No images? Click here Coventry University Doctoral College & Centre for Research Capability and Development PGR Newsletter Tuesday 12 April 2022If you would prefer to read the PDF version this can be found HERE New & Featured This Week 1. PGR Celebration Spotlight: Charity Cycle 2. Virtual Heats: 3MT 3. DCAD Keynote: James Hayton 4. Nominate your Research Rep for an Award! 5. Call for Contributions: Centre for Postdigital Culture 6. Discussion Groups: UKRI’s ‘New Deal for PGRs’ 7. Writing for Research Themed Week 8. International Doctoral Researchers: Photovoice Webinars
New & Featured This Week 1. PGR Celebration Spotlight: Charity Cycle Last week, a group of PGRs from CSELS organised a charity cycle to complete the equivalent of Coventry to Kyiv in just 5-days to raise money for The British Red Cross: Ukraine Crisis Appeal. On the WattBikes in the sport science lab, students and staff completed the 1624.6 miles. Including the outside rides submitted with Strava, a total distance of 1911.3 miles was covered (290 miles over the target). They also surpassed their fundraising target of £1,624.60 to raise over £1,800. Thank you to everyone that took part on bikes or with donations. It was lovely to see people of many different backgrounds join together to support those who need it. Special mention to Adam, Sharn and Ayesha for putting in the hours alongside their studies and work to make the event happen! 2. Virtual Heats: 3-Minute Thesis Competition 2022, 12 & 14 April Online Format A selection of doctoral researchers applied and have been selected to compete in the 3MT competition heats. They have 3 minutes each, to talk about their research in front of an interdisciplinary panel of judges. The finalists of each heat will go head to head at the 3MT grand finale Taking Part in Heat 2 on Thursday 14 April 2022 @ 14:00 – 15:30 Attend the 3MT Grand Finale! In-person Format @ DCAD The 3MT grand finale will take place at the Doctoral Capability and Development Conference on Wednesday 27th April. You can attend the in-person live airing of the finalist presentations by registering to attend the conference. The winners will be announced at the closing of the poster presentation session in the PM of the 27th April. 3. DCAD22: Join us for our Keynote James Hayton, Tues 26 April @ 10:00, Techno Centre The challenges of interdisciplinary research and collaboration (and how to manage them) Doing a PhD in a single field is hard enough, but interdisciplinary and collaborative research comes with extra challenges. These can include having to quickly learn new skills or knowledge outside your comfort zone, as well as managing communication and expectations between different partners or departments. On top of these practical issues, there's also the common feeling of being an impostor in another field. In this session, James Hayton will talk through some of these challenges and practical ways of managing them. Formerly a physicist, James used to work in nanoscience before moving on to bigger things. Since 2010 he's coached hundreds of PhD students in academic writing and general PhD project management skills. 4. Nominate your Research Rep for an Award! We're excited to announce that CUSU will hold it's first Rep Awards later this month and we want to celebrate the great work that our Research Reps have done throughout the year. In order to decide a winner, we're asking for PhD students to nominate Research Reps who they think have had a positive impact on the student experience. Nominations are open until midday on 14th April with the awards ceremony taking place on 21st April between 17:00 - 20:30 for those who are shortlisted for the award. (We appreciate this is a tight turn around) 5. Call for Contributions: Centre for Postdigital Cultures, 30 April 2022 6. Discussion Groups: UKRI’s ‘New Deal for PGRs’ The Doctoral College & Centre for Researcher Capability is hosting a number of discussion sessions in invite your input into the UKRI Consultation on the New Deal for PGR. We are keen to hear from as many staff and PGRs from across the research community to inform the University’s response to help shape the landscape and policy for future PGR and their careers. Further information on the New Deal for PGR can be found here If you would like to send comments on the consultation separately please send them to Carolyn.Wynne@coventry.ac.uk by Monday 9th May 2022. 