Megan Hamilton recently completed a Master’s Degree in International Criminology and Criminal Justice and has previously completed an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology. Here, she discusses her five-month internship at DECIPHer:
I became interested in a career in research due to my undergraduate course and the heavy focus on research methods. My specific interests in crime and violence research were sparked due to a psychology module ‘Forensic Psychology: Violence and Crime’ leading me to choose my Master’s Degree.
During my Master’s I completed a 60- hour placement in SBARC with the Violence Research Group; in this placement I expressed my interests in learning more about qualitative research. This led me to meet the Implementation and PRocess Evaluation of South Wales Hospital Based Violence Intervention Programmes (PREVIP) team and begin a 5-month internship with DECIPHer through Cardiff Universities Job Shop.
Picking up new skills
My supervisor, Jordan Van Godwin, was very welcoming and ensured I had the opportunity to take part in DECIPHer events and to communicate with other research teams. I was encouraged to learn new qualitative research skills, such as the use of NVIVO, and was aided in improving these skills. On the project, I took part in interviews, analysis and the write up process. I have gained confidence expressing my views in meetings and talking to professionals.
DECIPHer was extremely welcoming; when I had a question, staff outside of my research group would always be willing to assist me and answer my questions. I specifically enjoyed attending the DECIPHer forum where other DECIPHer teams presented the research they were working on. The SBARC building itself is an amazing working environment with the opportunity to work alone or work collaboratively.
The skills that I have learnt and developed in my placement have given me the skills for a career in research. I have recently started my new role as a research assistant in SBARC with the Violence Research Group. I believe my internship with DECIPHer and the skills I learnt assisted me in getting my current role.
I thoroughly recommend an internship with DECIPHer!
To find out about on-campus placement opportunities at Cardiff University, click here: On-campus internship opportunities.