As a PhD student, you will grow in many ways
Ruyi Ding got the opportunity to travel all the way from China to Sweden to undertake doctoral studies in law at Stockholm University. Her experience is that although being a PhD student can be a bit challenging, it is also very rewarding.
Hi there...
Ruyi, why did you decide to be a doctoral candidate?
I decided to take the academic route because I consider it is the best fit for me and my future. I love the peaceful, free atmosphere at universities and I enjoy doing independent research which allows me to conduct the projects that I am interested in, to continuously extend the boundaries of my knowledge, and to make meaningful and recognized contributions to my field of study, locally, nationally and internationally.
What are you researching about?
The doctoral dissertation is about regulating facial analysis (FA) technology in education, public transport, and retail contexts in the EU and China. This study seeks to define the boundaries of legitimate use of FA technology in the three contexts. In doing so, a common ground is established for evaluating the EU’s and China’s evolving regulatory landscapes for FA technology in the three contexts.
Subsequently, this work examines the current regulatory landscapes for FA technology in the EU and China, with an aim of finding out whether they are sufficient to deal with the consequences of FA technology in the three contexts. If not, how policymakers, lawmakers, and regulators in the EU and China ought to respond to the phenomenon of FA technology in the three contexts. In addition, a comparative study between the EU’s and China’s evolving regulatory landscapes for FA technology in the three contexts is carried out, focusing particularly on their regulatory approaches. What is more, the reasons behind the similarities and differences between the two evolving regulatory landscapes are investigated.
What do you do as a PhD student?
I am now devoting myself chiefly to writing my doctoral dissertation while reading relevant supporting materials, because I have already completed four doctoral courses required for earning a doctoral degree in law (two compulsory courses and two elective courses). Besides undertaking my doctoral research, I also take time to rest, recharge, and relax.
What is the best thing about being a PhD student?
As a PhD student in Sweden, I get paid monthly to write my dissertation in the form of a monograph (book-length) under the supervision of two professors, and I am classed as a university staff and have an independent office on campus. I really appreciate having the opportunity to conduct my doctoral studies in Sweden, a European country far away from my home country, which helps me be financially and spiritually independent.
What is the most challenging part of being a PhD student?
As a Chinese, I have faced and conquered many challenges of doing a PhD in Sweden in the past few years – for instance, the cold, dark winter; the personal experience of cultural shock due to big cultural differences between Sweden (or more broadly the West) and China; the feeling of homesickness when living alone for a couple of years and being far away from my family in a different country; the feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, and anxiety when working independently on the first draft of my dissertation.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested being a PhD student?
Choose a research topic that has not yet been explored and that attracts you most, strive to do your best to write a doctoral research proposal and submit your doctoral application two days ahead of the deadline in order to avoid any unexpected.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I embrace all possibilities of my unknown future, but I prefer staying in academia.
Last updated: February 10, 2023
Source: Department of Law