PDRA/RA communications survey – we would love you to share your views

With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, the Graduate and Researcher College would love to hear from Postdoctoral Research Associates, Research Associates and Research Assistants about how best we can communicate with each other.

To kick-start the conversation, we have created a short survey which we are asking you to complete to guide us in the right direction.

The research environment is constantly changing, never more so this year, and the GRC remit has recently been expanded to support you in your ongoing development as a researcher.

Please help us to help you by letting us know how you would like us to engage with you. The link to the survey has been sent to relevant staff – please email kentgrc@kent.ac.uk if you haven’t received it.

Graduate and Researcher College Deputy Dean

The Graduate and Researcher College is delighted to announce that Dr Tim Hopthrow, Reader in Psychology, will be the GRC’s Deputy Dean from 1st April for 9 months. Professor Paul Allain will remain as Dean whilst seconded to REF Sub-Panel 33: Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies. He will continue to focus on the GRC’s new remit for supporting all academic staff who research with Dr Hopthrow focusing on Graduate Studies. Together and with the rest of the GRC team as well as Divisional and PSD colleagues they will be developing the GRC’s new strategy for approval in the autumn, recognising its new scope and updating its mission.

Dr Hopthrow has been Deputy Dean for the Social Sciences, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, a key figure in the development of the university’s Signature Research Themes, and has had extensive involvement in Graduate Studies, at Kent and beyond, in particular for our Social Science Consortium SeNSS. Professor Shane Weller, who chaired the appointment panel, said “Tim comes with a wealth of leadership experience, and I very much look forward to working with him in this new capacity as the GRC focuses on its wider remit, supporting both our postgraduate community and our researchers throughout their career.”