Hi everyone, my name is Rhys and I am a second year PhD student in Psychology, researching the experience of allotment gardening for individuals from low income areas. Over the last year I have been representing the needs of Postgraduate Research (PGR) students within the college of Health, Psychology and Social Care as a PGR representative, and am looking to build upon my experience in this role by standing as PGR Chair.
Within my role as a PGR representative I have worked closely with the previous PGR Chair to improve the sense of community among PGR students in my college. One way in which I have tried to achieve this is through organising study groups within the college to bring students together from different stages of their Doctoral journey, with feedback given to me both via email and in person through these groups contributing to positive changes within the college for PGR students.
If elected, I aim to:
- Strengthen the PGR Council meetings:
Currently the PGR Council meetings take place every few months surrounding the UIRC meetings; however there is a lack of cohesion among the representatives of each college, meaning there is often limited feedback received by the PGR Chair. If elected I will aim to make PGR Council meetings more regular to ensure PGR representatives feel supported and look to embed these meetings more strongly into the Student Union.
- Build the PGR community:
The opening of a new study space for PGR students at the Kedleston Road Campus provides a good opportunity for PGR students to meet and socialise, as well as an opportunity to develop the PGR community while this space is still new. One way in which I would aim to achieve this is through using this space as a hub to help promote existing PGR events such as the writing retreats and PGR cafés and request student feedback via noticeboards and posters in addition to email reminders.
- Improve availability of information relevant for PGR students:
Many PGR students express an interest in attending events and studying on campus, however feel there is limited signposting available to guide them in the right direction to access these resources. If elected I will aim to improve the availability of information which is relevant for PGR students both on campus and through online resources such as UDO and PGR Manager.
I am passionate about research and want to contribute to a PGR research environment within the University in which students feel well represented and supported to complete their Doctoral studies. The Doctoral journey can be isolating and a strong sense of community within the University can pay dividends towards the wellbeing of PGR students, which in turn will benefit the university environment as a whole.