Welcome to the Doctoral College Newsletter - your fortnightly update for events, opportunities and news specifically relevant to postgraduate researchers.

The newsletter will be on a break during August but before we go, here are just some of the highlights this week:

• Developing Business Aware Academics (DBAA) project are running an industry-research networking event; check your eligibility in the Events section
• Check out your research journey in a visual timeline from Full time MPhil to PhD; head to the Reminders section

To find out more about these, and everything else at the University for PGRs, jump to the relevant sections using our linked contents list:

Events

External Opportunities

Reminders

Community

Careers Support

Wellbeing Support and Sessions

Enquiries

The next Doctoral College newsletter will go out in September 2026. In the meantime, we wish you a great summer.

Don't forget, you can continue to share your news and events on PGR Community Hub on Viva Engage, or on our Bluesky account.

The place to look for training and development opportunities at the University and beyond is our Postgraduate Researcher Training and Development Bulletin.

• Date: Friday 25 September 2026
• Time: 10.00 to 13.30
• Location: University of Exeter Business School, Creative Quadrant

The Research England funded Developing Business Aware Academics (DBAA) project is partnering with Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) teams from institutions across the UK to deliver this research-industry event. This is an opportunity for PhD students and early-career researchers to meet business professionals who are actively seeking research-informed solutions to address industry challenges.

We are seeking expressions of interest from researchers with expertise in the following areas:
• Sustainable practice
• Leadership and culture
• Marketing
• Digital transformation
• Business strategy

The event will combine short presentations, facilitated networking and interactive discussions designed to spark new ideas and connections.

Participation is free, travel costs will be covered, and lunch is included alongside cakes from the Exploding Bakery.

Find full details of the event and how to sign up on their website

Places are limited and will be assigned according to areas of expertise.

Venue: Online

Date: Saturday 26 September 2026

Time: 9.00-15.40 (British Summer Time (BST))

We are delighted to invite you to participate for free in the International Postgraduate Conference on Psychoanalytically Informed Trainings: Innovation, Inclusion, and Integrity, organised by the University of Exeter's Doctorate of Psychodynamic & Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice Programme.

The conference includes presentations; interactive discussions; CPD Certificate for attendees and live musical performance.

Please note that the conference will not be recorded.

Registration via this form.

For more information about the conference, please visit our conference website.

If you have any questions, please contact ak1062@exeter.ac.uk and m.bolognani@exeter.ac.uk

Image copyright: Dr Marta Bolognani

Deadline for registration: Friday 18 September 2026 at 11.59 p.m. (British Summer Time (BST)).

Royal Comission for the Exhibition of 1851 are offering Industrial Fellowships enable talented researchers to bring bold ideas to life through powerful academic–industry collaboration. Industrial Fellows generate projects that deliver measurable impact—new technologies, strengthened industry partnerships, and high-value research outputs.

Each Fellowship builds a strategic bridge between university research strengths and industrial needs, supporting long-term partnerships and future funding routes.

They are looking for motivated graduates in engineering, science, design or technology who have the vision—and industry backing—to turn cutting-edge research into real-world outcomes.

For more information and eligiblity criteria, check out their website.

The Dean of the Doctoral College, Professor Stacey Hynd, and the PGR Support Team are pleased to launch a PGR timeline, designed as a visual checklist to signpost and support you from your first day up until your graduation, using the key milestones you will have. The timeline can be found here, pictured in the screenshot below.

If you have any questions about the timeline, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your PGR Support Team.

Interested in learning some top tools and techniques to manage your research project? Then why not apply for a place on one of the two full-day intense and compact training happening in September 2026? Designed specifically for Year 2 PGRs and above, and delivered by Fistral Training, the course will provide a high-level overview of key Project Management techniques and concepts. You will gain an introduction to the process of managing projects and the tools to assist in planning and tracking progress and the course is intended to be immediately applicable to planning and managing academic and research projects as well as commercial projects.

Places are extremely limited (20 people maximum) for each course, so please ensure that you are able to commit to attending the full session when you apply.

Course dates and times:
• In person: Streatham Campus: Tuesday 23 September 2026, 09.30-16.30
• Online via Zoom: Wednesday 24 September 2026, 09.30-16.30

Please note that the same content will be delivered on both days and you will only be able to attend one session if you are successful in securing a place.

Application closing date is 12 noon on Friday 7 August. Places will be confirmed by Friday 14 August. Please apply online using this MS Form.

Date: Thursday 8 October 2026
Time: 11.00-14.00
Location: Mastek UK Head Office and Green Park conference centre, Reading

The Developing Business Aware Academics (DBAA) project is partnering with Mastek, a leading digital engineering company, to host a researcher workplace visit and networking opportunity on Thursday 8 October, at the Mastek UK Head Office in Reading.

