Building new identities as researches with a global scope

This case study involves the stories of four PhD candidates with diverse educational, occupational, and cultural backgrounds in one blended PhD program. Their reflections explore the doctoral study experiences within an international research centre that emphasises self-regulated and interdisciplinary community learning as the central strategies. While revealing the unique journey of the full-time and part-time candidates, the story also illustrates their shared experiences regarding benefits and challenges of this type of program design. Through careful analysis, they reflect on how participation in the program impacts candidates’ development and positionality as researchers and practitioners.