Doctoral Deans & Directors’ Network — Residential Workshop 2026
The annual DDD Residential Workshop was held on February 26th and 27th 2026 in Bristol, offering a variety of topics for discussion including reinventing the doctorate, distance learning and UKRI updates.
The DDD network is co-chaired by Dr Jane Wellens (Director of Research & Postgraduate Research and Associate Professor of Graduate Education at the University of Staffordshire) and Dr Nigel Eady (Director of Research Talent, King’s College London). It remains a crucial forum through which Doctoral Deans and Directors can develop their professional identities and grapple with questions and issues that few people in their home institutions appreciate.
At this year’s Residential, the liveliness of the discussions and ‘world-cafe’ sessions emphasised the value of the Network and the benefit of spending 24 hours away from the day job, with headspace to consider strategic issues with peers and expert input.
To kick off, the organisers reprised a popular session for those who are new to Doctoral Dean and Director roles, helping colleagues to get a sense of the top-level issues. Once that had finished, the main event got underway, during which attendees grappled with various topics including:
- Developments relating to UKRI’s New Deal for PGRs — including early discussion of work UKRI are doing to understand the full economic cost of the doctorate.
- Reimagining the doctorate to attract new doctoral populations and respond to the industrial strategy’s drive to develop the UK’s research and innovation capacity.
- The changing nature of doctoral education since Covid-19, particularly in relation to ‘at-distance’ doctorates.
After the event, members of the Network reported positively on the opportunity to network and problem-solve in a friendly, collegiate enevironment.