Our Values
The Doctoral Values set out the kind of research culture we want postgraduate research at Warwick to reflect and support. Co-created with Warwick PGRs, they articulate shared principles for a doctoral experience that is inclusive, respectful, collaborative and developmental. They are intended to help shape how doctoral research is understood and experienced across the University — within supervision, departments, peer communities and the wider research environment.
These values are not just statements of aspiration: they form part of Warwick’s wider commitment to positive research culture and to creating conditions in which PGRs can thrive academically, professionally and personally. They are for all postgraduate researchers, across all disciplines, and invite ongoing reflection and conversation throughout the doctoral journey.
On this page you can explore the values themselves. If you would like to learn more about how the project was developed, including the co-creation process behind it, visit the Doctoral Values Project page.
The Five Doctoral Values
Community & Belonging
Learning & Development
Recognition & Empowerment
Supporting the Whole Researcher
Compassionate Supervision
Community and Belonging
Belonging is more than just inclusion—it’s feeling like you matter.
This value speaks to creating a culture where everyone feels welcome, included, and appreciated—regardless of background, location, funding, or mode of study.
Learning and Personal Growth
This value invites a culture that nurtures growth as it happens.
Growth includes gaining resilience, building new skills, and redefining what success means - especially when facing rejection, imposter feelings, or shifting career paths.
Recognition and Empowerment
PGRs want to be seen—not just as students, but as valuable contributors to the academic community.
By embracing a culture of recognition and inclusion, we can ensure that every researcher feels supported and appreciated.
Supporting the Whole Researcher
To support the researcher is to see them fully—not just as students, but as people with lives, struggles, and dreams.
This value challenges institutions to acknowledge the whole person behind the research. Support should be embedded, proactive, and inclusive of varying life circumstances.
Compassionate Supervision
Compassion in supervision isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity.
At its best, supervision is a space for trust, care, and academic flourishing. To ensure this becomes the norm, we must embrace a cultural shift—one that prioritizes empathy, transparency, and shared accountability across the research community.
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