What Are We Doing? 

We’ve completed a comprehensive review of PGR office spaces across all buildings on the Canterbury campus. The aim is to define, upgrade, and expand PGR dedicated spaces where needed. 

Why Are We Doing This? 

We’re aware of significant disparities in the facilities and access provided to PhD and Master’s By Research students across different schools. This review addresses those inconsistencies. 

What Are We Aiming to Achieve? 

We want all PGR students to have a broadly comparable experience, while still meeting subject-specific needs. 

What space is currently available to you as a PhD/M-Res Student?  

School-Provided Office Spaces: Availability and quality vary significantly between schools. 

Study Hubs: 

• A number of study hubs available on campus for all students to use 
• The Senate Study Hub (Postgraduate-only) offers 39 PCs, 6 individual carrels, and 2 double carrels for collaborative work. Open 24/7 with KentOne card access. 

Campus Lounges 

• Campus lounges are available for all students (lounges are not specifically designated for postgraduate researchers). 

Bookable Rooms 

• Meeting rooms and private offices can be booked via SharePoint. 

Note: This review focuses specifically on PGR office spaces within schools. 

Key Outcomes from the Review 

• Dedicated Spaces: Functional, dedicated PGR spaces (where appropriate) will be provided within each school, sized to meet student numbers and research needs. 

• Modernisation: Smaller, outdated rooms will be phased out in favour of larger, more collaborative, modern spaces. 

• Clear Communication: Details of available PGR spaces will be published via MyKent on the University’s website. 

• Flexible Desk Spaces: Schools are advised to offer non-dedicated desk spaces to accommodate future growth, though individual schools can decide their allocation approach. 

• Accessibility: Students with specific access needs will continue to be provided with dedicated, fully equipped desks. 

• 24/7 Access: Wherever possible, PhD spaces will be accessible 24/7. 

What’s new?  

Arts and Architecture: 

• In addition to existing space in Jarman, a new ground-floor PGR area with 10 desks will be created, a significant upgrade from the Elliot spaces. 

Humanities: 

• New spaces established in Cornwallis Central and George Allen buildings following the school’s relocation. 

Psychology: 

• Two new rooms in Keynes, adding capacity for 20 additional desks. 

Natural Sciences: 

• A number of additional rooms transformed into office space, adding capacity for an additional 35 desks.  

Kent Law School (KLS): 

• An area in Eliot has been transformed into a dedicated PhD office. 

In addition to the above, a potential new PGR specific space within the Templeman library has also been identified. 

What’s Being Phased Out? 

• Eliot, Rutherford, and Rutherford Extension: 

Small, outdated offices to be closed, replaced by modern, brighter spaces. 

• Eliot Extension: 

Older rooms to be closed in favour of a new KLS space within Eliot itself. 

What’s changing? 

• Some reallocation of certain existing spaces to align with the new School structure.  

What’s Staying the Same? 

Current PhD office spaces in the following schools/subject areas will remain unchanged: 

• Computing 

• Kent Business School (KBS) 

• Social Sciences 

• Engineering 

• Mathematics 

• Conservation 

• Economics 

• Politics & International Relations 

• Sports & Exercise Science 

Our Global Skills Award Ceremony took place on 10 June, it was another year of outstanding achievements by our Master’s students. The GSA is for Postgraduate Taught students and is designed to enhance global awareness and improve employability through a programme of workshops and postgraduate talks.

Our programme offered sessions that cover various topics, including intercultural communication, leadership skills, presentation skills, managing stress, working under pressure and support in academic writing. In 2024-2025 we had truly exceptional talks that were as thought provocative as informative:

Climate Change and You by Jake Bicknell
Research at Kent: Shaping the future
The benefits of biodiversity for our health and wellbeing by Jessica Fisher
Exploring Global Cultures
2035 and the Future of AI by Tommy Hills
“Look What You Made Me Do”: Taylor Swift & 21st Century Feminist Practice by Claire Hurley
OnlyFans and The Politics of Pornography by Iain MacKenzie

I really enjoyed the lectures and workshops I attended; the practical know-how is very useful and some of the lectures were fascinating with one in particular providing an unexpected perspective on my, completely unrelated, course.

