Welcome to this fortnight's issue of the Doctoral College Newsletter and it is nearly the start of the 2021/22 academic year. We hope that you managed to have a break over the summer.

In the following sections you will find:

• Returning Students Briefing
• Phising/Scam Emails
• PGR News
• PGR Support Contact Details
• Pre and post interruption changes
• the SU update- Student Rep Elections
• PG Society- Committee Elections 2021/22
• SafePod Launch
• Inkpath Launch
• Researcher Experience Blogs
• Training and Development Programme
• Emotionally Taxing Research Group (ETR)
• Opportunities
• Wellbeing

If you have a news story or an opportunity you would like to advertise in the newsletter please email: doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk.

We will be holding a returning students briefing on Monday 20th September (11:00-12:00). This is a chance for all students to hear from senior management about any updates relating to PGR study as well as a reminder of the support services available. There will also be a Q&A at the end. Please note if you are a new student, this briefing will not be relevant to you as your induction will have covered the things mentioned.

To attend this briefing please click on this link at the time stated above.

We have been made aware of an email going round titled: "Random Hi from Fellow PhD Student :)", we believe this to be a phising or scam email and therefore recommend that you delete and do not reply. IT have a dedicated webpage on what to do should you receive a phising/scam email.

In this email it mentions writing a dissertation for another student, we want to remind you that writing work for another student is Research misconduct which we take very seriously here at the University of Exeter. If you are unsure as what Research Misconduct or Research integrity is, we recommend that you complete the online training on Research Integrity where this is covered.

A huge congratulations to Professor Will Harvey, Associate Dean of Global and Professor of Management, who has been shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Outstanding Research Supervisor!

His PhD students come from a range of countries, and testimonials in support of Professor Harvey’s nomination detail the exceptional academic and pastoral support he has provided over many years.

They describe Professor Harvey as someone who “brings out the best” in students and “encourages and supports his students to do their best in their PhD and in life”.

The feedback shows how he has supported students facing challenging circumstances including prison, family deaths, divorces, clinical depression, redundancy and domestic violence.

From Monday 13th September the PGR hubs will be open.

PGR Student Hub (Streatham campus)

We have a new PGR student hub on the Streatham Campus. Located in the Old Library on the ground floor next to the Quiet Study Space and Bill Douglas centre. Open Monday-Friday 10:00am- 3:00pm.

St Luke's PGR Hub

The St Luke’s PGR Hub is open from 10.00am – 3.00pm Monday to Thursday. Students wishing to access the hub should go to the Info at St Luke’s desk and request PGR support, the PGR team will then be called to see you.

Penryn PGR Support

Until we have a location confirmed for the PGR support team, please email the Penryn Team in order to discuss your query or arrange a face to face meeting with the support team.

New PGR Support Phone Number

We have a new phone number (01392 726295) for all PGR support teams. Phone lines are open 10.00am-3.00pm Monday to Friday and you will be able to select the relevant team for your College or PGR Admin team via the telephone options.

For further informaiton about how to contact the PGR support team, please visit our Contact Us page.

In response to student comments regarding the interruption process we are making improvements to the support arrangements on offer to students about to go on and returning from interruption. The online PGR Handbook has now been updated with additional guidance and support information. Further streamlining of the process will be communicated to students in Term 1.

Do you want to make a positive change to your university experience? Consider getting involved in student representation as a Course Rep or PG Part-Time Officer. You would be trained and supported by the Students’ Union and work alongside the SU and the Doctoral College to action student feedback, implement new ideas and generally create positive change. Nominations are open 20th Sep – 1st Oct and voting is open 4th Oct – 7th Oct. For more details including role descriptions, please visit www.thesu.org.uk/voice/elections or email studentvoice@thesu.org.uk. Thank you!

Nominations open at on Friday 17 September 2021 and closes Wednesday 29th September, for roles within the PG Society (Exeter). The PG society are running a Q&A on their instagram all weekend, so any potential applicants can ask the current team anything.

Roles include:

• President,
• Vice President,
• Treasurer,
• Social Secretary [2 posts]
• Sports officer.

For more information and to vote please see the webpage.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Exeter SafePod. The Pod is a small, prefabricated structure, housed in the St Lukes library, which replicates a traditional safe setting for secure data use. Previously the closest secure setting was Cardiff, so having a SafePod in Exeter will save time and travel.

The SafePod can currently be used to access secure data held by the UK Data Service, the Office for National Statistics and the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank. Examples of research datasets include the National Pupil Database, Covid Infection Survey, or the Patient Episode Database for Wales. Book the SafePod here.

The SafePod Network is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which is part of UK Research and Innovation. SafePod is a registered trademark of the University of St Andrews. For more information about the SPN visit their webpage.

From September we have introduced the use of Inkpath, a booking system designed specifically for researcher training and development programmes.

To attend our Researcher Development Programme you must create an Inkpath account. You will have access to bookable webinars including: software training, academic writing development, working well with your supervisors, careers advice and looking after your wellbeing.

To see a list of upcoming courses, check the Doctoral College Newsletter and Exeter Inkpath webpage for more information.

To learn more about Inkpath and to get started with your account please watch the following introductory content:

• Continuous tutorial video
• Individual section tutorials

Video Passwords: exeterinkpath2021

If you have any questions please email the helpdesk, info@inkpath.co.uk.

Welcome to our Autumn Training and Development Programme and our new booking system, Inkpath!

