Doctoral researchers play an important role in shaping the University of Bath experience. Through representation, roundtables, surveys and other feedback opportunities, doctoral researchers can share their views and influence change on the issues that matter most to them.
Ways to Make Your Voice Heard
Doctoral Roundtables are themed consultations on key topics affecting doctoral researchers, which any doctoral researcher can attend. They provide an opportunity to share experiences, identify challenges and develop recommendations for change that can be presented to relevant University teams.
Previous topics include:
- Transport to and from Campus
- GenAI
We want to make sure that these meetings are focused on the topics that matter most to the doctoral community. If you have an idea for a topic, submit it here.
Throughout the year, there are opportunities to take part in surveys and consultations run by both the University and the SU. These include the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), the University's Be Well Survey, and a range of topic-specific consultations that help shape the doctoral experience at Bath.
Doctoral Representatives are doctoral researchers who gather feedback from their peers and work with the Students' Union and University staff to create positive change. Click the link below to find your Doctoral Rep.
The SU Postgraduate & International Officer is an elected Sabbatical Officer who leads on postgraduate issues within the SU. They work with senior leaders across the University to represent the interests of postgraduate students and improve the student experience.
Find out more about your Postgraduate and International Officer
Doctoral Representatives
Doctoral Representatives are doctoral researchers who gather feedback from their peers and work with the Students' Union and University staff to create positive change. There are Doctoral Rep roles at a programme/department level, faculty/school level, and university level, and reps are one of the main ways that doctoral researchers' voices are included in key decision making. Training, guidance and ongoing support for Doctoral Reps are provided by the Students' Union.
Doctoral Reps represent doctoral researchers in their department or on their programme. They are a key link between their cohort and the Doctoral Director of Studies. They also attend SU Doctoral Executive Council meetings, where they can share updates and concerns from their cohort, and gather best practice from other areas across the University. Read the full role description:
Doctoral Rep Role Description
The Doctoral School Rep represents the School or Management in university-level conversations. They share feedback from Doctoral Reps within the School with the UDSC Rep & Doctoral Exec Chair, ensuring that the School of Management is effectively represented. Read the full role description:
Doctoral School Rep Role Description
Doctoral Faculty Reps represent doctoral researchers in their faculty. They engage Doctoral Reps within their faculty and represent their views in conversations with the faculty's senior leadership. They also share feedback with the UDSC Rep & Doctoral Exec Chair, ensuring that their faculty is effectively represented in university-level decision making. Read the full role description:
Doctoral Faculty Rep Role Description
The UDSC Rep & Doctoral Exec Chair represents doctoral researchers across the University. They engage Doctoral Reps, Doctoral Faculty Reps, and the Doctoral School Rep to ensure that the whole doctoral community is represented in conversations with senior leadership. They chair SU Doctoral Executive Council meetings, helping to shape the agenda with the SU Postgraduate & International Officer. Read the full role description:
UDSC Rep & Doctoral Exec Chair Role Description
What do Doctoral Reps Do?
The main function of Doctoral Reps is to gather feedback from their cohort, and share this with SU and University staff. One of the main ways reps do this is through meetings they attend as part of their roles. Some of these meetings are run by the University, while others are run by the SU:
Doctoral Executive Council
The Doctoral Executive Council is an SU run meeting which brings together all doctoral representatives and the SU Postgraduate & International Officer to discuss key issues that affect the doctoral community across the University.
Student-Staff Liaison Meetings
Student-Staff Liaison Meetings (SSLMs) take place at a department or programme level, and are the main meeting Doctoral Reps attend to share feedback on their cohorts experience. These meetings happen at a departmental level, and include Doctoral Reps and the Doctoral Director of Studies. This is the main place where reps will raise feedback on departmental/programme specific issues.
Faculty Doctoral Studies Committees
Faculty Doctoral Studies Committees (FDSCs) are university committees that discuss the doctoral experience at a faculty level. These meetings are attended by Doctoral Faculty Reps, the Faculty Director of Doctoral Studies, the Associate Dean (research), and all Doctoral Directors of Study within the faculty. This is where Doctoral Faculty Reps can raise faculty-wide issues, and ensure that doctoral researchers' perspectives are considered within faculty-level decision making.
University Doctoral Studies Committee
The University Doctoral Studies Committee (UDSC) is the main meeting where decisions are made about the doctoral experience at a university level. This meeting is attended by the UDSC Rep & Doctoral Exec Chair, the SU Postgraduate & International Officer, and key University decision makers in the doctoral space. This meeting is where many institution-wide policies, plans and approaches are discussed and approved.
Current Doctoral Representation Priorities
Supervision varies widely, and it's important that it can. There's no single, ideal supervisory style. But in some cases, supervisors haven't had the information or the knowledge of best practice to support doctoral students effectively. Given the importance of the role and the ever-changing University environment, it's crucial that supervisors have the training they need.
Aim: Ensure good supervisory practice through the provision of training to all supervisors.
Update:
- There is now a university supervisor hub, with resources and plans to add additional training.
- A new 'Confident Conversations' session has been promoted to supervisors, to help in addressing difficult issues.
- The university has rolled out a new mandatory supervision training, which must be completed for academics to continue taking on new supervisees.
- A paper on supervision has been created, with a range of recommendations to improve the quality of supervision.
Other Opportunities & Support for Doctoral Researchers
A Doctoral Peer Mentor is a doctoral student who has knowledge and experience of starting doctoral studies at Bath. A Doctoral Peer Mentor will support you with the step up to doctoral studies, help you settle into life at Bath and be a point of contact throughout the first three months of your course.
Find out more about Doctoral Peer Mentoring
Need support with an academic, housing or personal issue? The SU Advice team offers free, independent and confidential advice to students.
Find out more about Advice and Support
The Postgraduate Network is a growing community created by postgraduates, for postgraduates. Whether you're a taught master’s student, researcher, doctoral candidate, or mature student, this is your space to connect, unwind, and make the most of your time at Bath.
Find out more about the PG Network
Get the most from your time at University by doing some volunteering alongside studying. Whether you are a doctoral or postgraduate student, there are real benefits to be had.
Find out more about the PG Volunteering
Your SU Postgraduate Officer and the SU Voice staff Team are here to help you if you have any additional questions.
SU Voice Staff Team: su-voice@bath.ac.uk
SU Postgraduate Officer: SUpostgrad@bath.ac.uk