Category Archives: Support
A warm welcome to our new postgraduate researchers starting in October 2023
A four day induction from 30th October to 2nd November saw us welcome a further 31 postgraduate researchers to the University of Northampton.
The 4-day biannual Induction Programme is run by The Graduate School in October and March and is compulsory for all PGRs starting out on their PhD or MPhil. The Induction aims to launch them into their studies by offering them a variety of workshops and talks, including research degree processes and procedures, skills development, open access, library resources, EDI and research integrity. Our new researchers also gave presentations on their research topic, had an induction into their Faculty, met members of staff at the University who will support them along the way and created a WhatsApp cohort to keep them in touch with each through their studies.
Read the rest of this entryPGR Cost of Living Bursary
The University of Northampton recognises that the cost of living crisis presents challenges to students who are studying here, and is developing a number of initiatives to support you. The Graduate School has therefore designed a new scheme, the PGR Cost of Living Bursary. This is intended to provide some support to PGRs who are struggling financially, by awarding grants of £500.
The application form is here, which contains details about eligibility and how to apply. The deadline for applications is 2 December and completed applications should be emailed to Laura Pereira. If you have any queries, you are welcome to email Matthew McCormack for advice.
Launch of PGR ‘Writing Buddies’ initiative
Deborah Babalola, Postgraduate Researcher and PGR Rep, and Simone Apel from the Graduate School are launching a new initiative for PGRs called Writing Buddies. Writing Buddies are small ‘micro-groups’ of writers coming together to write in a social space, which may be virtual or physical. They are micro-versions of structured writing retreats, where writers set themselves goals which they share with others, write for set periods together, then use the breaks to discuss ideas, share practice or just chat, often joining up again for another writing session. Social writing has helped many writers with productivity and motivation to overcome writing blocks and, just as importantly, can give support and a sense of belonging in a researcher writing community.
Read the rest of this entryPhone-a-Thesis! Round 2 of a great initiative for PGRs is open!
It’s time for round 2 of Phone a Thesis! The proactive “Phone a Thesis” project promotes additional peer support for PGRs, with the aim of giving 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.
Read the rest of this entryHoliday reading… and watching for PGRs!
If you are looking to develop some research skills during the Easter (or summer!) holidays we have a wide range of courses, slides and other resources on offer online, as well as recordings of Graduate School webinars. Read on to find out where you can access these….
Read the rest of this entryThe Graduate School’s New Coaching Programme for PGRs
The Graduate School are offering six Postgraduate Research Students the opportunity to have a course of professional performance coaching sessions to support and help them progress in their doctoral studies. If you are a UON Postgraduate Researcher and are interested in applying for these sessions, you have until Friday 29th April to apply. Read on if you are interested…. Read the rest of this entry
March 2022 PGR Induction: A warm welcome to our new postgraduate researchers
A four day induction from 7-10th March saw us welcome a further 24 postgraduate researchers to the University of Northampton.
The 4-day biannual Induction Programme is run by The Graduate School in October and March and is compulsory for all research students starting out on their PhD or MPhil. The Induction aims to launch PGRs into their studies by offering them a variety of workshops and talks, including research degree processes and procedures, skills development, open access, library resources, EDI and research integrity. The students also gave presentations on their research topic, had an induction into their Faculty and met members of staff at the University who will support them along the way.
Read the rest of this entry
Finding sources of funding for your postgraduate degree study.
Are you a postgraduate student (PhD, Professional Doctorate, MPhil or Masters student) at the University of Northampton who is self-funded? Would you like a chance to win funding for fees, maintenance, travel, conference attendance and other research expenses? If so, you might be interested in the next few paragraphs!
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding Online is all about alternative sources of funding – charities, foundations and trusts – which can
make awards (fees, maintenance, research costs) to any PG student
regardless of subject, or nationality. The Alternative Guide Online contains a huge database of funding opportunities, comprehensive guidance, and numerous tools to help you prepare a winning grant application. The Graduate School has a subscription to The Alternative Guide to Funding, and you can find out more here. Read on for instructions on how to register.
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.
New Graduate School Newsletters
The Graduate School have launched a new series of fortnightly newsletters, published every other Thursday. These replace the Word format Graduate School Notices document. The new update will have the same notices and updates but will feature more news, features and events, relating to Graduate School operations, researcher development, information for PGRs and Supervisors, research degree notices, seminars and events running across the university and call for papers.
The first newsletter was published on October 28th, with fortnightly issues. If you have any item you would like us to consider please send content and contact details to simone.apel@northampton.ac.uk by noon on the Tuesday before publication. Back copies can be found in the Files in Graduate School Yammer.
UON Graduate School Blog 