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Doctoral College Newsletter - 2 April 2024
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Message from Professor Stacey Hynd, Dean of Postgraduate Research and of the Doctoral College
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To all in our Exeter PGR community,
I just wanted to wish you all a happy end of term. I know that as PGRs you, like academic staff, don’t just work in term time, but it’s still a good excuse for a small celebration. We’ve all been working really hard, and this time of year can be difficult psychologically with all the dark evenings and pressing deadlines. So I hope that you will be able to take some annual leave over the Easter vacation: remember that rest and relaxation are an important part of successful research! Personally, I have plans to collapse face-first into a pile of chocolate…
As I have been settling into the role of Dean, I have been fascinated to learn about the research that some of you are doing and excited to learn about some of your successes. Reading the examiners’ reports lauding the quality and innovation of the research our PGRs conduct, and how well they have defended it in their vivas, is always a pleasure. Please do share your successes with us – large or small – we’d love to be able to circulate this news to help strengthen our community and inspire others. You can send your news to researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.
To those of you who observe these holidays, Happy Easter and Ramadan Mubarak! And happy spring to all; for those of us in Devon & Cornwall, hopefully the rain and grey skies will stop soon, and we’ll see some proper springtime sunshine.
All best wishes
Stacey
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On Wednesday 27 March, we launched our Postgraduate Researcher Training and Development Bulletin. In this fornightly bulletin, which goes out to all PGRs, you will find all our upcoming courses divided into four key areas of researcher development as per the Vitae Researcher Development Framework:
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Knowledge and intellectual abilities
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Personal effectiveness
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Research governance and organisation
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Engagement, influence and impact
You will also find other training and development opportunities across the University and beyond in this bulletin.
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PGR Research Culture Festival – Wednesday 10th April
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All Cornwall-based PGRs are invited to join us for a fantastic day of personal and professional development and social activities. Please note that spaces are limited, and that we’ll be ordering lunch based on the number of sign-ups, so please only register if you’re sure you can make it!
Morning
9am: Arrive for tea and coffee (Exchange Green)
9:30-11:45am: Drawing the line: Healthy boundaries for a successful career (Exchange Green)
12pm: Lunch (Stella Turk kitchen)
Please sign up for the workshop and lunch here.
Afternoon
1:30-3:30pm: Candle painting workshop with Kiandles (Exchange Yellow)
2-6pm Wildlife cruise with AK Wildlife Cruises (departure from Falmouth marina)
Sign up for social activities here.
All workshops, activities and lunch are free! (But please note that you must attend the morning workshop in order to take part in the social activities!)
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Penryn-based PGRs needed to test new complaints and appeals system
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Penryn-based PGR students are needed to test the new online complaints and appeals system and give us feedback. You don’t need to have used the current complaints and appeals system before to participate.
Date: Thursday 18 April
Time: 10.30-12.00
Location: Online via MS Teams
The sign-up form will be closed once we have reached the participant limit. You will be sent a Teams meeting invitation with a confirmation once your space has been allocated for the session.
Each student who attends the testing session will receive a £10 voucher for The Poly, which can be collected from the Penryn Info Point from the day after the testing session.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Tammy East (t.n.east@exeter.ac.uk).
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Beyond the Goldfish Bowl: communicating research creatively- Workshop Series
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These 3 linked online workshops are aimed at PhD/Masters researchers, research associates and research fellows but open to everyone. The priority is simplicity. Attendees will leave equipped with practical skills, knowledge of effective collaboration, and strategies for navigating constraints.
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Workshop #1: The view from the bridge. Presenters: Dr Noreen Orr and Dr Harriet Hunt, University of Exeter. Wednesday 24 April, 10.30 –12.00, online via Zoom. Book via Eventbrite here
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Workshop #2: In the crow’s nest. Presenter: Professor Jo Thompson-Coon, University of Exeter. Tuesday 7 May, 14.00 –15.30, online via Zoom. Book via Eventbrite here
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Workshop #3: Into the wild. Presenter: Dan Porter, Co-founder of Scriberia. Wednesday 22 May, 10.30 – 12pm, online via Zoom. Book via Eventbrite here
This activity is a Researcher-led Initiative that has been funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team.
Please contact Harriet Hunt if you have any queries.
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Entrepreneurial Researcher Programme for Postgraduate Students- Apply Now!
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Are you interested in scaling up the impact of your research?
Do you have an idea for commercialising your research but haven't had the chance to explore it further?
The Entrepreneurial Researcher Programme (ERP) is your opportunity to explore new ideas, generate impact from your research and identify sustainable, commercially viable funding routes to bring your ideas to life. The programme will be delivered online over four group sessions between Tuesday 21 May and Thursday 11 July 2024.
This cohort is open to postgraduate students from all disciplines.
The ERP programme is a prime opportunity for researchers keen to translate their academic work into tangible economic, societal and environmental impacts.
All ERP participants will have the opportunity to present their solutions to a panel of industry stakeholders during the final session of the programme.
Deadline for applications: Sunday 28 April.
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Human Tissue Act training sessions- Tuesday 21 May
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The next Human Tissue Act training sessions will be held online:
• Human Tissue Act Training (Tuesday 21 May, 10.00 – 11.00, via MS Teams)
This session is mandatory for anyone new to research/starting a new research project involving human tissue samples.
• Informed Consent Training (Tuesday 21 May, 11.15 – 12.15, via MS Teams)
This session is essential for anyone taking informed consent from study participants.
Both sessions are open to everyone at all levels, and we also encourage attendance from those who would like to refresh/update their knowledge of the Human Tissue Act.
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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, or for further information, please contact Jo Sutherst.
The PGR Study Space core facilitated hours are:
Monday 10:00am-12:00pm
Wednesday 10:00am-12:00pm
Friday 10:00am-12:00pm
There are unfacilitated sessions outside of these hours so you can fit it around your working patterns.
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1-2-1 career appointments available
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1-2-1 careers appointments with our dedicated PGR careers coach, Kenneth Howgill, are available to book on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 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. Please contact researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk if there are any technical difficulties.
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Wellbeing Support and Sessions
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April is Stress Awareness Month- please check out our resources and sessions below to help develop and maintain good mental health.
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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 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.
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Free Mindfulness Sessions for Wellbeing
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.
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The Cornwall Wellbeing Network run a monthly Fika, taking place at 3pm, in the Stella Turk common room/interactive space.
For those not yet familiar with Fika, it is a low-key monthly gathering of folks who enjoy an afternoon tea break and a chance to meet and chat with new people. It is an entirely cross-departmental event open to PGRs, ECRs and staff from Exeter, Falmouth and FXPlus.
After 6 months of being a “bring-your-own” event, we are delighted to now be able to provide attendees with toasty drinks and tasty treats, please just bring your own mug!
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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. 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.
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