…elping to prevent disease from occurring at all. This may be far into the future, but the Pirbright Institute is already doing amazing work round vaccinations, preventing disease and managing outbreaks, and this application of research to real-world problems is something Arantza wants to work on. She says the ability to work with an organisation like Pirbright is one of the main advantages of the DTA programme; “The most beneficial element of the…
…e generally. This included interactive sessions on health and wellbeing, research ethics, and how to get the most out of your supervisor. This kind of support is at the centre of the DTA’s offer to students, making sure that whether they need advice on referencing or managing their mental health, they always have someone to turn to. Myself and the attendees also heard from some of the DTA alumni on their top tips for thriving as a doctoral student…
…ugh these they can then create the informal connections to receive the peer-to-peer support that may become vital for their wellbeing. Develop strong representation systems While it is great that Student Unions (SUs) cover postgraduate representation, I know from my own experience that undergraduate-focused SUs are not the best place for PhD issues to be actively listened to. PhD students need dedicated representation systems and the issues they r…
…projects in more depth. We had the choice to share our work as oral, Pecha-Kucha-style or poster presentations, and the themes – how our research relates to the world outside the university and the interdisciplinary element of our projects – helped reveal shared interests and methods across our projects. The interactive poster session in WonderRoom was particularly fun. We learnt a lot about the work of peers outside of our disciplinary cohorts,…
…funded 71 research fellows across our 15 university partners. Fellows led cutting-edge research in areas including boarder policing, cancer therapies, wind turbines, and gardening as a treatment for people with dementia! Our community of international alum come from 27 nations and have published over 150 academic manuscripts and presented at over 200 conferences. The Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) team coordinated over 50 in-person and online ev…
…complex issues, while avoiding simplistic interpretations such as the north-south divide and cities vs towns. These ignore the poverty in parts of London and the southwest and the affluence of some towns. The other divide in this election was, of course, between Leave and Remain. Will a landslide victory give the prime minister the political flexibility to pursue a deal that ensures closer regulatory alignment with the EU? Or will the new crop of…
…lecting the needs of our members and their students. 11. We authored and co-authored a number of impactful submissions, articles and blogs on research policy, for the Ministerial Research Task Force, the Research & Development (R&D) Road Map consultation, Innovate UK, the BEIS Committee, Science and Technology committee, and the Education Committee. 12. Our core recommendation to government on care leavers, featured in a comment piece in the Guard…
…es are central to the hope that this country’s recovery will be driven by cutting-edge research and innovation. Through our focus on applied research, knowledge exchange and innovation, we are working towards ensuring a fairer, greener, healthier, more prosperous, and resilient UK. Alliance universities are home to some of the most talented, dedicated, and innovative researchers in the country, and many are already working to respond to the immedi…
…socialising, which supports motivation while promoting solidarity and peer-to-peer support. One of the key benefits I have gained from my role on the DTA Rep Committee, is developing intimate knowledge of the complexities and challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey we distributed was effective in illustrating its far-reaching negative consequences for our PhD researchers. These include concerns about the continuation of fundi…
…rofiles of over 60 academics, who will be available for media comment. The online panel discussion event included introductions from campaign coordinators Beth Button, Head of Communications at University Alliance, and Justin Shaw, Chief Higher Education Consultant at Communications Management –one of our campaign partners. During his slot, Justin emphasised the need for a campaign of this kind, and for the Expert Bank resource, in diversifying th…
