Meet our August 2024 Wows...

This month we're celebrating Warwick Wow winners who offer holistic emotional, academic and pragmatic support for postgraduate researchers (PGRs).

Want to say well done? You can congratulate our winning colleagues in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Researcher Development Online Facilitator Team, Doctoral College

The team work with PGRs to address challenges and concerns, offering peer-based solutions and connections.

In response to Covid-19, the team designed an online coaching model of teaching & facilitating. This approach has been replicated in multiple institutions and informs teaching practice within this area.

The facilitators' ability to adapt, alter and empathise with PGRs has led to the success of the sessions and hugely positive feedback.

96% of researchers would recommend the sessions.

Working online allows PGRs to join from whichever country they are in, helping those with other commitments, such as family or work, to find PhD support and training.

Wow Transcript

Stuart: Our Wows are for teams that have gone above and beyond in their contribution to help support our community and to develop us. And today’s winner is the Researcher Development Team that sit within the Doctoral College and they do tremendous work with our research students to help them learn the skills they need, to develop, to support them as they go through their studies into being successful in their careers subsequently. And today, for the first time, we’re going to have a surprise on a Teams call. So let’s see how it goes.

Luana: And I created a whole new week on Spring Term for those on waiting lists, but I think that on Spring…Hi. Hello?

Michele: Oh, you’re on mute still.

Stuart: The system’s put me on mute. Hello everybody. The look of astonishment on your faces is lovely to, is lovely to see. One of us knows what’s going on and it’s you, isn’t it, Michelle? You know what’s going on.

Michele: Yeah.

Stuart: The rest of you I think don’t know what’s going on. No facial expressions tells me you don’t know what’s going on. And this could be good news or bad news. It’s good news! It’s good news everybody. Because this is the first time actually we’ve ever done a virtual award of one of our Wows or Wonders. Because you wonderful people have been put forward.

You’ve been nominated for award of one of our Wows for all the fantastic work that you do to support the researchers across the campus. And I don’t know how you feel, you possibly feel that sometimes your work is a little bit unnoticed and unsung. But today we’re going to sing about it.

And so the fantastic work that you do, and one of the wonderful things, I just want to get this right. One of the wonderful things the nominator said is that not only do you provide, you know, lots of support in, in skills and so on, but it’s the holistic, emotional, academic and pragmatic support that you give to our researcher population, which is so fantastically important.

And that was one of the things that you were nominated for. Also, in terms of the nominations, there's great emphasis here on how you stepped up collectively as a team through Covid and post Covid and have just kept up that level of intensity in such a brilliant way.

So, thank you all for that as well. It's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be able to, even though it's virtual and to be able to say to you all thank you. And yes, a round of applause. That's what Michelle says. A round of applause. A round of applause. Thank you so much.

Stuart commented as he presented the award:

"They do tremendous work with our research students to help them learn the skills they need, to develop, to support them as they go through their studies into being successful in their future careers."

The team's lead Michele Underwood told us:

"We've learned together and we find solutions to our collective problems together to figure out how we do the best for the PGR community.

They're an exceptionally good team. I am so very proud of them. And it's really nice to see that the University is now recognising them as well. It's lovely.

We're all still active researchers, so we contribute to the research and development academic community. We look at what works for us and then talk to the wider community to share knowledge and support."

The team commented when they won the award:

"Dealing with isolation when you're sat in your bedroom and you've got no one to talk to is hard. We've been able to offer real specific support at the right time, in the right place, in the right way."

"I remember when I was in year two of my PhD, still feeling lost. We're able to support them and recognise and hear what they need as well. It's just been a huge privilege."

"This team has been wonderfully supportive and inclusive and creative. It's also flexible. We're listening to what the PGRs say and then we're adapting what we do every term."

Share your support for the winners in the comments below!

3 page comments