Board of Trustees

Doug Cleaver has over 25 years of experience as an academic, having taught and assessed at all levels, and led activities ranging from new course developments to REF submissions. Throughout, he has developed a particular expertise in doctoral provision and, in 2011, he became academic lead for research degrees provision at SHU. He introduced a Doctoral School model in 2014, has overseen innovations such as PGR Learning Contracts, and set up major collaborative programmes with industrial, NHS, and academic partners.

Doug is also a prize-winning Professor of Materials Modelling, publishing regularly in the field of soft condensed matter, and reviewing/​attending funding panels for EPSRC. He has served on the steering committees of several scientific professional body groups, and run national and international conferences.

Doug has supervised over 20 doctorates to completion and examined even more. He has also combined his scientific and PGR specialities by joining the selection panel of the Institute of Physics ​“Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund”, devised to support doctoral students from groups that are currently under-represented in the discipline.

Doug joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2018 and was elected as Chair in July 2021.

Professor de Wilde has worked in the Higher Education sector since 1988, firstly as an academic and then in academic development. After several years as an academic in Bioengineering Department at Imperial College, Janet moved to Scotland— joining Heriot-Watt University then the University of Edinburgh.

In 2011, Janet became the Higher Education Academy as Head of STEM before joining Imperial College London to lead the Professional Development Unit for 8000 postgraduates. In 2020, Janet joined Queen Mary, University of London to lead the Queen Mary Academy, a new unit with the remit to develop excellence in Education and Learning, Teaching Recognition and Researcher Development.

Her interest is focused on improving research culture through inclusivity and change. She hosts an Annual Roundtable Debate to facilitate national postgraduate education.

Janet joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2018 and was elected as Vice-Chair in July 2021.

Julie Sheldon is Dean of the Doctoral Academy at Liverpool John Moores University, where she manages Level 8 awards and postgraduate researcher development 

She has over 25 years’ experience as a research supervisor, and as a PhD examiner. She brings her accumulated experiences of doctoral education to a Research Supervisor module, and leads the Supervisor Development Programme.

Julie is also a Professor of Art History and has published widely on nineteenth and twentieth century art. She remains an active researcher in the subject, although she is increasingly interested in doctoral education, and she is the co-editor (with Victoria Sheppard) of Online Communities for Doctoral Researchers and their Supervisors: Building Engagement with Social Media (Routledge 2021).

Julie joined the Executive in 2018 and was elected as Honorary Secretary in January 2021.

n his 19 years at the OU, James has led on PGR strategy and policy and on the development and production of online training courses and materials for supervisors and PGRs. This allowed him to establish a virtual research environment for PGRs in 2014 across the University and our partner institutions.

James was Director of Research Degrees for the Science Faculty for 5 years with responsibility for leading and managing the Faculty’s 500 PGR students. James became the first Graduate School Director at the Open University, establishing its new Graduate School in 2016 supporting 1000 part-time and full-time PGRs.

James joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2020.

Dr Janet Carton is Head of Graduate Studies and Research Strategy at UCD and currently holds the Vice Presidency of ORPHEUS. 

Her career focus is professional development for research supervisors and doctoral student skills training. She designed and implemented the first Irish, multi-disciplinary supervisor support programme in 2001 at TU Dublin. She has since driven supervisor development nationally and internationally, growing key partnerships and policy (NAIRTL, Universitas 21, ORPHEUS, EUA-CDE, CGS and UKCGE). 

Janet developed and is currently implementing the first supervisor support framework in Ireland at UCD, runs a multi-institutional support programme and key IUA (Irish Universities Association) collaborative initiatives.

Until recently, Karen Clegg led the researcher development function at the University of York where she was responsible for: the design and facilitation of professional development interventions for researchers (PGRs, fellows and academic staff); the creation of strategy and implementation of policy and support for public engagement (3MT, Falling Walls) and knowledge exchange (Enterprise Fellowships). 

Karen is now co-director of the £4.6million, four year Research England funded Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP) designed to transform the culture and practice of research supervision. Karen is well connected in the sector and is an elected member of the BBSRC People and Talent Strategy Advisory Panel, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a trained coach and an accomplished conference speaker.

Karen joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2020 and was re-elected in March 2024.

Kay Guccione is Head of Research Culture and Researcher Development at the University of Glasgow, where she leads a dynamic team of 18 development specialists, culture experts and PGR interns to deliver a complex portfolio of work. Kay is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a National Teaching Fellow, both of which were awarded for strategic impact in postgraduate education. Recent projects include the Hidden Curriculum in Doctoral Education (Palgrave Macmillan), the Value of the Doctorate (research articles), Coaching and Mentoring for Academic Development (Emerald), Thriving in Part-Time Doctoral Study (Routledge), and the ​‘Supervising PhDs’ blog.

Kay joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in March 2024.

Elizabeth Halton completed her Master’s in Developmental Linguistics at UCL in 2007. Since then she has moved through various roles within Higher Education, some concurrently, including in management at the Institute of Psychiatry and Cardiovascular Division at King’s College London, and in teaching at Middlesex and Birkbeck Universities. 

She has been back at UCL since 2015, first managing a £20M+ Neurodegeneration Centre and prestigious Doctoral Training Programme and then joining the Doctoral School. She has been Director of the Doctoral School and Early Career Staff since 2021 where she supports 10k+ ECRs.

Professor Mansour is the Head of Research and Doctoral Programmes at the Royal College of Art. Her career in higher education thus far has given her a broad international background in higher education leadership. 

