Doctoral Academy PGR Rep System

The Doctoral Academy (DA) is committed to ensuring that all our PGRs have a positive learning and research experience. Having a positive research culture for PGRs is a key priority for the DA and we see PGR Reps as vital in creating and maintaining this. The DA have a research cultural statement that was co-produced with PGRs.

We define Research Culture as encompassing the environment in which all research is designed, conducted and communicated, and set four core goals.

We have created a useful interactive toolkit to help reps understand more about the role.

There are two types of PGR Rep roles within the FBMH DA rep scheme; School PGR Reps and Divisional PGR Reps.

All reps are listed on the website via a contact list and also in a table which links to your PURE profile. This enables PGRs to find out a little more about their reps. Please ensure that you send your PURE Profile link to the DA Experience Team.

If you no longer feel able to fulfil this commitment, please email the PGR Experience Team so that a replacement rep can be identified. If you are able to identify a replacement before you step down then this is great appreciated and preferred. We understand that research and other pressures fluctuate and life intervenes. However, if you cannot fulfil the role and you don’t let us know it will leave your PGRs unrepresented.  

School reps must be in their first or second year on appointment. Your programme end date must be a minimum of two years from when you take on the School rep role.

If you are an MPhil PGR and considering taking on this role, please get in touch with the DA Experience Team (fbmh.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk) for a chat. As a pilot from September 2024, the School rep role will receive a £150 monthly stipend. Failure to meet these expectations or sufficiently engage with the role may lead to the withdrawal of the stipend enhancement at the discretion of the Doctoral Academy Lead for PGR Experience.

When you agree to be a School rep, this is for a minimum of 12 months. The DA will ask you to sign an agreement which confirms that you have spoken with your supervisor and that you are happy to undertake the role for a minimum of 12 months.

You will have quarterly one-to-one meeting with the DA Experience Team. This will give you the opportunity to discuss how you feel the role is going and if you have any concerns.

Responsibilities include:

• Each rep is responsible for representing a defined group of PGRs. It is your responsibility to ensure PGRs in your cohort know who you are, how to contact you and that you are available and respond in a timely manner.
• Monitor and manage effective communication with PGRS in your division.
• Know your limits. You are not responsible for solving every problem. Most often you will be signposting PGRs to where they can receive help. If in doubt, refer PGRs to the DA. (fbmh.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk), who can advise.
• Share examples of best practice with other reps, Tutors and the DA.
• Create and manage PGR specific social media platforms, such as X and Instagram. This includes posting about meetings, events and opportunities and may involve using the Reps Teams channel.
• Collate articles of activities which have been ran throughout the year for a DA newsletter.
• Responsibility for the Divisional Rep scheme within your School, including:
  • collate information to/from the divisional reps of ongoing issues;
  • liaise with Divisional reps to identify issues within your School and signpost to solutions;
  • report feedback from Divisional reps to the School/DA;
  • report feedback from the DA to Divisional reps;
  • support and mentor new reps;
  • succession planning and support the identification of new PGR Division reps;
  • monitor and manage effective communication with Divisional reps.
• Keep the list of Divisional reps up to date.
• Work with the divisional reps and DA throughout the year to review the Research Culture activity.
• Set the yearly budget with the DA.
• Alongside the Divisional reps, organise, oversee and attend local events including seminar series, socials, conferences and coffee mornings. Motivating and encouraging various PGR activities during meetings and via email.
• Help plan and attend yearly induction events.
• Meetings to attend:
  • Doctoral Academy Leadership Team (DALT) meetings (monthly); have an item on the agenda providing the opportunity to raise any issues, requests or questions on behalf of the Divisional reps and the wider student community, feeding back developments to PGRs. As well has having the opportunity to feedback good practice and contribute to Faculty decisions and projects.
  • Pre DALT meeting with the DA PGR Experience Team, to collate all school feedback to communicate at DALT (this happens once a month the week before DALT).
  • PGR Forums to create a vibrant and engaged committee (1-2 per semester). NOTE: The school rep organises (including writing and circulating agendas), chairs and attends (including minuting the meetings, unless it is agreed that a Divisional rep shall undertake this role).
  • Postgraduate Research Committees (monthly) with the Divisional Senior Tutors, PGR Director and members of the DA; have an item on the agenda providing the opportunity to raise any issues, requests or questions on behalf of the Divisional reps and the wider student community, feeding back developments to PGRs. Having the opportunity to feedback good practice and contribute to Faculty decisions and projects. Contribute to School decisions and projects.
• At least one school rep must attend all of the welcome and induction events (October, February and October).
• Feed into and support the PGR Experience team in ensuring the PGR voice is heard in ad hoc decisions.
• Support and develop PGR rep lead training events in liaison with the Experience team.
• Attend at least one PGR rep training event run by the DA per year.
• Input into website updates.

