The article recounts the author's experience as a PhD candidate in the Antarctic Research Group at Boston University, which was marred by sexual harassment accusations against its leader, David Marchant. After the group disbanded following his firing, the author faced stigma while seeking new opportunities, leading to their eventual PhD pursuit in Germany. The author reflects on the broader implications of academic hierarchies that put students at a disadvantage and offers suggestions for enhancing student resilience and support in academia.
But I never did set foot on Antarctic soil or complete a PhD there. Just 18 months after I started my studentship in 2016, the group was rocked by accusations from several graduate students that the group leader, David Marchant, had sexually harassed them during field expeditions. After an investigation by the university, he was fired.
Instead of scientific enquiries, I found myself having to field awkward questions at interviews for new PhD positions: had I known beforehand (I hadn't) and had I been harassed myself (I hadn't)? I decided to pursue a PhD abroad.
This journey has left me with a few suggestions regarding how graduate students can equip themselves with resilience in the face of academic hierarchical structures that leave them open to exploitation, as well as how university programmes can do better by their students.
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