By Anna Wallace, Claire Parnall and Alice Ferns, Bristol Doctoral College
This is the first of a series looking at research culture stories within the postgraduate community.
While many postgraduate research (PGR) students at the university thrive as part of their research environment, sometimes at the Bristol Doctoral College we encounter PGRs who struggle to connect with the broader community. This can be for a range of reasons, as every PGR journey is different, but common factors can include: the solitary nature of some research; lack of an identifiable cohort; the intensity of work demands or the ongoing impacts of Covid-19 on collective working.
In 2023, the Postgraduate Research Excellence survey revealed that only 54% of postgraduate researchers (PGRs) at the University of Bristol knew about chances to get involved in the wider research community outside their department.
To inspire staff across the university to address this, we have collected some examples of where schools and faculties have made a positive impact for PGRs.
The individuals showcased in these cases have used their initiative, creativity and community spirit to develop activities or events help PGRs connect with the broader research community at Bristol, and enhance their wellbeing, research and student experience.
We hope you are inspired by these examples to think about the ways we can all make a difference for the PGRs who work at Bristol.
This blog series was curated by the team in the Bristol Doctoral College as part of work on enhancing research culture.
Reconnecting after Covid: A conference of postgraduate research in Civil Engineering
In July 2023, Dr Tingfa Liu, a lecturer in Geotechnical testing and Shahin Huseynli, a 2nd-year PhD student from the School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering (CADE) felt there was a need to organise an in-person event for researchers and PGRs to reconnect with their wider research community, after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Faculty of Engineering PGR Cohort Fund (which supports cohort-building activities) was used to fund the event, which was the first big post-COVID research and social event for the Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering Research group (EGE) in Civil Engineering. Four sessions were held throughout the day, each beginning with a mini seminar from an academic staff member. These offered the PGRs advice and academic insights, on subjects like “10 suggestions for a novel PHD thesis” (Professor Anastasios Sextos) and “Social media usage reveals recovery of small businesses after natural hazard events” (Professor Flavia De Luca).
Professor Flavia De Luca, an attendee and speaker at the conference explains:
“The conference of postgraduate research in Civil Engineering was a fantastic event to reconnect the community. The students had the opportunity to present their research in an “away day” environment, creating the space for personal and professional development and connecting the community across all levels through the participation of postdoctoral researchers and staff members. The focus on the presentations was about research results, but also on disciplinary cross-pollination of skills at peer level for the civil engineering PGR community”
Benefitting the broader Civil Engineering research culture
The conference was a great chance for researchers from across the School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering to share knowledge, learn about different projects, spread their ideas, expertise and reconnect with other researchers who had also missed in-person interactions due to the pandemic, helping to build a stronger research culture.
Numan Aloko, a graduate teacher in Civil Engineering and attendee at the conference highlighted:
“Events like this conference are helpful and crucial for maintaining a lively and connected research community. They offer a platform for students and faculty to share their work and make personal and professional connections that are very important for long-term academic and research success.”
The conference successfully brought the Civil Engineering research community closer together. Dr Tingfa Liu summarised:
“For me it is important that we celebrate the successes of our postgraduate researchers as a community of colleagues and friends. Our PGR students work so hard, often behind the scenes. The conference was a chance to shine a light on all their efforts and ensure they can share their research with the broader community, which benefits our own research too.”
What’s next?
Building on the success of the July 2023 conference, Dr Tingfa Liu and his team have invited PGRs to present their research projects and findings during their monthly Research Group meetings. This new initiative started in September 2023 and has proven successful, with plans to continue.
Shahin shared;
“The PGR presentations at our monthly meetings have really boosted the research, professional, and personal growth of the PGRs, helping them get ready for wider recognition and impact.”
Tingfa has been both, impressed and inspired by the PGR projects and noted that the support from the School and Faculties has been crucial in making this event, and any future ones, a success.
If you’re looking for advice on setting up something similar for your PGRs, feel free to reach out to doctoral-college@bristol.ac.uk with the subject line ‘PGR research culture case study’.
Dr. Tingfa Liu
Lecturer in Geotechnical TestingSchool of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Mr Shahin Huseynli
2nd-year PhD student
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering (CADE)