On Tuesday with the support from Vitae and University of Surrey I hosted the Vitae Researcher Development South East Region member seminar. About 30 researcher developers from across the region and beyond attended. The morning was given over to exploring the huge topic of supporting researcher wellbeing. Dr Megan Webb (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology) spoke about the centre’s PhD MOT programme that is working to ensure that any problems are picked up sooner rather than later, when they are more difficult to unravel and can have a stronger impact on the PhD experience and students ability to successfully complete their degree. Our second speaker was Aline Giordano (University of Southampton). Aline presented her research that used a survey and focus groups to identify key issues that impact on PGR wellbeing. Her research identified isolation as a key issue affecting researcher wellbeing and highlight institutional approaches that can support overcoming isolation and build a strong and resilient PGR community.  

During the afternoon we worked with Clare Viney (COE/Vitae) to identify key priorities for the researcher development community going forward.

Thanks so much to our speakers and everyone who attended and supported the event.

If you’re a researcher and want to more information on the theme of researcher wellbeing a Vitae hangout on the topic is available HERE.