UKCGE Annual Conference 2025
From July 3rd to 4th 2025, we held our Annual Conference at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow. The theme was ‘Transitions and Transformations in Postgraduate Education’ and we welcomed delegates from across the world to present on a range of topics from REF 2029 to managing institutional change.
Opening the conference, UKCGE Chair — Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin (Nottingham Trent University) – provided an overview of the talks ahead and said: “I’d like to invite you to enjoy the next couple of days; to engage to share your thoughts, to join the conversation, and let’s see what new futures we can imagine for doctoral education: a really important part of research and innovation in our higher education ecosystem”. Trustee and host, Dr Kay Guccione (University of Glasgow), also added words of welcome along with a summary of the previous day’s pre-conference event (also held at the ARC and dedicated to postgraduate researchers).
The Annual Conference began with a keynote presentation from Professor Iain Brennan (University of Hull) who spoke about Open Research, which involves concepts such as collaboration, accessibility, transparency and reproducibility. He spoke about ways of making research findings more robust and countering publication bias. He was followed by a keynote panel discussion about the experiences of doctoral candidates. Beth Meadows (Glasgow Caledonian University) observed that social class has an impact on doctoral study and that four-year funding is preferable because it avoids rushing the research and then taking “a job which you don’t necessarily want”. Adebolaji Nimyel (University of Glasgow) added:
“My experience has been wonderful, and I would say to new PGRs coming in, one of the most important aspects of succeeding is planning. That helps me because I am not just doing the PhD, I’m also running an organisation for single parents in Glasgow. I discovered that planning is what kept me stable.”
The afternoon was packed with busy sessions, including the opportunity for all three of UKCGE’s Networks to meet for group discussions and networking. To close the day, Duncan Shermer (Research England) gave an overview of the People, Culture and Environment (PCE) strand of REF 2029, explaining how the aim was use the framework “to steer research culture in a positive direction and do some good”.
Following the close of Day 1, delegates enjoyed a walking tour of Glasgow and a meal at Òran Mór restaurant.
“Let’s see what new futures we can imagine for doctoral education: a really important part of research and innovation in our higher education ecosystem.”
- Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin, UKCGE Chair.
Day 2 opened with the Sir Bob Burgess Memorial Lecture, presented this year by Dr Smith McGloin, who spoke on the subject of ‘Building Equitable Futures: Doctoral Education as a Catalyst for Social Change’. This was followed by a variety of breakout sessions, including an international symposium (chaired by Dr James Burford from the University of Warwick) in which colleagues from London, New Zealand, Australia and the United States presented to delegates via a Zoom link. There were also parallel sessions throughout the morning devoted to topics including Generative AI, co-supervision and leading institutional change.
After lunch, Dr Francis Awolowo (Sheffield Hallam University) presented a keynote on ‘Doctoral Education as a Tool for Justice: Reimagining Equity in a Time of Transition’. He talked of his work with the ASPIRE programme: a ground-breaking initiative spearheaded by Sheffield Hallam University in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University and Advance HE. The programme seeks to increase the representation of Black scholars at doctoral level through mentorship; “Let’s champion the change we want to see,” he said.
Again, a series of parallel sessions followed the afternoon keynote, including a workshop from Dr Lindsay Randall (University of Edinburgh) which focussed on supervisor boundaries and wellbeing as a crucial factor in student success. As the afternoon drew to a close, Laura Howard (University of Manchester) gave a powerful and honest account of her life as a PGR in the final keynote of the day: ‘Creating Institutional Change at the University of Manchester Through the Lived Experiences of Disabled PGRs’.