I’m delighted to have begun my term as Dean of York Graduate Research School. In many ways, my experience these past few weeks has brought similar feelings to those I’m sure many of you had when starting your research degree. There is a sense of excitement, the thrill of so much new knowledge and so many possibilities being open. At the same time, there are a multitude of new things to learn and it can all feel a bit overwhelming! Just as they have for you in your postgraduate research, I hope, things are now beginning to take shape.

Recently, I attended the UK Council for Graduate Education’s Doctoral Deans and Directors conference. It was great to see the University of York leading the conversation, representing two of the four invited speakers. Dr Anna Bull (Education) spoke about her work on the difficult but vital topic of sexual misconduct in higher education. Dr Karen Clegg (Arts and Creative Technologies) introduced ‘RSVP’, the Next Generation Research Supervision Project, which is aiming to transform research supervision culture and practice across the sector.

We are participating in the 2025 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey. It’s crucial that we receive as many responses as possible as it guides our planning in YGRS. The survey runs every other year, so don’t miss your chance to have your say! Also, a highlight of the YGRS annual calendar is the 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT). This is your chance to showcase your research, develop your public speaking skills and really distill the essence of your project - all of which are not bad ways to prepare for your viva, among other things!

Best wishes,

Paul

The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) is now open and you should have received an email with your unique link for completion. The survey is your chance to tell us about your experience as a postgraduate researcher at York. Your feedback is important and results in change at both institutional and departmental level. Please take time to complete it.

Recognising and rewarding members of the public for their time, contribution, and expertise in research is increasingly seen as a hallmark of good research practice. All researchers are encouraged to read the updated policy on the payment of public contributors to research, as well as the related guidance.

The Library has had to reduce its content budget and, therefore, subscriptions to some journals and databases have been withdrawn. However, there is still access to many thousands of journals across individual subscriptions, collections of journals and full text databases and you can still request access to articles and books you need for your research. Please see the Library collections overview for postgraduate researchers for full information.

Are you interested in improving research culture at the University? Could you represent your fellow postgraduate researchers to make sure their needs and perspectives are central to our research culture strategy? Apply to be a PGR rep at the Research Culture Working Group. We’re also looking for a PGR representative to make sure PGR voices are heard at the University PGR Experience Committee. If you’d like to get involved, please email academic-quality-pgr@york.ac.uk. 

When producing research, what counts as a ‘contribution’ from another party? How do you define a ‘contributor’? Explore the new guidance produced by our Research Culture Working Group, designed to help all researchers navigate this topic with confidence. Once it has been enabled through SkillsForge, all PGRs will be required to declare they have read and understood these documents.

To help you to reflect on and improve your academic writing, we are making Turnitin - the sector-leading text-matching software - more readily available to our PGRs. Find out more about Turnitin’s uses and how you can access it.

The next Enhancing Research Culture Workshop on Friday 28 March focuses on potential barriers early career researchers (ECRs) face when participating in open research. Sign up to attend.

The Open Research team has produced two new Open Research in Practice case studies, providing personal perspectives into how researchers have benefited from, and been challenged by, the adoption of open research practices: Applying the principles of open science to maximise the potential impact of machine learning in healthcare research (Dr Lewis Paton, HYMS) and FAIR and open practices in archaeological research: Salmo sp. open code publication (Dr Liz M. Quinlan, Archaeology)

A reminder that the call for submissions for this year’s Open Research Awards is open until 12 noon on Monday 28 April. The purpose of the Awards is to celebrate innovation, advocacy and good practice, whilst addressing and reflecting upon some of the issues and barriers faced by researchers who engage in open research. We are offering three £400 prizes (one per faculty) for submissions from postgraduate researchers. Read more about the Awards and submit your work for consideration.

Our ongoing online retreats give you time, peace, & space to fend off procrastination and beat writer's block. Each session provides a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges & work in a focused way using the established Pomodoro technique. View all dates for upcoming Writing Retreats. 

See more about our researcher development programme 2024/25.

3 Minute Thesis (3MT) is a fantastic opportunity to develop and practice your public engagement skills. You’ll receive bespoke guidance and training, be supported to think about your research from different perspectives, and get to take part in an exciting live event with a cohort of other PhD Researchers! Plus, you’ll be in with a chance of winning prizes. Apply to take part in 3 Minute Thesis (3MT).

Congratulations to the winners of our 2025 PhD Spotlight competition: Fedor Topolev-Soldunov (1st place), Minahil Khan (2nd place and People’s Choice) and Brandon Daniel Tipper (3rd place)! Find out more about the incredible work of each of our finalists. Could you be part of our 2026 competition?

To all of our new postgraduates joining us in the last few months - a warm welcome to York! To help with settling in, see our key information for new postgraduate researchers on making a start at York.

Are you a Mature PGR who’s started their studies at any point after the age of 21? Join the White Rose Consortium for the launch of their Mature PGR Network on Friday 28 March, which aims to start conversations around the issues affecting Mature PGRs, stimulate intelligent debate, meet other mature PGRs and discuss how our universities can better support your needs.

The White Rose University Consortium wants to speak to postgraduate students with child caring responsibilities to understand the impact of the lack of childcare funding. Your experiences will be used to create case studies, driving a campaign to close the government's childcare funding loophole. Email info@whiterose.ac.uk if you would like to get involved in their campaign.

Aimed at UK/home domiciled PGRs from racially-marginalised backgrounds, find out how to join the YCEDE mentoring programme.

Careers In…Data / Consulting / Journalism, Writing and Publishing. Three separate panel events, one night. Hear from York alumni and other professionals, including a number of PhD graduates, working in these areas. Find out about their career journeys, get an insight into their sector, and ask your questions during the Panel Q&A or informal networking. Book your place via Handshake.

This panel event, chaired by Prof Paul Wakeling, will enable you to hear from alumni and professionals working in a variety of research-related roles in different sectors. Panelist profiles will be available in Handshake closer to the event date but you can book a place now.

Check Handshake for other internal and external events including Careers in STEM with MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and Managing portfolio careers (music and the creative industries). 

See any current Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) teaching opportunities on Handshake.

If you're planning to teach as a GTA at York, you need to complete Introduction to Teaching and Learning training first. There are three different workshops; you should complete the one recommended by your department. For any queries, please contact the Academic Practice Team: academic-practice@york.ac.uk.

There are only a few days left to nominate yourself in our Sabbatical Officer elections. As a Sabbatical Officer, you'll serve as trustee of a multi-million pound charity and help to represent the student experience at a local, regional and national level. There are seven roles available, so you can run for the role that’s right for you. Find out more and submit your nomination today.

Looking for an opportunity to speak about your research and your PhD journey? Interested in networking with others, and getting involved with other insightful sessions? York SU is looking for PhD students to take part in our PGR Research Session at this year's York SU Community Conference! Find out more about the Community Conference, or register to present your research.

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