A monthly newsletter keeping our HDR community informed and connected.

H D R   I N   F O C U S 

Mindfulness is being present and engaged in each moment of our lives. It is something that we can all learn, and research shows that it improves wellbeing and academic performance. This innovative program run by the Flinders Counselling Service consists of five 60-minute sessions in person over five weeks. You will learn to use mindfulness to:

• reduce stress and anxiety
• improve focus
• stop procrastinating
• communicate effectively

Programs being held Online starting Wed 8 October 9:30am-10:30am. For more info and to register please click here.

W E L C O M E 

Introducing our new higher degree by research students who started this semester. We welcome you into the Flinders HDR community and look forward to following your journey.

R E C E N T L Y   C O M P L E T E D   S T U D E N T S  

Congratulations to the students who completed in the last month. The University recognises that a higher degree by research represents a considerable achievement, reflecting hard work and a high level of commitment and dedication. Congratulations on your outstanding accomplishment! 

W H A T ' S   N E W 

Student System Outage - 16 - 20 October

Please be aware that the Student System will be unavailable from 5pm Thursday 16 October, to 10am Monday 20 October 2025 while enhancements are made.  If you have a system enquiry, or need help during the outage, you can access support in person, online, or via phone.  

Friday, 9am to 5pm - In person: at Flinders Connect  | Online: submit a support request at Ask Flinders | Phone: 1300 354 633 

8am to 6pm - In person at City Campus Services 

Saturday & Sunday, 9am to 5pm - Online: submit a support request at Ask Flinders 

More information students.flinders.edu.au/student-system 

Reminder - University Council – Election of Student Members

Nominations are invited for the election of one undergraduate student member and one postgraduate student member of the University Council. The Council is the governing body of the University and plays a crucial role in strategic planning and oversight, and the ongoing monitoring and review of the University’s operation. Nomination forms and information on the nomination process will be emailed via BigPulse to eligible students. 

Nominations are still open until 12pm on Friday 10 October.  

An election (20-24 Oct) will be conducted if there are more nominations than positions available. Enquiries should be directed to the Council Secretary at elections@flinders.edu.au

In Conversation: Open Access, AI, & Who Owns Our Knowledge? 

Flinders University Library invites all HDR students and supervisors to a thought-provoking event exploring the intersection of Open Access and artificial intelligence. As part of Open Access Week 2025, we’ll unpack this year’s theme — Who Owns Our Knowledge? — and examine how AI is reshaping the way research is created, shared, and controlled. Expect engaging discussion, themed morning tea, 3D printed door prizes, and time to connect. 

Guided by Library Director Prashant Pandey and MC’d by Associate Library Director Liz Hall, our panel features: 

• Dr Matthew Stephenson (College of Science & Engineering)
• Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker (College of Science & Engineering) 
• Mr Tom Upitis (Digital Innovation and AI) 

Expect engaging discussion, themed morning tea, 3D printed door prizes, and time to connect. 

📅 Thursday 23 October, 10–11:30am 
📍 Alere North, The Hub Level 2, Bedford Park (or live-stream the event) 

December Graduation - Critical Dates

For students who have received their results in Inspire and are aiming to attend a December Graduation ceremony, please take note of the following key dates.

5 Nov 2025                   Final day for students to upload thesis amendments into Inspire
11 Nov 2025                 Final day for supervisors to approve thesis amendments in Inspire
18 Nov 2025                 Final day for HDRCs to approve thesis amendments in Inspire
25 -28 Nov 2025          Dean of Graduate Research to approve thesis amendments in Inspire

Students should upload their thesis to the Library via FLEX as soon as possible after thesis amendments are approved by the Dean of Graduate Research.

5 Dec 2025                     Final day to complete students in Student Management System in time for final conferral. Students not completed by this date will not be able to attend.
11 Dec 2025                   Final day for library approval of final thesis upload and sanction removed for students to receive documents at the ceremony.
17-18 Dec 2025           Graduation Ceremonies

M I N D   Y O U R S E L F

Free Webinar: The Big 5 for Better Mental Health 

U P C O M I N G    D E V E L O P M E N T   W O R K S H O P S

How to Supervise a PhD by Prior Published Works (PPPW) - Thu 16 Oct

Are you a researcher with a substantial body of published work? Are you a supervisor interested in supporting students through an alternative doctoral pathway? Join us for an informative workshop on the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by Prior Published Works (PPPW) at Flinders University. The PPPW is a unique higher degree by research that recognises a student’s existing scholarly contributions. Instead of undertaking a traditional time-based research project, students submit a thesis comprising a contextual statement and a cohesive body of published work completed prior to acceptance into candidature. This pathway is ideal for experienced professionals and academics who have already made a significant impact in their field.