Julia Benning, MA Philanthropic Studies

The programme is designed to broaden students’ understanding of global issues and current affairs. While developing their personal skills it also enhances their career prospects. In today’s job market it is particularly valued to have exceptional skills and be aware of the global challenges. Our students’ achievements inspire us all and it is remarkable to see their determination and dedication to excel.

Congratulations to all of you once again and all the best on your journey ahead.

The GRC has recently hosted the 3 Minute Thesis Competition that celebrates the exciting research conducted by PhD students. The competition encourages the participants to explain their project in under 3 minutes in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. It is also a perfect tool to develop academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

As a judge at Kent’s semi-finals, I knew I was in for something special. I was amongst passionate researchers from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds and, what’s more, these were students who had dedicated time and effort to hone their storytelling skills at workshops run by the GRC in the run up to the competition. They understood exactly how to bring out the ‘wow factor’ in their research.

Emily Collins, GRC 3MT 2025 Judge

This year has proved to be another year of celebrating success achieved by our students, we had the honour to learn about the long-term impact of covid-19 and the risk of developing dementia, ESG washing cycle and climate misrepresentation dynamics, the symbolic annihilation of Ddisplaced Syrian and Afghan associations in Turkey and much more. It was an absolute pleasure to hear about the fascinating projects of our researchers.

It was quite a challenge for our judges to select top 6 for the final because every researcher showed their passion, dedication and originality. On 27 May we were honoured to witness 6 remarkable presentations:

“Analysing and Mitigating Security Risks in AI Systems” by Adel Elzemity

“Rethinking Coastal Living: Health, Data, and Definitions” by Salmaan Ansari

“Can 6G Handle 30 Billion Devices by 2030?” by Hazim Abdulsada

“Complexity of Trauma and Agency among late-diagnosed Autistic Women within Frameworks of Social Power” by Katrine Callander

“Sexual Geographies and the Gentrified City: An Exploration of London’s Kings Cross” by Katelyn Owens

“Move Together, Think Together: How Synchrony Shapes Self-Other Representation” by Chloe Bates

We are pleased to announce that the runner up of Kent 3MT 2025 is Katelyn Owens and the winner is Chloe Bates. Congratulations!

Understanding and learning to communicate how a research project meets local or global needs can increase chances of securing further research funding, attracting positive media attention and engaging those who might put your research into action. Those who master this can change the world!

Emily Collins, GRC 3MT 2025 Judge

Are you a PhD researcher at the University of Kent in your third year (FTE) or beyond? Are you considering a career outside of academia but unsure where to start? If so, the Career Planning Beyond Academia Retreat on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th May 2025 is designed just for you.

This retreat provides a dedicated space to reflect on your future, explore career options beyond academia, and develop practical strategies to navigate the transition.

Over two days, our expert speakers will guide discussions and interactive sessions covering key topics such as:

• Work out what you actually want;
• Prepare to get a job;
• Transfer your PhD skills;
• Manage the transition ‘out’ of academia;
• Make good career decisions

This retreat is not just about career planning; it’s about wellbeing and reflection too. You’ll have the opportunity to take part in yoga, a wellbeing walk, and a social dinner, allowing you to connect with fellow researchers in a relaxed setting.

The Career Planning Beyond Academia Retreat
Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th May 2025
University of Kent, Canterbury Campus, Cornwallis East, 3rd floor

Register here

Download the Programme here

This retreat is a fantastic opportunity to gain clarity, confidence, and practical tools to take the next step. Reserve your place today.

We are looking forward to seeing you all there.

Can you capture years of research in just three minutes? The Three Minute Thesis (3MT), developed by The University of Queensland, challenges PhD researchers to present their work clearly and concisely to a non-specialist audience.

The 3MT will help you to:

• Develop your research communication, public engagement, presentation and public speaking skills
• Give you the ability to share your research with a non-expert audience
• Provide networking opportunities
• Help you to reflect on the context and impact of your research

Apart from the invaluable experience, there are also prizes. The winner receives £300, while the runner-up is awarded £100 to be used towards training, development, or their research expenses.

