An Introduction to PGR — May 2026: A PEP Network Event
On May 20th 2026, the PEP Network ran its regular session taking an overview of the PGR landscape, discussing challenges and looking at upcoming priorities. The session was run under the Chatham House Rule to allow people to speak freely in confidence.
Although this event is usually run by both Network Co-Chairs, on this occasion, Susanna Broom (Head of the Sussex Researcher School) was unable to attend so the event was hosted solely by Kerri Gardiner (Head of the Postgraduate Research Office, University of Cambridge).
Firstly, Kerri introduced herself, followed by a ten-minute icebreaker session for attendees. Then she invited Dr Owen Gower (Director of UKCGE) to give a brief overview of the doctoral landscape. He spoke about the founding of the UKCGE in 1994: “We are all about collegiality and sharing – we’re trying to balance out what we know to be a highly fragmented and competitive sector” he explained. He then looked at some of the data surrounding doctoral study, with the highest proportion of PGRs being in engineering (13%), physical sciences (8%) and biological sciences (8%).
He also spoke about the growing complexity of supervision, which is matching that of the doctorate, with outcomes around employability (for example) being increasingly important. However, recent findings have shown that “those that supervise doctoral candidates really do believe it improves the quality of their own research … it’s not just good for doctoral candidates, it’s good for the research environment as a whole,” he said.
Following several polls amongst the audience about which areas of PGR they would like to prioritise, Kerri introduced the PEP Network. She explained that the aims of the Network included supporting each other and providing CPD. She spoke of regular workshops and clinics on offer, along with the Buddy Scheme which is available to higher education professionals involved in any aspect of the administration or management of postgraduate education and research.
Kerri also talked about her own career journey into PGR and gave an overview of the challenges of the sector, including the need to increase diversity amongst doctoral candidates. Kerri spoke about the challenges of working in this area and the need to advocate for PGRs in institutions are focussed on taught students. A 15-minute breakout session followed, after which Kerri welcomed attendees back. She invited reflections from the floor, which included the impact of recent restructures and how PGR was structured quite differently across institutions as a result. Another attendee spoke about the creation of ‘mini graduate schools’ within faculties (i.e., moving away from a centralised model), and how this can lead to a conflict between methods of information provision.
The event rounded off with a question/discussion opportunity.