University-Industry Partnerships: panel discussion - Tue 21 Oct

This session will provide different perspectives on university-industry partnerships to successfully create connections for long-term research projects and collaborations. Join us to hear from key industry partners about their experiences communicating with, and collaborating with researchers; academics who have worked in industry and an Industry Supervisor of a PhD student. Speakers include:

• Professor Tim Sutton, Research Director, Crop Sciences, SARDI 
• Professor Mark Taylor and Associate Professor David Hobbs, Flinders University 
• Michelle Crisp, Manager, Industry Insights at Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing
• Nilla Wen, HDR Engagement and Partnerships Manager, Flinders University

HDR Completions Workshop - Thu 30 Oct

Are you in your last six months of candidature? Wondering what is required to finish and submit a thesis? Or how your thesis will be examined? Come along to the HDR Completions workshop, where staff from the Office of Graduate Research will help you to successfully submit your thesis. The first part of the session is an overview of the thesis submission and examination process, providing detailed guidance on how to prepare and submit your thesis for examination. The second part of the session will help you work through some of the common difficulties in the last six months, including formatting your thesis, copyright requirements, editing your thesis and effective communication with your supervisors.

More Opportunities 

• Thu 2 Oct -  IBM SPSS - Intermediate: ANOVAs and non-parametric equivalents

• Fri 3 Oct -    Library Induction for HDR Students and Researchers

• Tue 7 Oct -  IBM SPSS - Intermediate: Longitudinal Data Analysis - Repeated Measures ANOVA

• Tue 7 Oct -   HDR Development Drop-in - Intellectual Property

• Thu 9 Oct -   IBM SPSS - Intermediate: Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis

• Thu 9 Oct -   Research Integrity Information Session

• Tue 14 Oct - HDR Development Drop-in - Communicating to different audiences 

• Tue 14 Oct - IBM SPSS - Advanced: Linear Mixed Models

• Thu 16 Oct - IBM SPSS - Advanced: Longitudinal Data Analysis

• Thu 16 Oct - How to supervise a PhD by Prior Published Works (PPPW) 

• Tue 21 Oct - HDR Development Drop-in - Where to publish

• Tue 21 Oct - University-Industry Partnerships: panel discussion

• Tue 21 Oct - HDR Supervisor Core 2 Workshop 

• Tue 21 Oct - IBM SPSS - Advanced: Structural Equation Modelling using AMOS

• Thu 23 Oct - IBM SPSS - Advanced: Scale Development

• Thu 23 Oct - HDR Thesis Writing Discussion Group

• Thu 23 Oct - EndNote Essentials

• Tue 28 Oct - HDR Development Drop-in - Argument Construction

• Tue 28 Oct - Promoting Publications & Building a Research Brand

• Tue 28 Oct - IBM SPSS - Advanced: Complex Sample Survey Design

• Wed 29 Oct - Understanding and Using your Research Metrics

• Thu 30 Oct - IBM SPSS - Advanced: Programming in IBM SPSS

• Thu 30 Oct - HDR Completions Workshop

• Fri 31 Oct -   Cyber and Information Security Considerations for Research

N E E D   H E L P ?

Any questions about your HDR studies? Please reach out!

Dean of Graduate Research - Leadership, Policy, Strategy
HDR Admissions - Admissions, Enrolments, Change of Supervisor
HDR Progression - Milestones, Intermissions, Candidature Management
HDR Exams - Turnitin, Thesis Submission, Examinations
Researcher Development - HDR student and supervisor development, REST, Induction
HDR Engagement - All Engagement, Industry and Cotutelle related inquiries

You can also contact HDR Student Representatives with any HDR candidature matters.

Do you have any suggestions, feedback or concerns about your HDR services? Let us know via the Student Experience Idea Gateway Form