The event is free, open to researchers and PhD students with relevant interests, lunch is included and travel costs for attending researchers will be covered.

The development of digital health identity will be explored via discussion on:

• Future directions for UK health policy 
• Healthcare law and regulation - boundaries for implementation and compliance across organisations
• Clinician and patient perspectives - trust and sensitivities
• International precedents for digital health identities and lessons from other sectors

Attending researchers will have the chance to :

· Align their research with industry needs
· Discuss their ideas with Mastek employees
· Lay the foundations for future collaboration

The PGR Community Hub is a collaborative online space for Postgraduate Researchers at the University of Exeter. Posts can be uploaded by PGRs, The Exeter Students' Guild or The Falmouth and Exeter Students' Union, alongside teams that support PGRs such as the Researcher Development and Research Culture Team. Please use this space to discuss ideas, share best practice, ask questions and keep up to date with the latest activities, events and opportunities. Here you can have your voice heard and shape our community and research culture.

Please do not use this channel to advertise/search for rooms to rent; the University has its own Viva Engage channel where you can do this.

Join fellow PGRs in this online space, led by PGRs for PGRs to focus individually on whatever tasks you would like to work on. You can join the PGR Study Space Microsoft Teams Group here.

The PGR Study Space facilitated hours are as and when facilitators are available.

There are unfacilitated sessions outside of these hours so you can fit it around your working patterns.

If you have any queries, please contact PGRStudySpace@exeter.ac.uk. 

The Exeter Wellbeing Network is a social group for staff and PGRs run by volunteers, hosting a variety of events to help colleagues based at Streatham, St. Luke's or online to connect with one another. Recurring events include StaffCraft, singing, Walk and Talk and Fika; find the full list on our webpage.

You can also contact us at wellbeing-network@exeter.ac.uk.

If you are looking for information about activities at Penryn, Falmouth and Truro, please visit the Cornwall Wellbeing Network webpage.

There are a wide range of societies and/or groups that you may like to join, such as the Mature Students Society and the PG Society (Exeter).

Check out the Doctoral College Networks webpage for full information. Don't forget to also take a look at the societies on offer at Exeter Students' Guild and Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union websites, which include a society for international students as well as various sports and interests.

The University has some excellent resources to help with careers. Whether you plan to work in industry, set up your own business, join the third sector, stay in academia, or are not yet sure and want to explore your options, you can find guidance and helpful pointers using these resources:

• PGR Career Planning Guide - a dedicated website to support your career development. This resource provides in-depth information and practical guidance specifically tailored towards postgraduate researchers whether you are thinking about working in academia, industry, self-employment or research.
• Career Zone- much of the online content is open to all current Exeter students, including PGRs
• PGR Training & Development Resources SharePoint- contains presentation slides from past training sessions. For career skills, check out the Personal Effectiveness section
• PGR Training and Development Bulletin- find out what courses and opportunities are happening at the University in this monthly newsletter, which all PGRs are signed up to
• Upcoming training courses- our training programme is available to book now

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.

 

Spectrum.Life
Spectrum.Life provides a confidential telephone, video, and live chat counselling service to help with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, bereavement and more  (sign up using your University of Exeter email address).. The Spectrum Life web portal offers wellbeing courses, mindfulness, healthy eating resources and online fitness classes to help you to stay well.

Wellbeing Centre
If you would like to speak to PGR Education Welfare Team for Welfare, they 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.

Mindfulness is a powerful practice of training our attention and an evidence-based way to tackle anxiety, stress and low mood. If you’re interested in exploring more, there is a variety of free internal options available for all colleagues.

Sessions from the internal Mood Disorders Centre mindfulness team include: an eight-week MBCT-L course (2hrs weekly), an eight-week ‘deeper mindfulness’ course for those who’ve completed the MBCT-L course and bespoke ‘healthy mind’ sessions for whole teams, which can be delivered in-person or online.

You may also be interested in trying mindful meditation in 30 min online sessions each Thursday lunchtime. This is a secular practice run by the Chaplaincy.

Details on how you can contact the PGR support team, either via email, telephone or face to face via our hubs (located on all campuses) is available on our contact us webpage.

Remember you can come along and meet the team or to ask any enquiries you might have at either of our helpdesk hubs below at any of our campuses:

The Streatham PGR Hub is open from 10.00 – 15.00 Monday to Friday. The Streatham Hub is situated in the Old Library Ground Floor next to the Quiet Study Space and Bill Douglas Centre.

The St Luke’s PGR Hub is open from 10.00 – 15.00 on a Monday and a 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.

The Penryn PGR Support Office is open from 10.00 – 14.00 Monday to Friday. It is based in the Postgraduate Suite in Daphne Du Maurier building 3 (next to the SU and opposite the Stannary).

For enquiries surrounding training and development, please contact the team on: ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk

You can view previous versions of the newsletter here.