SSREG Events
Upcoming Event
đź“… Date: TBD
⏲ Time: TBD
đź“Ť Venue: TBD
đź‘Ą Audience: PhDs and ECRs
Mapping research practices: Places, disciplines, and interdisciplinarity
How do the places we research from – and within – shape the ways we think, work, and collaborate? In this workshop, we will reflect on our disciplinary practices, how places inform them, and how venturing outside the place we are used to can be conducive to interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. We will:
- Reflect on the role of place in our research to better understand how places inform your disciplinary practices and shape interdisciplinary exchange.
- Engage in collaborative problem-solving to identify concrete steps for venturing beyond our disciplinary boundaries.
The session will be facilitated by Dr Marianna Patrick. Marianna is a Research Fellow at the School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences (SELCS). Her doctoral research focused on the relationship between places and individuals’ identity construction.
Past Event
đź“…Date: 14th March 2025
⏲Time: 11:00 - 12:30 pm
đź“ŤVenue: R1.03
đź‘ĄParticipants: Social sciences PhDs and ECRs
Research Psychology: the bright and the dark sides
“Everyone is facing similar challenges, makes me feel I am not alone in this…”
The Social Sciences Research & Education Group (SSREG) organised its first session of 2025 with an engaging event titled “Research Psychology: The Bright and Dark Sides.” Co-facilitated by Meifang Zhuo and Nusrat Gulzar, the session brought together doctoral researchers from various departments across Warwick, including Applied Linguistics, Institute of Employment Research, PAIS, and WBS. This interdisciplinary attendance enriched discussions and allowed for the cross-pollination of ideas about research psychology across different fields.
Starting off with Research Bingo
The session kicked off with an interactive “Research Bingo” warm-up activity. This light-hearted icebreaker encouraged participants to share untold, and fun aspects of their research journeys, creating an immediate sense of camaraderie. Laughter and lively discussions filled the room as attendees bonded over shared experiences, from the thrill of unexpected breakthroughs to the excitement of learning a new data analysis tool at the last minute. This activity set the tone for an open and engaging conversation about the realities of research life.
Making zines together
Building on this momentum, participants were invited to join a collaborative zine-making workshop—an enjoyable, creative, and team-oriented activity designed to highlight both the rewarding and challenging aspects of pursuing a PhD in an intercultural environment. Working in small groups, attendees transformed their experiences into visual stories, using illustrations, collages, and handwritten reflections to express their academic journeys. The zine-making process quickly became the most engaging and enjoyable part of the session, offering a unique and artistic way to express oneself within academia. One participant noted, “I liked that it was interactive, and the use of craft materials was such an interesting idea…”
Reflecting on the PhD Journey: Experience Sharing Panel
Following the zine-making session, participants gathered for a reflective discussion, where they shared personal insights on maintaining balance in research life. Erkin, a first-year PhD student in Applied Linguistics, provided an honest account of the initial challenges faced by newcomers to doctoral studies, highlighting key lessons learned during this crucial adjustment period. Junjie, a fourth-year PhD student in Applied Linguistics, spoke about the significance of presenting one’s research, emphasising how academic conferences symbolize an important milestone in a researcher’s development. Poonam, a second-year PhD candidate at Institute of Employment Research, shared her experiences navigating the upgrade process, offering valuable insights and words of encouragement to those preparing for this pivotal step.
The event received positive feedback, with attendees praising its interactive and thought-provoking interdisciplinary approach to dialoguing about the two sides of researching in across different fields.
Past Event
đź“…Date: November 18th 2024
⏲Time:11:00 - 12:30 pm
đź“ŤVenue: R0.03
đź‘ĄParticipants: Social sciences PhDs and ECRs
Inaugural meeting
The Social Sciences Research Engagement Group (SSREG) held its first event on 18th November 2024 in the Ramphal Building, supported by the Doctoral College Networking Fund. We brought together 16 attendees from diverse disciplines, including Political Sciences, Education Studies, Warwick Business School, Applied Linguistics, Sociology, and IATL, who rated the event an impressive 9.5/10.
The session began with a warm introduction from the co-founders, who shared the group's aims, introduced themselves, and outlined planned activities for the coming months. This was followed by an engaging 30-minute speed networking session. Participants then engaged in collaborative group discussions, exchanging insights about their current research and gathering ideas from their peers. Attendees shared their preferences for future event formats, such as hybrid events, walk-and-talk sessions, invited speakers, informal panel discussions, writing sharing, and poster presentations. In terms of session topics, participants highlighted interest in effective research practices (e.g., researchers' emotions, well-being, anxiety, and motivation), fieldwork complexities (e.g., navigating research partnerships and participant recruitment), and data collection and analysis (e.g., methods, tools, and software). Practical themes, including thesis planning and writing, publishing strategies (both academic and non-academic), and AI tools for researchers were also suggested.