As a trustee of the UKCGE, Dr Mansour has a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in doctoral education by ensuring equal access to opportunities, addressing barriers and promoting diversity in all its forms. 

Hala joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2021.

Dr Michelle Morgan is currently Dean of Students at the University of East London. Michelle is extensively published in the area of improving the student learning experience at undergraduate and postgraduate taught level in, through and out of the student study journey. Her two edited books that revolve around her Student Experience Transitions Model (SET) are designed to help academic and professional service colleagues support students. She has developed a free portal for staff that provides a range of information and links for anyone interested in improving the student experience in higher education www.improvingthestudentexperience.com

During her varied career, Michelle has been a Faculty Manager, Researcher and Academic. She describes herself as a ​‘Third Space Professional’ student experience practitioner who develops initiatives based on pragmatic and practical research. Michelle has over 50 publications and has presented over 130 national and international conference papers (including 45 keynotes and 30 invited papers).

Prior to her current post, she was Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Student Experience at Bournemouth University. Michelle’s research includes being the creator and PI/​Project Lead of an innovative £2.7 million 11 university collaborative HEFCE grant looking at the study expectations and attitudes of postgraduate taught (PGT) students. The project report received praise from across the sector including UKCGE, OFFA, the HEA and the Engineering Professor’s Council and contributed evidence to the introduction of the Postgraduate Loan Scheme www.postgradexperience.org

In 2005, she was the recipient of a special award from the University of Sussex’s Students’ Union for Outstanding Achievement and Excellence. She is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and Fellow of the AUA. She was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2011 and in 2015 she received the student-led L&T Award from the Students Union at Kingston University. She co-wrote and co-presented a 5 part Radio series for BBC China in 2011 on the student learning experience.

Michelle joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2018.

Tina Ramkalawan is Director of the Graduate School and Reader at Brunel University London, responsible for doctoral and post-doctoral researcher development across the institution. She also leads the Brunel Integrated PhD programme. Tina has an interdisciplinary academic background in psychology, health & medical research. Her own doctoral research at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University of Nottingham, contributed to the establishment of the UK NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme. Tina has worked in academia for over 25 years, at universities including Nottingham Trent University, University College London and Bristol University. She has initiated and managed doctoral and post-doctoral programmes for funders including the MRC and EPSRC. She is a chartered psychologist and a qualified coach and mentor, and has previously served as a co-opted member of the UKCGE Executive Committee.

Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin is Director of Research Culture and Environment and Director of the Doctoral School at Nottingham Trent University. She provides strategic leadership in the area of inclusive research culture, environment and doctoral education, drawing on 18 years of experience. She is currently principal investigator on two major projects in the field of inclusive doctoral education; the Universities for Nottingham Co(l)laboratory Research Hub and Equity in Doctoral Education through Partnership and Innovation (EDEPI). She was a member of the UKRI Bioscience Skills and Careers Strategy Panel (2015–2022) and an expert panel reviewer for the UK Concordat for Researchers (2019). Her research interests lie in higher education management, postgraduate research student experience, widening participation and access to higher education.

Rebekah joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in March 2024.

Experienced in doctoral training partnership management and multi-institutional collaboration, Rachel currently works in the Researcher Academy at the University of Nottingham as a Doctoral Training Partnership Manager, managing the Nottingham BBSRC DTP and acting as Training Lead for the NERC Envision DTP.

She has previously held roles in the University Graduate School at the University of Birmingham and Off Campus Student Affairs at the University of Nottingham. She has significant expertise in equality, diversity and inclusion in the postgraduate space, through the development of successful interventions for recruitment and active work on widening participation to postgraduate study via the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON), taking a particular interest in socio-economic background and postgraduate student support and wellbeing. She has provided advice and guidance to support the development of EDI in postgraduate education across multiple institutions.

Rachel joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2021.

Paul Wakeling is Dean of the York Graduate Research School (from January 2025) and Professor in the Department of Education, University of York. He is a sociologist of (higher) education with special interest in postgraduate education in all its forms. His research has investigated inequalities (ethnicity, gender and social class) in access to and outcomes from postgraduate education, especially within the UK. His work has also included questions of funding and institutional stratification. This has led him to work with a wide range of UK sector bodies on postgraduate policy (at both master’s and doctoral levels), including Research England, UKRI research councils, Office for Students/​HEFCE, the Sutton Trust, and the Martingale Foundation. He is currently leading a workstream within the Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education, having previously been the programme analyst for HEFCE’s Postgraduate Support Schemes in 2013/14 and 2014/15 and a co-author of the Review of the PhD in the Social Sciences.

Paul was co-opted to the UKCGE Trustees in September 2024, with a special focus on taught postgraduates.

Carolyn is the Director of the Doctoral College & Centre for Research Capability and Development at Coventry University with responsibility for 900 doctoral candidates and the strategic leadership for the delivery of quality research degree programmes and researcher development activity from PhD to Professor.

Carolyn has worked in the HE sector for 14 years, in numerous strategic roles supporting PGT and PGR. She is currently the Co-Chair of the UKCGE Graduate School Managers Network, Chair of the University Alliance Head of Graduate Schools Network, and sits on the EUA-CDE thematic steering group for Cotutelle and Dual Award programmes. Carolyn is also about to enrol as a part-time PhD candidate in September 2021.

Carolyn joined the UKCGE Executive Committee in July 2021.