Category Archives: Doctoral journey
Phone-a-Thesis! A great new initiative for PGRs
PGRs! We are looking at promoting additional peer support through a proactive “Phone a Thesis” project. The aim is to give us opportunities to talk to other PGRs about our research, to get us used to practicing this with like-minded other students in a supportive way.
Here’s how it works… You give us a short synopsis about your thesis. We put together all of the summaries we get onto an interest page. Everyone then picks their top three summaries of interest. Once all of the entries and selections have been made, the project leads can match people up to Phone a Thesis! A date and time will be arranged for a phone call. Then it’s time to relax, enjoy, listen and chat about your work. This project is designed to support your research experience, enable us to meet new/ other students, and assist in building confidence to talk about our research and the contribution(s) it makes. You can decide between you whether the session will be online or in person at the University (please take current Covid guidelines into account when deciding), and how long it will last.
For more information and details on how to take part, please see the document below.
Compulsory online courses for PGRs
If you are a PhD or MPHIL student at UON but have not yet applied for Transfer, please note that there are 3 compulsory elements to your doctorate which you need to satisfy before you can progress through Transfer.
- Induction is the first. You must have attended a PGR Induction in either October or March.
- and 3. The other compulsory elements comprise two online courses, Becoming an Ethical Researcher and Research Integrity (UK) Second Edition – Core course. These courses are fully online, you can access them in your own time, working at your own pace.
It makes sense to pass these courses before you consider applying for Transfer and it is best to start soon after your Induction. So click on the links above and please make sure to read the instructions for access. If you have any questions please contact Simone Apel in the Graduate School.
The process is slightly different for our Professional Doctorate students. Your induction runs at the start of your facilitated modules and the compulsory online courses are embedded into the assessment of the facilitated modules for DProfPrac students, with DBA students completing the courses at the beginning of the thesis module.
The two compulsory courses are accompanied by a number of other optional online courses in research methods and literature review. So do take a look and see what is available for you – access is via Gateway (under the menu ‘Online courses’).
COVID-19 update: guidance on planned research and enterprise activities
**Updates: As the COVID-19 situation continues to develop, the default institutional expectation remains that research and enterprise activities should proceed in online or virtual formats. It is recognised that exceptions will exist, but until further notice, all face-to-face research/enterprise activities work can only proceed with the approval of the most relevant Dean or Deputy Dean (or for LLS/ILT – Head of LLS), following risk assessment in alignment with current University of Northampton guidelines. As a default position, research/enterprise work will not be allowed to proceed if:
- alternative, remote research methods could be used which will meet the objectives of the research in an ethical manner;
- the planned work involves UK or international travel;
- the planned activity can feasibly be postponed.
Further guidance, plus expectations about risk assessments and new resources for online research methods are outlined below.
Current position
The University of Northampton’s Situation Updates page is the primary source of information and updates for colleagues and researchers at the University of Northampton: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/about-us/situation-updates/
Given the exceptional, unprecedented situation which is ongoing as a result of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all researchers must reflect on their planned and ongoing activities: this may necessitate pausing, rescheduling or amending activities. Amendments to activities, or proposals for new research/enterprise activities, must be reviewed and approved by the University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee or Faculty Ethics Committees.
It is likely that COVID-19 will cause significant disruption for research activities, particularly where:
- proposed/ongoing research activities require face-to-face contact with participants, particularly those who are at-risk or require self-isolation as per the latest UK Government advice;
- researchers are themselves at-risk or require self-isolation;
- proposed research involves UK or international travel;
- planned research requires visits to settings which are closed or have restricted access as a result of COVID-19.
If you are concerned about the impacts of the current situation on your ongoing/planned research, support is available as follows:
Read the rest of this entry
David’s top tips for being productive at home
I’ve been having real difficulty concentrating whilst working at home. I find it hard to start tasks, my eyes are sore, a 5-day week feels daunting and I feel anxious when I don’t complete the tasks I planned to do. I miss going to work!
At the Graduate School Drop-In today, we talked to a PhD student about concentration and productivity. We came up with a few practical ideas that I thought I’d share with you: Read the rest of this entry
Annual Research Conference: Brochure Online
June 20 – 21st 2019
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone later this week at our Annual Research Conference. We have a host of treats in store for you including three distinguished keynote speakers, and our inaugural Bake your Research Competition! We also have research papers, and the famous 3MT too. The full conference brochure can be viewed here.
If you would like to book for Day One or Day Two just click the links to register your attendance. Please do join us for the conference meal too, by booking on Gateway.
Dr Mike Daniel Scholarship for Postgraduate Researchers
The application form for the Dr Mike Daniel Scholarship is now available with a 31 May deadline. Open to all current postgraduate researchers, and those who enrol in March.
Also, just a reminder that PGRs students can also apply to the T D Lewis Scholarship, with the same deadline https://www.northampton.ac.uk/student-life/bursaries-scholarships-and-awards/td-lewis-scholarship/ Read the rest of this entry
Postgraduate Researcher Award 2018 – winners’ reports
In 2018 The Graduate School launched the Postgraduate Researcher Award to provides up to £1,000 to support a research student in the pursuance of their research degree programme at the University of Northampton. The Award was available to full-time or part-time postgraduate research students at the University of Northampton. The award was to support and enhance research activity of various kinds (for example, additional travel costs, purchase of specialist equipment, researcher development). The four successful applicants have submitted reports on their award, what they used it for and the benefit it had on them and their research. Read the rest of this entry
Faculty of Business and Law Research Seminar: ‘Institutional Quality, Political Risk and Tourism: Evidence from Gravity Model’ 6th Feb 2019 13:00 to 14:00 TPod A (2nd Floor of Learning Hub)
Everyone welcome as Dr Thaana Ghalia investigates the role of institutional quality coupled with political risks, distance and socio-economic factors to explain tourist flow by applying the gravity model. We found that institutional quality and absence of conflict are driving factors in fostering tourism flows for both source and destination countries. Our finding suggests that institutional reform can help to boost the economies of countries with low- quality institutions. While institutional change is a positive development in its own right, our results suggest that it can also have important additional economic benefits for countries that are highly dependent on tourism. Please register your attendance via Gateway: https://research.northampton.ac.uk/83w15/fbl-research-seminar-dr-thaana-g List Table 4 A
Focus on you – Wellbeing day
We don’t always prioritise our own wellbeing even when we know we should. Staff, students and researchers have the chance to focus on their wellbeing on Thursday 7th February 2019 at a dedicated Wellbeing day: Focus On You – part of Changing Futures Week 2019: Read the rest of this entry
UON Graduate School Blog 