Doctoral Deans & Directors — An Introduction
On October 17th 2025, the DDD Network held another of its regular ‘introduction’ sessions for those who are new to the role of Doctoral Dean or Director.
The event was held online and was co-presented by the Co-Chairs of the DDD Network – Professor Jane Wellens (Staffordshire University) and Dr Nigel Eady (King’s College London) – along with Professor Tracey Newman (University of Southampton). The session was run under the Chatham House Rule, providing a safe space for sharing challenges as well as tips and support.
Welcoming attendees, Professor Wellens said: “For everyone here, in terms of your role – congratulations, you’ve made the first step because you’ve found the UKCGE which is a fantastic network and has a whole host of resources and events to help you navigate through your role.”
Dr Eady, who is Director of Research Talent at King’s, opened the main session with some reflections from someone new-in-post including the concept of using influence rather than power to get things done. He spoke about every day being different in Dean and Director roles and about the importance of protecting your mental health. He also talked specifically about King’s Doctoral College, explaining some of the context in which he works and the strategies which the College has adopted to support students.
Dr Eady then handed over to Professor Newman, who also began by setting out aspects of her role (Director of the Doctoral College at the University of Southampton). Instead of trying to create guidelines she spoke about her experience of the role to date. She explained that the organic growth of the Doctoral College had thrown a spotlight on strategy, and she also shared a snapshot of a typical week. “One of the biggest challenges for me is trying to understand the most effective communication channels to use” she said.
Professor Wellens followed with a presentation about her own role as Director of Research and PGR at the University of Staffordshire. “We have a very diverse PGR community,” she explained, showing statistics around age-group and background. She spoke about “intersectionality” being a major challenge and emphasised the importance of speaking up in meetings about the PGR community because her colleagues are not necessarily focussed on this area.
The session concluded with questions and a group discussion. For those interested in attending in future, there will be a similar session held at the forthcoming DDD Residential Workshop in Bristol next year.