Ranjita Neogi – PhD student and Teaching Associate, Queen Mary University London, School of Business and Management
After graduating from the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development in 2016 with a Masters in Development Finance, I continued my studies exploring the financial access available to South Asian migrant communities in the UK.
My PhD at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is a comparative analysis of the capital accumulation and conversion process among Indian and Bangladeshi migrants based within the UK. Within this research, I use the concept of tangible and intangible capitals, and also the impact of different structural and agency related elements in defining migrant business strategies.
Alongside my studies I also work as a teaching associate within the School of Business and Management (SBM) at QMUL, teaching Financial Accounting, Work and Employment in Context, and Business and Social Approaches to Social Media.
I have always loved carrying out research, whether it is academic or corporate. Before pursuing my master's at Reading I worked for Deloitte - an audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax company - as a Corporate Financial Analyst. However, after working there for five years, I realised I wanted to explore the implications of different economic and financial decisions on the broader society, hence why I chose to study Development Finance.
Before studying at Reading, I always thought I would go into a non-corporate advisory career as initially I was interested in taking up a consultant's job in the not-for-profit sector. However, during my master's, Dr Srinivasan made me aware of opportunities available in academia I previously hadn't considered. I realised that pursuing a career in academia would not only match my research interests, but also give me the opportunity to have a career in teaching or consulting.
The MSc in Development Finance was a stepping stone towards my doctoral studies. I learnt a huge amount from the taught modules, as well as working within Henley Business School as part of a project where I interviewed migrant business owners operating in Reading. This helped me with the development of my PhD research title and application. The support provided to me by Dr Srinivasan, the Director of the Development Finance programme, was a huge help in guiding me through my journey as a masters student to a PhD researcher.
I chose to study at Reading as I was looking for a programme that offered an introduction to the developmental side of finance. The programme offered a vast choice of modules which suited my requirements, and the module contents were also enriching in terms of learning.
The School of Agriculture, Policy and Development ranks as one of the top schools in the UK, which was very reassuring when searching for a course. I also received a Postgraduate Taught Country Scholarship from the University, which helped me greatly when financing my studies.
I enjoyed every aspect of the programme - the modules I selected offered an immense learning opportunity, and the lecturers were extremely helpful and guided me through my studies whenever required.
I owe a lot to the University of Reading for what I am doing today. Pursuing this MSc at the University of Reading has been a life changing decision in which I made wonderful friends that will last a lifetime. I would definitely like to go back and be part of the University in any possible way in the future.