Our Autumn Training and Development Programme is now online on our new booking system Inkpath. You can access Inkpath through your web browser, and by downloading the Inkpath app. We have the following sessions coming up over the next few weeks:

• Focus on…getting started Q&A panel - 29/09/2021, 2-3.30pm
• Kickstart your research degree with joy, clarity and ease - 29/09/2021, 11am-1pm
• Working with your supervisors -  04/10/2021, 2-3pm
• Project management for researchers - 06/10/2021, 2-3pm
• Your research manifesto: A guide to working with greater clarity and ease - 06/10/2021, 11am-12.30pm
• Confidence and resilience - 07/10/2021, 2-3pm
• Working from home: wellbeing and productivity - 11/10/2021, 11-12.30pm
• Preparing for your viva - 12/10/2021, 2-3pm
• Make no plans: Exploring alternative methods to get work done - 13/10/2021, 11am-12.30pm
• Conducting a literature review: searching, reading and note-taking - 15/10/2021, 2-3pm
• What to do when things go wrong: Using discomfort as a resource - 20/10/2021, 11am-1pm
• Creativity for researchers - 21/10/2021, 10am-1pm
• Conducting a literature review: critiquing, structuring and writing - 22/10/2021, 2-3pm
• How to manage your career - 26/10/2021, 10am-12pm
• Joyful research - 27/10/2021,11am-12.30pm

You can find all these sessions (and more!) on Inkpath under Activities. How to register for Inkpath can be found in the section above.

• Why a PhD is the best thing you will ever do
• New to this? Lessons from PhD year one

The ETR group is a PhD student led group that holds talks and activities relating to conducting sensitive research. This year we will meet monthly, mostly on Zoom, occasionally in-person. To go on the email list, contact Catherine Cartwright cc943@exeter.ac.uk or look out for events publicised in the PGR and ECR newsletters and Twitter.

The first session: Tuesday 12th October 2021 2-3pm

Practicing Emotional Resilience: Learning from being a Helpline volunteer with Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services – a talk by Catherine Cartwright

This year, related to my research, I trained as a Helpline volunteer with Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services (DRCSAS). In response to being exposed to difficult, dark experiences of other people’s lives, I am practicing different ways of emerging back into a lighter/positive frame of mind. In this talk I look at some of these techniques that are helping me and will also support me through conducting my own emotionally-sensitive PhD research.

If this sounds interesting to you, please pop it in your calendar and send an email to cc943@exeter.ac.uk so I can send you a reminder and a Zoom link the week before.

Arts and Cuture Exeter

Would you like to join a free online paper flower workshop on the 28 September 2021, 6pm-8:30pm? Join botanical artist Bee Watson from Wild Hive and graffiti artist Cinna Solar for an evening of paper flower making and discussion around creativity, intersectionality and wellbeing! All materials provided. Completely free of charge to attend. Please register by 10am on 21 September 2021.

Call for editors - Exclamat!on

Exclamat!on are now recruiting for editors in English, Film and Creative Writing! If you’d like to work with them, please send any questions along with an expression of interest and details of your course to exclamation@exeter.ac.uk by 1 October 2021. Interviews will be conducted within the following two weeks.

UKRI Policy Internships

The UKRI Policy Internships Scheme for 2020/21 is now open! The scheme provides the opportunity for doctoral students funded by the Research Councils of UKRI to work for three months in one of a selected group of highly influential policy organisations. The closing date for applications is 4:00pm, 4 October 2021. Read the full information here.

Venice International University

Call for proposals for Summer Sessions in 2022 is now open! The event will run 1 August – 26 August 2022.
The opportunity is open to professors of all disciplines. Sessions must be suitable and open to BA and MA students and must take into consideration that VIU students come from different cultural backgrounds (with about 20 nationalities represented in a semester) and from different academic traditions. Professors may consider team teaching solutions, either with colleagues from their own university, or in other VIU member universities. For more information please contact Stuart Westhead s.westhead@exeter.ac.uk, closing date for applications will be Friday 8 October. Deadline: 20 October 2021

Policy Engagement for Researchers

Policy@Exeter in partnership with Sense about Science are running an exclusive policy engagement workshop for University of Exeter Researchers.

Find out how to make your voice heard in policy discussions: meet researchers who have engaged with the media or policymakers, learn from respected science journalists, find out how researchers can inform policy and get hints and tips from communications experts. The day is structured as a series of chaired panel sessions with researchers, journalists and MPs.

When? 10 November, 9:30am-1:00pm. For more information and to register your interest in attending, please register via the event webpage.

Education Incubator Project

Do you want to be transformed into a global citizen through cross-cultural communication with peers and cultural knowledge? For more information please contact COSMOS Project Lead Angela Christidis, A.C.Christidis@exeter.ac.uk.

Every Mind Matters

Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. The NHS have expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. See their website here. 
Top tips to improve your mental wellbeing.

Spectrum.Life

Sprectrum.Life provides a confidential telephone, video, and live chat counselling service to help with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, bereavement and more.

Wellbeing Centre

If you would like to speak to our PGR Support Advisor for Welfare, Cathryn Baker can be contacted at: welfare.pgr@exeter.ac.uk or tel: 01392 726207. Further wellbeing information, tools and support can be found on our wellbeing webpages.

@UoEWellbeing

Remember we are currently not in the office however you can still contact us via email or via a Teams appointment. Full details on how to get in touch with your PGR support team, please see our enquiries webpage.

For enquries surrounding training and development please contact the team on: doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk.

To view previous versions of the newsletter you can do so here.