PhD life
PhD students at Marjon work very closely with the staff team, being challenged and challenging them in turn. The close PhD peer group brings together diverse insights and experience as they continuously inspire one another to do research that makes a difference.
Hello, I'm Jayne Garcia, a current PhD student at Marjon and PGR student representative. I've created this page to give a flavour of PhD life at Marjon.
Read on to learn about the exceptional and personal support available as you journey toward your PhD.
Support
As PhD students at Marjon, we have regular meetings with supervisors, once per month for full-time students, and a timely response to your emails is also assured.
In addition, the Doctoral College team is on hand. They are Dr Andreas Walmsley, Head of the Doctoral College, Dr Laura Wallis PGR Coordinator (PGRC) Business and Social Science, Dr Tracy Hayes PGRC Education, Dr Ryan Thomas PGRC Sport and Exercise Science, Dr Jonathan Waddington PGRC Health and Wellbeing and Jo Holford Doctoral College Administrator.
In the latest Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES 2022)
- the proportion of Postgraduate research students who agreed that there were sufficient opportunities to interact with other postgraduate research students was 93% at Marjon (33 percentage points above the Global benchmark of 60%).
- 87% of Postgraduate research students at Marjon agreed that there were frequent opportunities to discuss research (24 percentage points above the Global benchmark of 63%).
All PGR students have access to the PGR Hub which was designed in consultation with postgraduate research students and is one of the best workspaces in the University. The PGR Hub comprises a quiet hot desk workspace, an informal meeting area, kitchen facilities and lockers. The workspace is equipped with double and single-screen desktop computers and sit-stand desks. There is easy access to the library and The Quad.
Mentors
We seek to promote a supportive community and look to introduce you from the outset to other PhD researchers, who can support you through friendship and mentoring. Especially in those early days, helping you find your way around campus and various systems. We are also proud of our mentoring circles, these are gatherings, in person and online, where you can meet with more experienced researchers and others new to our community, for further support and develop some new relationships along your journey. These mentoring relationships provide critical support during moments of academic uncertainty, offering both guidance when you feel off track and genuine celebration of your professional milestones.
Connected community
PhD students at Marjon are a team and we have developed lots of ways to support one another. See our PhD student profiles to get a flavour of what everyone is studying.
Research Cafes are designed for postgraduate research students and members of staff who wish to allocate, prioritise, and book time during the week to be around others who are in the process of writing and researching. Sessions are held in the PGR Hub or online.
One-day Campus Writing retreats provide an opportunity for staff and PGRs who wish to have a longer dedicated space and time for their writing. They involve goal setting, timed writing sessions and progress discussion. Two-day off campus writing retreat have similar goals, usually run twice a year and involve an application process.
Research drop-in sessions are hosted by research staff with expertise in social science, business and education. PhD students and staff are invited to drop-in for advice, for example, how to turn conference presentations into papers, choosing a journal, what is needed for the REF, peer review etc.
PhD students and supervisors are invited to termly informal 'coffee and cake' catchups to share feedback and ideas.
See PHD student profiles
Sharing knowledge
We have regular informal Research Seminars where staff and fellow PhD students share the latest thinking in research. Recent topics have included 'Centralising children’s experiences in the research and design of meaningful PESSPA provision and practice', 'Co-production and Public Patient Involvement in my PhD research' and 'What does 'fitness to dive' mean?'.
The Researcher Developer Series (RDS) offers professional development opportunities popular with PhD students and staff alike. Recent sessions have included Planning for Research Impact, Disseminating Research and ‘Statistics surgeries: Get tailored advice for your projects!’