Olympic Win for UKCGE’s Annual Conference

On July 4th/5th 2024 we welcomed delegates to University College London for our Annual Conference, which looked at the diverse impacts of postgraduate education. The event took place on UCL’s East campus, located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It comprised a packed programme which covered everything from PGR employability to the lessons which Covid-19 has taught us about student wellbeing.
Proceedings opened with a welcome and introduction from Professor David Bogle: Pro-Vice-Provost at UCL, followed by a keynote by Elizabeth Halton entitled ‘Is it worthwhile embedding impact into doctoral training?’ Elizabeth (who is both a Trustee of UKCGE and the Director of UCL’s Doctoral School) looked at the rapid growth in doctoral education since 1991, which she said was mirrored across Europe. She also analysed employment destinations and encouraged a definition of impact that went beyond REF to encompass better critical thinking, the creation of new communities, improved wellbeing, and access to more diverse careers for postgraduates.
After this initial session, delegates were offered a choice of oral presentations which ranged in topic from scholarly publishing for graduate teaching assistants to supporting neurodiverse students. Later that morning, we ran sessions devoted to UKCGE’s three networks: Doctoral Deans & Directors; Postgraduate Education Practitioners; and Research Supervisors.
Delegates came back together in the late morning for a perennially popular session: a keynote panel discussion in which doctoral candidates talk about their experiences. This was led by Jay Dunstan (University of East London) and Emma Francis (University College London). Jay called his doctorate “One of the most rewarding experiences of my life” and spoke about his a‑typical journey into academia after a career in advertising. Emma also talked positively about her experiences but added that there is “no manual” for being a PhD student, making some aspects of the journey difficult to navigate.
Following lunch, the packed programme continued until 4.30pm, after which some delegates opted to do a walking tour of the Olympic Park – courtesy of UKCGE’s Events Officer, Angus Burns – before meeting for dinner at Barge East: a floating bar and kitchen in Hackney Wick.
Day two opened with a new government (following the 2024 Election) and a new talk: the Sir Bob Burgess Memorial Lecture. Presented by the Chair of UKCGE’s Executive Committee, Professor Doug Cleaver (Sheffield Hallam University), it looked at UKCGE’s inception in 1994 and drew on documents from our archive, many of which demonstrate Professor Sir Burgess’s visionary thinking about postgraduate education. Other highlights included a plenary workshop by Caroline Turnbull and Nick Watmough of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and a presentation from UK charity, The Brilliant Club, which mobilises the PhD community to enable less advantaged students to flourish at university.
Members of UKCGE’s Executive Committee helped to round off the conference with some reflections about the two days. Rachel Van Krimpen picked up on two “golden threads” of the conference – culture and collaboration – while Dr James Bruce chose the UKCGE’s supervisors’ network session as a personal highlight. “For me it’s a timely reminder that supervisors are out there as a group of people,” he remarked. “I think it’s really significant – because UKCGE is for the sector and by the sector – that we have a network to support and help them.”

Sponsorship by Epigeum
We wish to thank our sponsor – Epigeum – for helping us to highlight the transformative power of postgraduate education. The Epigeum Research programmes support academics throughout all stages of their career and are flexible enough to fit around a researcher’s busy schedule. Programme materials are developed to reflect key issues in research practice, build vital knowledge and skills, and encourage researchers to reflect on their own practices and opportunities for further development. Their programmes cover a variety of key topics including Supervising Doctoral Studies, Research Integrity and Research Impact – you can find out more via the link below.