Feature
THE PLACE EVERY POSTGRADUATE RESEARCHER NEEDS TO KNOW Starting out as a researcher can be overwhelming and daunting, as well as hugely exciting. There are research methods to understand, presentation and writing skills to acquire, public engagement to plan, and data analysis to develop – not to mention a research project to scope out.
The Doctoral College organises inductions and works with Professional Services and Faculties to provide development activities and workshops on presentation and writing skills, research methods, scoping out a research project, data analysis, public engagement, and the research landscape.
Aline Giordano, Doctoral College Manager, said: “We know how demanding and often solitary doctoral studies can be, so we are keen to facilitate a more compassionate and field-relational type of support for our doctoral researchers, in other words, support that is understanding of their environment.”
The Doctoral College is the go-to place for central support, from training and development, to wellbeing working in conjunction with Student Services. It also works closely with the Faculty Graduate Schools to ensure postgraduate researchers are well supported in all aspects of their studies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way in which this is delivered, explained Chris: “We had to rapidly change the way we do things for PGRs. The move online has relieved some of the constraints we had in terms of training – we’re no longer limited to 30 people in a room, for example. We now have the potential to offer a better range of training and development than we perhaps could have done before.”
The Doctoral College Festival is held every May to celebrate the work of doctoral researchers at Southampton. It includes the opportunity for doctoral students to exhibit their work in research showcases, plus other popular events such as Bake Your PhD, an awards ceremony and the Three Minute Thesis, as well as wellness activities.
Professional development is one of the key aims of the Doctoral College. Professor Chris Howls, Director of the Doctoral College, said: “The success of the research project and the production of the thesis is obviously really important, but it’s also about the development of the individual. It’s not just about producing the next generation of academic researchers. We are aiming also to train highly skilled individuals who can initiate, develop and see a complex project through to its end whether in academia or without.” 28
A new training portal, the PGR Development Hub, launched in November, enabling more cross-disciplinary training and support. Wellbeing is central to the Doctoral College, especially so during the COVID-19 pandemic. A weekly coffee and chat, wellbeing events and online resources all focus on student wellbeing.
“ We’re not just training researchers, we are training highly skilled individuals who can develop and see a project through to its end.” Professor Chris Howls Director of the Doctoral College