Welcome to this fortnight's issue of the Doctoral College Newsletter. In the following sections you will find:

• Inkpath Access Ending: Action for PGRs- Deadline 30th June 2023
• Cumulative Absence: Applications due by 30th June 2023
• LTHE Registration Open!
• PGR Shut Up and Write Group
• Training and Development
• 1-2-1 Careers Appointments
• Opportunities
• Wellbeing
• Enquiries

If you have a news story or an opportunity you would like to advertise in the next newsletter (10 July), please email: doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk by Wednesday 5 July.

We will soon be moving to a new learning event booking system. Access to the InkPath system will end this Friday (30th June 2023).  

Action you need to take:

Please download your training record from InkPath before Friday 30th June 2023.

To do this, log into Inkpath and go to My Activities, then press Export Activity. This will export an xlsx document containing all your activities, including detailed information about the activity, completion status and completion date.

Any bookings you have made for events taking place in July will remain booked but any changes you make to your booking after 30th June will need to be by email to researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

Further information on our new learning event booking system will be sent out in the next few weeks.

The PGR Student Absence Policy allows PGRs who have taken short absences (less than one month) for medical reasons to request ‘cumulative absence’ by way of a programme extension. 

A cumulative absence may be requested when a student has had multiple short-term absences (not recorded as interruptions) which total a month or more* in duration and are supported by medical evidence or an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). The period of study will be extended by the equivalent duration. Funding may be extended for any absences taken for medical reasons during the funding period (further details about eligibility for funding extensions).

We are asking PGRs to submit their requests for an extension due to cumulative short-term absences by 30th June 2023. To qualify, you need to meet the following criteria:
•         All short-term absences recorded in the PGR Personal Absence Certificate  
•         All absences must be supported by medical evidence or an ILP which supports absence from study.
•         The total of the absences should amount to a minimum of one month or more*. Students whose absences do not add to a total of one month at the time of application will have their cumulative absences rolled over to the next academic year*. 
(*) If your period of study will end before 31 May 2024, you may apply for an extension shorter than one month, but you need to make this clear in the application.

To apply, you will need to send the following information to your PGR Support Team by 30th June 2023:
•         The subject of the email should be “First Name, SURNAME, Student Number – Cumulative Absence Request”
•         Total duration of sickness recorded in the PGR Personal Absence Certificate and not already mitigated by interruption 
•         An email from your supervisor confirming that they are aware of and support your request
•         Details of funding 
•         Current completion deadline

If you have any questions, please contact your PGR Support Team who will be happy to help.

Registration for the September LTHE assessment deadline is now open for those who have completed LTHE and would like to pursue Associate Fellowship of Advance HE/ASPIRE and an Advanced Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education; make sure to check the eligibility criteria carefully first on the LTHE Sharepoint Site.

If you have any queries, please email lthe@exeter.ac.uk.

Did you know that we have a daily online writing group run by PGRs for PGRs?

The Exeter Shut Up and Write group runs 365 days a year, 8am-10.30pm each day. Some sessions are facilitated, and some are not.

Always keen to have new people join us – everyone is welcome!

If you would like to join Shut Up and Write, join the Teams group or email Jo Sutherst.

The below sessions are now bookable via Inkpath. Please carefully check the delivery mode of your session as some of our new sessions are in-person only.

You can access Inkpath through your web browser, and by downloading the Inkpath app.

• Questionnaire: a very basic introduction – 27/06/2023, 14:30-16:00
• Writing journal articles – 11/07/2023, 14:00-15:00

Please note all of our events have limited spaces; if you cannot attend, kindly remove your booking.

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

You can find all of our sessions on Inkpath under 'Activities.' If you have any technical questions/difficulties using Inkpath please email the helpdesk, info@inkpath.co.uk. If you have any questions about the training programme please contact ResearcherDevelopment@exeter.ac.uk

You can also find presentation slides and recordings of some of our previous courses on ELE.

1-2-1 careers appointments with our dedicated PGR careers coach, Kenneth Howgill, are available to book throughout the Summer term on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week. Kenneth is a qualified and experienced career coach, lecturer and learning and development professional with over 20 years’ experience within the corporate sector, universities, further and adult education. He has held management roles in the public, corporate and not for profit sectors, leading professional development, coaching programmes, and recruiting graduates. Kenneth is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and holds a business degree, a master's in music and a professional career coaching qualification.

All appointments are 50 minutes long and can be booked via Inkpath.

Event on Thursday 29th June: GW4 Roundtable: Careers in creative communities

The event, which will take place on Thursday 29th June, 12.30 to 14:00 via Zoom, is open to researchers interested in utilising their research and creative skills to enhance and develop social and cultural communities. It will provide a unique opportunity to hear from a panel of experts about their career journeys and gain a deeper insight into the various opportunities available for researchers within this sector.

Panelists:
• Dr. Furaha Asani - Research Lead, Watershed: Pervasive Media Studio (PhD Bioscience)
• Dr. Tim Banks - Research and Engagement Manager, Carers Trust (PhD Social Science)
• Professor Sara Pepper (OBE) - Director of Creative Economy, Cardiff University (Masters Theatre Performance)
• Dr. Aby Sankaran - MyWorld Impact and Evaluation Manager, University of Bristol (PhD Engineering)

Book here to receive the Zoom link.

Event on Monday 3rd July- Amplifying Impact in Inclusive Research Culture in HASS

Olabisi Obamakin (3rd year PhD Student in Theology & Religion) is curating this event on Monday 3rd July 10-4 in Reed Hall- and you are all invited! She is the only HASS scholar on the 100 Black Professors Now Scheme, and this event will allow us to hear more about her and other WHEN scholars' experiences of the scheme, but also more importantly give staff and students an opportunity to collectively think about how insights from the scheme can be adopted and adapted within our own research cultures.

Free lunch and refreshments! Sign up and view the agenda for the day via EventBrite​. For more information please contact Olabisi Obamakin or Shraddha Chaudhary (Shades) (Associate Director, Culture and Inclusion)

Kindly sponsored by Research England's institutional award for enhancing research culture.

Event on Thursday 13th July- Climate Walk

For all staff working on climate science, policy and environmental research, please feel free to join a Climate Walk to explore your thoughts and feelings about the climate and ecological emergency in a welcoming, open and confidential setting.

To join a Climate Walk please book your place via this form. The meeting spot is the XFI Atrium in the Business School. The next walk will take place on Thursday 13 July, from 1pm to 2pm. Walk facilitators are trained by Climate Psychology Alliance. You are welcome to bring your lunch and a drink. For further information, please contact infoGSI@exeter.ac.uk.

Deadline Friday 21st July-  Anglo-Thai Education Awards 2023

The Awards have been in existence for many years with the key focus on recognising and rewarding talented students.

• Open to ALL nationalities studying PhD in UK
• Up to £1,000 per award available
• Demonstrate how YOUR research could benefit Thailand
• ALL research areas considered e.g. sciences, humanities etc
• Application deadline on 21 July 2023
• Winners announced on 30 September 2023
• Presentation ceremony in London on 10 November 2023
• Full details and application form on ATS website. 

Deadline: Friday 21st July

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
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, 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.

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 10.00am – 3.00pm 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 10.00am – 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.

The Penryn PGR Support Office is open from 10.00am – 2.00pm Monday to Friday and 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: doctoral.college@exeter.ac.uk.

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