Student Support

Your welfare during your PhD is of the utmost importance to us and you will have access to two main forms of independent support as a student on this programme. You will find further information below and on the Points of Contact document.

Support from your University

Year 1

All our first year students will be registered with a member of our University Leads Board at your home university. You should have been informed of who this is either by your home university or by us. They will act as your Graduate Tutor/Supervisor in Year 1 of the programme and provide support during the first year of the programme. Please note that this is not the same as your PhD Research Supervisor(s) who will not be chosen until the end of Year 1. Your home university may also allocate other academic staff to support you during your PhD studies.

Your home university should provide you with information detailing their institutional student welfare support provisions during your induction or at some point during your first year of study. If you do not feel you have been advised of this information then please contact your home university graduate tutor in the first instance.

Years 2-4

After you have chosen your main PhD research topic and supervisory team at the end of Year 1, your academic support will normally transfer from your Year 1 graduate tutor to the lead research supervisor and any additional members of the supervisory team as appropriate. They will often be your first destination for further support but where applicable you may wish to use other home university resources and services. Please consult your home university student services for details.

Support from us

Our students will also have support external to their university via the programme. This could be provided by members of the Programme Operations Team or members of the University Leads not at your University. Please refer to the Points of Contact document if you are unsure who is the contact point for the type of support you require.

The Directors

The Directors will host a weekly series of zoom meetings with the students collectively, at which you can raise and discuss any general issues relating to the programme. You should also advise the Programme Directors if you are experiencing any difficulties with your studies, either because of challenges presented by your working environment or in your personal life. We will provide support to help you overcome any challenges where your home university cannot provide this.

Programme Administration

The Programme Administration team should be advised if you are experiencing any difficulties with your studies because of administrative problems. Examples might include financial issues with payments of fees or stipends, visa issues for international students, official student documentation, etc. If you are sick or unable to attend planned training activities, the Administration team should be informed in the first instance.

University Leads

Our University Leads consists of highly experienced academics with a wide range of experience across a number of disciplines. Our students are welcome to draw upon these experiences where they require subject- or discipline-specific advice in relation to their research studies or professional development. Issues which are personal in nature or not research-specific should first be directed to the Programme Directors.

All information will be treated strictly confidentiality unless you tell us otherwise