UKCGE Annual Conference — PGR Day

Background

During your postgraduate research degree you develop personally and professionally. Alongside advanced research expertise, postgraduate researchers (PGRs) develop a rich mix of skills, perspectives, and professional strengths that open doors to a wide range of career possibilities — within academia, industry and the third sector. In this conference we will shine a light on these sometimes-overlooked skills, how to identify, grow and articulate them. This conference provides a dedicated, peer-led forum for you as PGRs to share experiences, strategies, and critical reflections on doctoral life, career development, and professional transitions, as well offering some training and development sessions from relevant careers-related experts.

Whether you are studying a ​‘traditional’ PhD, an MPhil, DocMed, professional doctorate or Research Masters, are at the beginning of your PhD, nearing completion, or simply curious about what comes next, this conference offers an open, welcoming, future-focused space in which PGRs can lead sessions, or contribute practical insights, opportunities and challenges, reflective accounts, work-in-progress, and evidence-informed approaches to career planning, the career journey and professional development.

Call for Papers

Who can submit?

The conference is open to postgraduate researchers at all stages of your research degree across all disciplines. Contributions should be accessible to a broad, interdisciplinary PGR audience, focus on practical insights, reflective learning, or evidence‑informed approaches and offer ideas, experiences, or strategies that other PGRs can learn from or be inspired by.

We particularly encourage submissions from early-stage researchers, underrepresented groups, and first-time presenters.

This PGR conference is a precursor to the UKCGE Annual Conference, also taking place at the University of Liverpool 2–3 July, 2026. PGRs attending the PGR day are also welcome to attend the main UKCGE conference at a discounted rate.

Themes and Topics

We invite contributions that open conversations around and share personal experiences of the following themes:

The Postgraduate Researcher Career Experience

• Can we consider the doctorate itself as career development? How can we unpack the skills, experiences and attributes gained during a research degree? How these can be showcased and used to guide your career planning?
• Navigating the PhD career journey: managing expectations, opportunities, challenges, imposter feelings, wellbeing, resilience, and work-life balance
• Establishing your PGR identity: becoming a postgraduate researcher. What this experience has involved, what skills have you needed to grow? What will you need to develop to make your next step? How will you or have you navigated professional identity changes? (If you’ve had a career before embarking on your research degree you may have a great insight to share into this!)
• Exploring supervision, mentoring, building professional networks, research cultures and communities, independent working
• Fostering interdisciplinary and collaborative doctoral experiences about career progression
• Discussing research commercialisation and setting up a business
• What opportunities have you found/​made/​taken during your research degree? How did you do it? what tips do you have for others?
   

Career Pathways and Professional Futures

• What does actively prioritising your career development look like to you as a PGR?
• Growing your transferrable career skills/​attributes confidence as developed during your research degree
• Considering academic career trajectories, norms and expectations
• Exploring careers in industry, policy, public engagement, third sector, and entrepreneurship
• Discussing international careers and global mobility
• What tips do you have for others? What do you wish you knew at the start that you know now?
   

Job Searching and Applications

• What does career development look like in the wild?
• Identifying career opportunities that align with your interests and values
• Understanding different employment landscapes: academic vs non-academic job markets
• Tailoring applications for different sectors
• Developing your online presence, networking, and professional identity.
   

CVs, Cover Letters and Interviews

• How can you promote yourself, your skills and experiences in the right way to the right people?
• Writing effective academic CVs vs industry résumés, cover letters and personal statements
• Preparing for interviews, presentations and assessment centres
• Translating doctoral research into accessible narratives for employers.
   

Funding, Grants and Bid Writing

• How can you keep building your researcher profile to establish an academic career post-PhD?
• Applying for fellowship and grant applications
• Creating early-career funding strategies
• Learning from peer review experiences
• Developing funding narratives and impact statements.
   

Skills, Growth and Professional Development

• What other skills and professional development have you undertaken that can support your future career?
• Teaching, leadership, and project management skills
• Public engagement, science communication and outreach
• Digital, data and methodological skills
• Publishing journal articles, book reviews, blog posts, monographs
• Reflective practice and career planning tools.
   

Wider Perspectives

We also encourage proposals that explore:

• Equality, diversity and inclusion
• Accessibility and inclusive research cultures
• First generation doctoral experiences
• Positive change and innovation in doctoral education.
   

Hackathon Workshop

One of the sessions is intended to be an interactive careers hackathon where you can pitch a 5‑minute career-related challenge or problem for the room to discuss and provide constructive, practical solutions. Hackathon pitches can cover any of the above points, or any other career-relevant topic.

Types of Contributions

We welcome a variety of engaging formats, including:

• 20-minute research papers (work-in-progress, empirical, conceptual, or reflective)
• 5‑minute hackathon pitches
• Practice-based or skills-focused presentations
• Interactive workshops
• PGR-Led panel discussions
• Short talks or lightning presentations
• Interdisciplinary, collaborative, and innovative formats are particularly encouraged.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts of 250–300 words should clearly outline:

• The title of the session
• The focus and purpose of the contribution
• The proposed format
• Key ideas or takeaways for a PGR audience.

Please include the presenter’s name, institution, discipline, and year of study (post-PhDs/Early Career Researchers are also welcome!).

Submission deadline: Friday 27th March, 2026.

Submission email: researcher@liverpool.ac.uk.