 NB: undertaking this role is not mitigation for an extension.

You can become a Divisional rep at any point during your research degree. This is a great role to undertake if you aspire to become a School rep.

When you agree to be a Divisional rep this is for a minimum of 12 months. The DA will ask you to sign an agreement which confirms that you have spoken with your supervisor and that you are happy to undertake the role for a minimum of 12 months.

Responsibilities include:

• Each rep is responsible for representing a defined group of PGRs. It is your responsibility to ensure PGRs in your cohort know who you are, how to contact you and that you are available and respond in a timely manner.
• Monitor and manage effective communication with PGRS in your division
• Know your limits. You are not responsible for solving every problem. Most often you will be signposting PGRs to where they can receive help. If in doubt, refer PGRs to the DA (FBMH.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk) who can advise.
• Liaise regularly, share examples of best practice and develop feedback mechanisms to identify issues and concerns with other reps, Tutors and the DA.Support the School reps in collating information for social media platforms, such as X and Instagram. This includes posting about meetings, events and opportunities and may involve using the Reps Teams channel.
• Disseminate information and feedback to/from the School rep/DA from the PGR community
• Support and work alongside the School rep to organise divisional events
• Attend Rep Forums (1-2 per semester). There should be one representative from each division in attendance at every meeting. If no rep is able to attend then an update must be submitted beforehand.
• One rep from each division must attend the October induction event. If notified by School reps of new starters in January and April, then one divisional rep must attend the February and May induction events. In addition, attend at least one training event run by the DA per year

Please refer to the programme-specific handbooks for details of their rep schemes.

If you are interested in becoming a School Rep, please speak with your supervisor in the first instance to inform them that you are intending on applying for the position. Then submit an expression of interest to the DA:

Email: FBMH.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk

If you are interested in becoming a Divisional Rep, please speak with your supervisor in the first instance to inform them that you are intending on applying for the position. Then complete the expression of interest form.

We have created a useful interactive toolkit to help reps be an active voice and communicate effectively in this role.

Within such a large Faculty it is really important that two-way communication is effective. PGR reps are central to ensuring this works well. 

You can find more information about who the rep communicates with and why in the interactive toolkit.

The DA will provide reps at the start of their appointment with up-to-date contact information of your PGRs and other staff relevant to your role e.g. other reps within your School, Divisional Senior Tutor and tutors.

As a PGR rep, your role is to:

• Provide both positive and negative feedback to staff.
• Act as a communication channel between staff and PGRs.
• Provide feedback to staff and PGRs and close the feedback loop (see below)

How Do You Feedback Effectively? Find out in the interactive toolkit.

 Click on your reps name to find out more about them.

Click on your reps name to find out more about them.

Click on your reps name to find out more about them.

If you have been particularly impressed by the actions of your local PGR Rep, there is a PGR Representative category in the PGR Excellence Awards.

Our PGRs have organised many events and activities for PGRs in their Schools, Divisions and programmes. PGR rep activities include attending careers seminar series, coffee mornings, sports days and International Women's Day initiatives.

If you feel a Rep deserves a shoutout for their hard work, please get in touch with us for Reps to have a special mention in the monthly Doctoral Academy PGR Bulletin.

Email: FBMH.doctoralacademy@manchester.ac.uk