Raising the visibility of doctoral research at Warwick
Project Overview
The Doctoral College is launching a new initiative, supported by Enhancing Research Culture funding, to increase the visibility, recognition, and celebration of the vital contributions made by Warwick’s doctoral researchers. Doctoral researchers play a central role in the University’s research excellence, culture, and impact. Yet we know—from student feedback, academic colleagues, and the Warwick Research Culture Survey—that their contributions are not always fully acknowledged. This project is a key step toward addressing that gap.
The aim of this project is to identify a solution to capturing the full, diverse range of doctoral student contributions to research and, in doing so, to facilitate active recognition of these contributions.
The objectives are:
- to scope and specify the solution (tool and data collection methodology);
- begin the collation of historic and current doctoral contributions to research;
- and take advantage of opportunities to showcase what we learn through the project (such as at the PGR Festival).
The project aims to encompass all doctoral research and to be inclusive of every doctoral student’s contribution. We will focus on existing students, but also work with key stakeholders to collect the stories of graduates.
Our Approach
The project will begin by collating existing information on doctoral researcher contributions. This initial mapping will allow us to:
- Identify the types of data that should be included in the repository
- Determine effective and sustainable methods for ongoing data collection
- Explore and test potential models and platforms for hosting the online repository
Given the project’s timeframe, we do not anticipate completing a full repository during this phase. Instead, we aim to establish a strong, evidence‑based foundation that the Doctoral College can develop into a sustainable, long‑term resource.
Why this matters?
Warwick’s PGRs have consistently told us that recognition is essential to a positive doctoral experience.
This initiative supports:
- A stronger, more inclusive research culture
- Warwick’s ambitions for future REF submissions
- Attraction and retention of excellent doctoral researchers
- Alignment with sector-wide work led by the Russell Group and UK Council for Graduate Education
Recognising PGR contributions is also one of the five key strands of Warwick’s PGR Strategy, making this project a crucial step in delivering that vision.
Project Team
The project team is led by the Head of the Doctoral College, Rhiannon Martyn, together with Louise Sutcliffe, Postgraduate Student Development Officer, and is supported by an ECRF‑funded project assistant, Youn Affejee.
We will work collaboratively with doctoral researchers and key University stakeholders, including academic departments, Research and Impact Services, Warwick Alumni, the Students’ Union, and Marketing and Communications.
If you would like to be involved, please contact Louise Sutcliffe at: doctoralcollege@warwick.ac.uk