any time for your family?

Suze Kundu answered on 14 Jun 2011:

Absolutely! When I started my PhD, I moved back home with Mum and Dad. I’m pretty sure that I drive them mad – Mum is forever going on about how my millions of pairs of shoes are taking over the whole house – however it’s really nice to have their support.

I’m writing my thesis at the moment, and at the same time I’m doing a lot of other sciencey-things on the side for fun – like I’m A Scientist. I end up using up most of my time at work though, so it’s been great recently, because they’ve been there to make my dinner if I’m coming home late, and generally around for chats when I’m feeling stressed out or bored of writing.

Saying that, because I’m so busy, as are my parents, we have to make time to really see each other properly, so we go out for nice meals, or to the theatre, and just chill out!

It sounds funny now, hanging out with your parents, but my parents are pretty cool, and total legends, so it’s great that they’ve turned from just being my parents into my two best friends. Dad’s great for watching the football with, or creating barbecue madness in the garden, while Mum is a fantastic fellow shopper, and loves to go and explore new places!

I’m quite lucky at the moment, as work is busy but manageable. I think James or David mentioned that their families think they work too hard, but they’re much further on in their careers than I am, and have wives and kids of their own I guess. It’s really about finding a balance I guess.

Lovely to see you all still asking us questions! Are you feeling good after the Live Chat? We really enjoyed it!