Welcome to our new postgraduate researchers! The Doctoral College Newsletter provides you with fortnightly updates for events, opportunities and news specifically relevant to postgraduate researchers.

Here are just some of the highlights this week:

• The first episode of the new Exeter Postgraduate Researcher Podcast has launched- read all about it in our News section
• Would you like to be a mentor or mentee for the Black Heritage Peer Mentoring Scheme? Find out more in the Opportunities section
• If you are a new postgraduate researcher, visit our section on Induction and New Starters

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

News

Induction and New Starters

Opportunities

Reminders

Community

Careers Support

Wellbeing Support and Sessions

Enquiries

The next newsletter will go out on Tuesday 30 September 2025. Please submit copy for the next newsletter by Wednesday 24 September 2025.

You can also share your news and events on PGR Community Hub on Viva Engage, or on our new Bluesky account.

Please refer to our style guide before submitting your item.

The place to look for training and development opportunities at the University and beyond is our Postgraduate Researcher Training and Development Bulletin. The next bulletin will be sent out in October.

*Please note that you are receiving the smaller version of the Doctoral College Newsletter due to opting out of marketing at the registration stage. Should you wish to read the full newsletter you can do so on our webpage.*

Our new series of Exeter Postgraduate Researcher Podcast has now begun! 🎧

In our first episode, PGR Kate Werran talks to Exeter alumna Pankhuri Singh about the experience of returning to university as a mature student- the highs, the challenges and valuable experience that mature postgraduate researchers bring.

Exeter Postgraduate Researcher Podcast is a PGR podcast, by PGRs for PGRs, and this series is a mix of personal experience and practical advice. All our presenters are current PGRs and their guests are a mix of current PGRs, Exeter staff and Exeter alumni, delving into the subjects that interest you- from sharing perspectives as mature students to a panel discussion with alumni working in industry and academia

Follow us on Spotify, Amazon Music and Podbean for the latest updates; you'll also be able to access the episodes on our Essentials webpage.

Keep your eyes on your emails as the PGR Researcher Development Programme for 2025 will launch on Wednesday 1 October. We have some exciting new workshops coming up as well as repeats of some of our most popular sessions. The programme is based around the new Vitae RDF framework so you will benefit from the most up-to-date knowledge and guidance for your development as a postgraduate researcher.

If you would like to learn more about the programme, sign up for our webinar on Skills for researchers- introducing the Exeter PGR Researcher Development Programme, taking place on Tuesday 30 September, 12:00-13:30 via MS Teams.

Over the summer, the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual has been updated for the 2025/6 academic year. This follows approval of updates and amendments by the Education and Postgraduate Research Boards in the 2024/5 academic year.
Notable PGR updates have been made to the following chapters:
• Chapter 6, PGR Student Voice Partnership: This will replace the PGR Liaison Forums.
• Chapter 9, Upgrades: Minor changes providing more detail.
• Chapter 15, Student Pregnancy & Family Leave Policy: Introduces Neonatal care leave, KIT (keeping-in-touch) days and phased returns to study.
• Chapter 18, PGR Student Absence Policy: short term absences available for more reasons.
• Chapter 18, PGR Absence Funding Policy: Changes to funding eligibility to reflect changes to absence policies.
• Accessible Teaching and Learning Policy: embeds accessible teaching practices into programme design

A newsletter with further details about these changes will be circulated shortly.

Our Doctoral College Induction Portal contains all the key information you need to know in your first few weeks in one easy place. Whether you are just beginning your course, or looking to refresh your knowledge, please check out this handy SharePoint resource that covers topics such as PGR Support, wellbeing, student voice, researcher development and peer mentoring, plus many more!

If you were unable to make our in-person induction sessions, join us for the online session on Wednesday 24th September, 10.30-12.15 via MS Teams Live.The induction provides a chance for you to hear from the Dean of the Doctoral College and Doctoral College staff, as well as from key support staff from around the University. There will also be the opportunity to ask questions.

To attend, please register via EventBrite. After registering, you will receive the link to join in your order confirmation email.

We are recruiting mentors and mentees for the Black Heritage Peer Mentoring Programme for 2025/26. This newly launched peer mentor programme is open to undergraduate and postgraduates' students from Black, African, Caribbean and mixed heritage backgrounds on Streatham, St Luke's, Truro and Penryn campuses.

As a Peer Mentor you will be matched with one or more students (depending on your preference) who have signed up to be mentored and join a team of Black heritage Mentors, Senior Mentor Coordinators and Programme Organisers. As a Mentee on the Programme you will be matched with a current student (your mentor) who can support you through your transition into university and beyond.

To see more and to apply, please see these details: (1) if you are interested in becoming a Mentor and (2) if you are interested in being assigned to a Mentor (becoming a mentee).

The Doctoral College have been developing some guidance for the use of AI in PGR and are keen for student input, especially in STEMM subjects or where students may be using AI for coding, data or other technical uses and are looking for some PGR volunteers to review the guidance and provide examples of how they are using AI to support their research.

If you are interested, please contact Natalie Bartram, PGR Quality Development Manager, who can arrange for access to the draft.

The guidance will be discussed at the Postgraduate Research Board on Tuesday 7 October and released as soon as possible once approved.

Are you a postgraduate hoping to work as a teaching associate (PTA)? If so, you will need to complete at least Stage 1 of the LTHE programme.

Registration is now open for the LTHE Autumn 2025 programmes at Streatham, Penryn & Online which will start later this month. The programme is designed to meet the specific needs of educators who are either new to teaching altogether or are new to teaching in Higher Education. It introduces some of the core concepts and techniques of teaching in HE and aims to give an understanding of how to provide an active, stimulating student-centred learning experience.

LTHE Stage 1 (Unit 1) is mandatory if you intend to apply for Postgraduate Teaching Associate (PTA) positions. Once complete you can then progress onto Stage 2 (Units 2-5) which is necessary if you are going to be planning your own sessions and/or supporting assessment, marking and any feedback activity in your role.

If you are on a Student visa, the University must contact the UKVI to let them know that your study location has changed temporarily. This can include doing fieldwork, a work placement or studying at another institution. As part of the conditions of your visa, you need to inform us if you will be off campus for more than 3 months. To do this, please fill out this form.

If you do not fill out this form, you might encounter issues from Border Control when returning to the country, or from an employer if you are on a work placement.

For any queries, please contact immigrationcompliance@exeter.ac.uk.

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.

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, Volleyball, 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.

 

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. 

Parent and Family Support (PAFs) is a community of university wide student parents that currently has 100 registered members from the University of Exeter, with individuals choosing to attend inclusive events that best fit their schedules and family responsibilities. The group has expanded to support a wider community, as well as ‘mature-mature’ students with or without children, and postdoctoral researchers, at the University of Exeter who were drawn to our inclusive community.

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 will launch on Wednesday 1 October 2025 but you can add yourself to the waiting list for courses 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.

The Nurture-U team are offering FREE resources and therapies to help with confidence and stress while doing your PhD.
We have:
1. An online toolkit, to help you track your mood over time and manage your busy lives
2. An innovative app to build confidence,
3. Online therapy, with a therapist or self-guided, and
4. A resilience workbook, with support from a therapist.
All these options have been proven to work, we’re just researching who responds best to what type of support. You can hopefully improve your wellbeing, earn shopping vouchers, and help other students in the future by contributing to research!

Any questions, please email nurture-u@exeter.ac.uk. You can also follow us on Instagram.

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.