Caroline Biron
PhD Management, 2010
Country of origin: Canada
Employer: Laval University, Quebec, Canada
My work experiences back in Quebec in Canada were in action research in the prevention of workplace stress. I had been managing a project which aimed at evaluating organisational interventions to prevent work stress in several work settings. While finishing this project, I realised that those organisations who brought forward some changes have found it rewarding (e.g. absenteeism decreases, better work climate), but met different types of difficulties and the perceptions about the success of an intervention were contrasted among stakeholders.
Since research at LUMS is recognised as world-class and the Management School encourages strong links with organisations, the PhD in Management was a great opportunity for me to bring my knowledge on the prevention of work-related stress one step further and test my ideas in organisations outside Quebec. Furthermore, the supervisor of my PhD research at Lancaster was world-renowned expert in work-related stress, Professor Cary Cooper.
The numerous seminars offered at Lancaster allowed me to exchange and develop a new mindset, considering my research topic was cross-disciplinary. The Lancaster campus is a stimulating community and the surrounding areas are beautiful and very peaceful. Moreover, I found everyone at Lancaster to be very supportive - which greatly facilitated my integration into this new environment.
It happened to be a much easier and enjoyable experience than anything I expected before arriving at Lancaster. The stimulating research, academic and social environment at Lancaster offered me the opportunity to develop new abilities and meet people from different cultures and intellectual backgrounds, which was great for broadening my horizons.
I am now as Associate Professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.