7. Writing for Research Themed Week, Mon 16 – Fri 20 May 2022 Online Being familiar with the rules and conventions of writing for research is essential for producing a solid project in any discipline. Knowing how to put these into practice in order to communicate your own research findings and ideas is another crucial step in achieving high-quality work and completing your degree successfully. During the themed week, we at the Centre for Academic Writing will work with you on these academic writing “tricks of the trade” for you to achieve your greatest potential as a researcher and academic writer. And if you cannot wait until the themed week, then why not book in a one-to-one session with the academic tutors from CAW, who specialise in supporting research students? You can reach us at https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome 8. International Doctoral Researchers: Photovoice Webinars Are you an international doctoral researcher? In your first 12 months of your programme? Would you like to share your experience? As part of her PhD research, Jennifer McNally (PhD candidate in Global Education) is exploring the experience of international doctoral researchers at the start of their research programme and would like to know more about how these experience influence your well-being. Photovoice Webinar Please feel free to contact Jennifer with any questions on: mcnally7@uni.coventry.ac.uk Upcoming Research Events Join us at an upcoming research event taking place over the coming months Learn more & sign-up to the upcoming events HERE Outstanding Research Supervisory Team Award @ DCAD, 26 April PGR Social @ DCAD, 26 April 6-8pm PGR of the Year Competition, Wed 27 April, 11AM Join us @ DCAD 2022, 26-27 April Campus Sessions All Cov Uni PGRs and staff are invited to join us @ the Techno Centre, Coventry Campus Participants, abstracts and presentation stream allocations will be advertised soon Join in the conversation on Twitter: #CovUniDCAD @CU_ReCap Keynote Speaker: James Hayton, Full-time PhD coach since 2010 and author of “PhD; an uncommon guide to research, writing and PhD li Transdisciplinary research: connect & engage in discussions across research centres PGR Presenters: support by attending PGR presentations & the official poster session Supervisors: all supervisors & staff are invited to support their PGRs PGR Community: connect with members of your PGR community Development hours: attendance contributes to PGR development hours Crafting Careers as Early Career Academics, 11 May 10am - 6:30pm Workshop at De Montford University The series aims to provide insights into the academic journey that lies ahead of them. Be that into research considering funding applications, choosing a suitable journal, collaborations and writing from the PhD thesis, or into lecturing relating to pedagogical methods, authentic assessment and teaching within the changing world of HE; amongst others. UKRI Survey: New Deal For PGRs The New Deal for Postgraduate Research (“the New Deal”) is a long-term piece of work that aims to improve the experience and quality of postgraduate research training in the UK. In this engagement exercise, they are focusing primarily on doctoral training (for example, working towards a PhD), but do welcome comments on other research-focused training and qualifications. PGR Survey: Sustainable Fashion Research is being conducted by Tiphaine de Valon to investigate the relationship between consumers' behaviors towards fast-fashion and the integration of their knowledge to create value-in-use. If you are a young adult between 18 and 29 years old, with European citizenship, you can help us to better understand the behaviors of young consumers regarding sustainable fashion and how their strengths can be used by fast-fashion companies to adapt their strategies in a more environmentally responsible way. PGR Survey: Well-being Are you a current postgraduate researcher or PhD student at Coventry University? … Yes Join in these creative workshops and take part in a range of fun activities to help co-create a holistic digital self-care intervention to promote positive well-being for PGRs. The workshops will run starting March/April 2022 so book your place soon Email Natalie: bisaln@uni.coventry.ac.uk if you want to find out more or to sign up to be involved Opinion Poll: Graduation Ceremonies While it might seem like a part of your PGR journey that is a distant, future goal, it is one that hopefully all of you will get to enjoy! Coventry University Student's Union (CUSU) would like to find out more about the expectations PGRs have for their graduation ceremony. They will also be reaching out to alumni about their experiences of the ceremony. Upcoming Workshops & Events All of our events and workshops are advertised on the RECAP calendar. Productivity Days - April Dates Online Format The Productivity Day is a chance to check-in to set goals for the day and then meet again at lunch and the end of the day to see how things have progressed. It is very informal and a chance to keep one another motivated in your research journey. Various dates throughout April. It would be great to have you join us! ‘Dr Who? Let’s talk about…’ Webinar Series Online Sessions Doing a research degree is hard work. You need to stay motivated and are often working in isolation. We hope attending ‘Dr Who’ discussion meetings will help you to: • feel more confident and positive Each webinar will focus around a different theme RECAP Research Methods Workshop Series Online Format This RECAP Research Methods Workshop Series offers workshops on generic research methods topics applicable to different disciplines. Click on individual topics below for details, dates & sign-up. Acting Intuitively Workshop, Wednesday 17 May, 14.00-17.00 Acting intuitively is a new somatic approach to acting which aims to develop your intuition as an embodied process and state. The method equips you to access and engage your feelings and emotions, and to feel empowered in your decision-making during training, rehearsals, and performances. This workshop specifically is designed as an introduction to the method and as such, offers an inclusive approach to any performer working somatically, or hoping to work more somatically. Performers at all stages of training are encouraged to apply. Preparing for your Viva Online Q&A, 26 May, 10:30 AM Online Session A step-by-step guide of what to expect on the day including: What do examiners look for? What types of questions do you get asked in the viva? An overview of the outcomes and next steps. We have a number of online courses and resources for preparing for progress review and viva in CU Moodle>RECAP SIGMA, the University’s Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Mathematics and Statistics regularly organises workshops aimed at PGRs and Staff. The aim of this programme is to offer support in designing survey or experimental research, designing questionnaire, planning of data collection and choosing appropriate techniques for analysing data. Click below for the latest offers from SIGMA. If you are having problems booking online contact please email: sigma_staff@coventry.ac.uk Places are limited and a waiting list will operate if oversubscribed. PGR Development Programme, 2021/22 Please browse the PGR Development Programme and add any dates of interest to your diary. Some sessions are available to RSVP to now. The PGR Development Programme calendar has a mixture of online and in-person events, so please check the event information carefully. Designed to support you at all stages of your research degree. The programme is organised into five strands: Academic Writing PGR Wellbeing Support Click the image to be linked to the appropriate group Opinions and views expressed in the virtual PGR forums created by members of the Coventry University PGR Community do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Coventry University From Sunday 5 September, a clinic will be operating at our Coventry campus. This facility will offer first or second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to staff and students who are yet to receive them. Dates, times and locations of other COVID-19 vaccination centres, convenient to our campus locations, can be found HERE Other PGR Support & Resources Ask DC & RECAP Drop-ins Online Format Do you have a question for the Doctoral College? Our next drop-in session is Weds 30th March between 9am and 10am Processes? RDDA? Researcher Development Activity? Supervision query? Anything else you’d like to have a chat to us about? The DC & ReCap are running a fortnightly online drop-in session for any PGR or Staff who has a question to ask us. We’ll do our best to answer your questions! There is no need to sign up, just click the joining link below to drop-in and Ask DC! Ethics Drop-in Sessions (Various Virtual Sessions) Dates available: Thursday 28 April 2022, 11:00-12:00 The Research Ethics and Integrity team have arranged monthly drop-in sessions for PGR students who may have queries about the ethics process or online system. If you would like to attend any of the dates listed then please contact ethics.uni@coventry.ac.uk to receive the Zoom link. Alternatively, you can contact the Research Ethics and Integrity team at any time if you have any queries, via the e-mail above. Research Café Archive Research cafés are intended to provide a relaxed, open forum for discussion & provide a forum for PGRs from different academic disciplines to meet (in this case virtually!) and discuss the progress of their work. Follow the link if you would like to be a presenter or join the audience. Turing Scheme The Global Mobility Team is happy to announce that the Turing Scheme applications are now open. We have been awarded a substantial amount of funding from the Turing Scheme to support more than 1,500 overseas study and work placements this academic year. What does the Turing scheme offer? The funding provides grants to students, so you can take