Kent’s 2024 3MT winner, Becky McNeill (PhD in Forensic Psychology), shared her reflections on the competition (read the full article here):

“Even if you are lucky enough to attend plenty of conferences during your studies, the 3MT competition is a great chance to demonstrate an ability to present your research in a clear, succinct manner to an audience who may not be experts in your field, or may not even be that familiar with it at all.”

This year the GRC holds the following events to support you with your 3MT presentation:

• Research Communication: Presenting Your Work with Confidence, Wednesday 26 March, online
• 3MT Presentation Training, Tuesday 15th April 2025, online 
• 3MT Peer Practice Session, Tuesday 20 May 2025, in person

The 3MT semi final will take place on 21 May and the final will be held on 27 May.

Don’t miss out on this chance to share your work, inspire others, and take your research to a new level in just three minutes.

Register here before 10am on 06 May to be considered. All active PhD researchers who have had their probation review (1st year) and not had their viva (final year) by 21st May are eligible to enter.

On 27 February the Black Intellectuals Society, in collaboration with the Graduate and Researcher College, hosted an inspiring and thought-provoking panel discussion on the experiences of Black PhD students and academics. This inspiring event brought together an incredible group of speakers who shared their personal journeys, the challenges they’ve faced, and the insights they’ve gained while navigating the world of academia as Black researchers.

We had a pleasure to hear from 5 speakers:

“The Weighted Waiting Game; Application process” – Wayne Mitchell

“Ignorance is not bliss: what every potential Black PhD science student needs to know” – Jason Amartey

“Challenging Institutional Discrimination” – Hannah Akalu

“The Importance of Black Support Networks” – William Ackah

“Navigating academia post PhD” – Barbara Adewumi

Attendees had the chance to engage with the panel through a lively Q&A session, the discussion was rich with meaningful conversations.

It was an incredibly insightful and inspiring evening. Attendees, including myself, resonated with a lot of what was shared and felt inspired to pursue studying a PhD.

Esther Adebiyi

This event offered invaluable perspectives and inspiration and we are grateful to everyone who joined us and contributed to making this event such a success.

Last week the GRC held the second Exploring Global Cultures PG Talk this academic year which is an inspiring event where we celebrate diversity here at Kent.

This time we had 3 wonderful presenters that took us on a journey to visit Nigeria, Turkey and the United States from the perspective of a Bengali-American.

I enjoyed presenting and sharing my culture with others. It is also really cool learning about other people’s cultures. Although different cultures have differences, there is always a shared love for appreciating other cultures.

Sreejita Ghose

Each presenter showed us how beautiful and diverse our world is and how we should appreciate our differences and value what we have in common.

Upon seeing the email about presenting about your country at a PG talk, I was immediately conflicted. Part of me wanted to jump at the opportunity, as I viewed it as a way to push myself out of my comfort zone and improve my public speaking skills. The other part of me didn’t think I was qualified enough to present about Nigeria, as I was raised in the UK and had only visited Nigeria once. Despite being ethnically Nigerian, I knew little about the country other than what my parents told me. I’ve struggled with feeling ‘Nigerian enough’ for years, especially with me not speaking my native language (Igbo). I was scared I would be judged by Nigerian audience members in the crowd, who could actually call Nigeria their homeland. Despite these fears and uncertainties, I felt pulled to volunteer. My parents, although surprised, encouraged me. I researched hard, wanting to ensure I was presenting only accurate information, and spent hours deciding the correct design. In the end, to the glory of Jesus, the presentation came together. On the day to present, I was surprisingly nervous beyond belief. Would I speak too fast? Would I mispronounce things? Praying about these fears did calm me down, but the stress persisted. I really wanted to make my family proud and represent Nigeria correctly. When I think back to presenting, it is a blur. Everything went slow yet amazingly fast at the same time. The moments that stand out to me is the aftermath – when I received applause and was told by someone who was in the audience ‘thank you for representing Nigeria’. That’s when I knew I had done my country proud.

Chidubem Obosi

It’s been a wonderful experience to have such beautiful presentations where we could see the love and admiration for your home countries and the fascinating impact they have on your life. It is truly a privilege for us to host this fantastic event that serves us as a reminder that our world is a great place where we can admire and celebrate each other’s backgrounds and cultures.