Reflecting on the impact of the Digital Good Network on my PhD experience and Beyond, Carly Waterhouse
Carly Waterhouse discusses the impact of the Digital Good Network on her research. Published 1 June 2026.
Throughout my PhD, the Digital Good Network has offered a reassuring sense of community and continuity. The opportunities I have participated in through the network have been integral to my research and have impacted on my work for the past three years. I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on these opportunities, and to express my gratitude for the support of the network in helping me to develop as a researcher.
Summer School 2023
After spending the first two years of my PhD accumulating a frankly worrying amount of references on Zotero and wondering when the imposter syndrome would quieten, I attended my first DGN event, the Summer School of 2023. This would be pivotal to my development as a researcher, and my PhD itself, firstly thanks to Łukasz Szulc’s presentation which introduced me to the work of Legacy Russell, whose Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto ended up being one of the key theoretical pillars of my thesis; and secondly, being able to situate my research, my thinking, outside of my own research ‘silo’. I particularly valued the seminars because there are so few structured opportunities for PhD researchers to get together, read research papers, and explore connections.
Vrije Universiteit, 2024
I contributed to the DGN panel at the EASST/4S conference at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. This was my first ever international conference and although I was extremely nervous, there was such a collegiality and, fundamentally, a warmth and kindness to proceedings that I felt that I could really begin to see my place, and my contribution, within wider research and how my research contributed to the interdisciplinary debate of the digital good.
Policy Masterclass, 2026
Following the completion of my PhD, it felt like the perfect time to consider the wider potential impact of my research findings at the Policy Masterclass. It was wonderful to reconnect with researchers, and to think about the ‘place’ my research has, if not in academia, then in influencing the organisations who can action change. This was another meaningful opportunity to engage with research across disciplines, in a welcoming and supportive environment.
The events I have taken part in through the Digital Good Network have richly contributed to my PhD experience as a whole. It is easy for PhD researchers to feel isolated, especially as the demands of work, home life and research can feel relentless
For me, The Digital Good Network has provided a welcome sense of community and support throughout my PhD experience. However, along with support, it has also opened up literature and ideas that I would not have accessed from my enormous Zotero reference list alone. I do not believe that my research outlook would be the same without the influence of researchers within the network, and for that, I am immensely grateful.
About the author
Carly Waterhouse
Digital Good Network Summer School attendee
Carly Waterhouse is a lecturer at the University of Chichester, school governor and former English teacher. Her doctoral research involved looking at the potential value that immersive technologies could bring to the teaching and learning of English. Carly’s research interests are centred around ways of working towards social justice in education, with a focus on England’s ex-mining communities.