an approved study or work placement abroad*. To be eligible, your international study or work placement must last for a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of 12 months. * Make sure you are familiar with all relevant Covid-19 related travel guidance before and during any trips. To find out more details about the scheme, visit the Turing Student Portal page where you can find the application links, find times to attend a drop-in session or book an appointment via Talent Connect to talk to the Global Mobility team for study placements and the International Internship Team for work placements abroad. You are welcome to visit us at the Doctoral College and will find us on the 1st floor of the Elm Bank building. PGR Lifecycle Contact Details A list of staff and contact phone numbers are available on the Doctoral College Portal Pages and you can email us on pgrlifecycle@coventry.ac.uk If you need to contact us, our office hours are 10:00 to 12:00am and 2:00 to 4:00pm Monday to Friday. CUSU Leadership Award The CUSU Leadership Award applications are open for term 2, this award recognises your involvement with extra-curricular activities such as being a rep, volunteer, mentor or part of a sport/society, plus much more! This is an award you can display in a digital format to potential employers and can help make you a stand out candidate. Through the link below you can find out more about the award, how to apply and there are workshops available to attend where you can be shown how to apply and ask any questions they may have. The Students’ Union Advice Centre (SUAC) A free, independent and confidential service for all students. We give advice and support, and provide representation when necessary, on a wide range of problems including housing, consumer law, cheating and plagiarism, internal disciplinary and complaints. If we cannot provide the help you need we will refer you to an agency that specialises in your inquiry. Wellbeing Community Project (partnership with NHS Charities Together & UHCW Charity) CUSU are offering students the opportunity to create their own fully-funded wellbeing and peer support projects. Any Coventry University or Warwick University student living in the Coventry and Warwickshire area can apply. Applications are welcome throughout the year but will be assessed and workshopped through one of the four application rounds Specialist Career Consultation for PGRs Coventry University's Talent Team in conjunction with RECAP offers specialist consultation for PGRs Whether your desired career is in academia or elsewhere in industry, or if you are simply looking for support with a CV or application, we are committed to the provision of bespoke careers guidance, advice and information to enhance your career decision making and aid employment transition. For virtual/telephone appointments, contact Mark Adams directly: ab4397@coventry.ac.uk Centre for Academic Writing (CAW) An innovative teaching and research centre whose mission is to enable students at Coventry University to become independent writers, and to equip academic staff in all disciplines to achieve their full potential as authors and teachers of scholarly writing. They offer: • One to One Support Open Access Funding Support The University Open Access Publishing Fund is available to all researchers, staff and PGRs, who are aligned to Research Institutes and Centres at Coventry University. It can be accessed to cover the costs associated with immediate (gold) open access to research outputs only. Associated costs such as page or colour charges will not be covered by this fund. The Doctoral College & Centre for Research Capability and Development would like to celebrate your hard work and invite you to share your recent publications with us. If you have a book, paper, article or anything else that you would like to share, we want to know about it. Submissions will be shared on the RECAP website. Do you have a recent publication you would like to share? PGR Annual Research Allowance PGRs are entitled to receive a minimum of £250 per year (FT) or £150 per year (PT) to use for equipment and materials Dr.App contains videos covering everything from working with supervisors and preparing for the viva examination to coping with stress and mental health challenges, from research impact to networking skills. Dr.App includes videos to support research students in all disciplines, and the staff supervising them. More than 8 hours of videos are organised into topics for easy reference, and the producers are keen to hear your suggestions for new content. Dr App Video Support Do you have any Upcoming Events you want to tell the PGR Community about? If so, we would love to hear from you! Please send us details of events you would like us to share to recap@coventry.ac.uk |