Hello NWCDTP researchers! I hope you are all having a great month so far and looking forward to some brighter weather this spring (fingers crossed…)

Here is some key information you need to know over the next few weeks:

Job Opportunity: Widening Participation / Application Support Fellow

The NWCDTP is recruiting four PhD researchers to act as Widening Participation (WP) or Application Support (ApSup) Fellows between April 2024 and April 2025. The four successful Fellows will each receive a £3000 tax-free studentship top-up in return for completing certain objectives as part of their role. The application deadline is Monday, March 11th, and late applications will not be accepted.

To find out more and submit an application, please click here.

PGR Reps Social

Your PGR Reps Adam North (University of Manchester) and Pamela Forster (University of Lancaster) have organised a Social on Monday, 15th April, from 12-3 pm. The event will take place in the Zine Space (Clifford Whitworth Library) on Peel Park Campus, University of Salford, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT. You are invited to make your own zine (a mini handmade booklet) inspired by your own PhD research and interests, with experts from the Library on hand to help. During the session, you will also have the opportunity to browse the collection of zines held at the Library. NWCDTP students from all years and institutions are invited to attend and can claim travel expenses after the event. All catering and plans for the event are fully sustainable in line with the NWCDTP’s Sustainability Toolkit.

You can register for the event here, but be quick – there are only a couple of spaces left!

Student Rep Recruitment

The NWCDTP is looking to recruit new Student Reps, particularly from the University of Salford and the University of Liverpool. If you would like to represent your institution and make sure the student voice is heard, please get in touch with Hannah (h.j.helm@edu.salford.ac.uk) to find out more.

EDI Training (2024)

Here are some details of upcoming EDI Training sessions. Please follow each link to register and find out more:

• Monday 8th April 2024 @ 10-11:30 am: ‘Coaching for PhD Success: How to Overcome Obstacles and Thrive in Your Research Journey’ – SIGN UP HERE
• Monday 13th May @ 11 am-1 pm: ‘Sharing Differences, Finding Connections – Who Are You as a Researcher?’ – SIGN UP HERE
• Tuesday 25th June @ 1-2:30 pm: ‘Introduction to Neurodiversity’ – SIGN UP HERE

All sessions are online to maximise inclusion and accessibility. There will be further sessions later in the year on other topics, such as intersectionality and PhD parenting and caregiving, and you can expect to hear more about these soon.

‘Research-in-Progress’ Seminars

In response to your feedback and suggestions, I have decided to run an online series of ‘research-in-progress’ support sessions to allow you to share your research progress in a supportive environment. These sessions will be useful if you would like to test new ideas, practice articulating your research for examination/conference purposes, seek advice on matters relating to your research and writing, or just have a chat and a cuppa with your peers. The PhD is a very rewarding but also an isolating experience, so I hope these sessions will help to promote a sense of community amongst the NWCDTP student body.

These sessions will run provisionally until June and may be extended after that depending on levels of interest and engagement.

Here are the dates and times for each session:
• Monday 25th March @ 12-1pm
• Monday 29th April @ 12-1pm
• Tuesday 28th May @ 12-1pm
• Monday 24th June @ 12-1pm

Please email me (h.j.helm@edu.salford.ac.uk) for the joining details.

PGR Network: PhD Support Forum

Undertaking a PhD is a long and difficult process and there may be times when you feel you need a bit of extra support. This may be short-term or on a longer-term basis.

The PhD Support Forum is here to raise any issues you have that the NWCDTP may be able to help you with. This could include things like:

• Negotiating for more notice of NWCDTP events so you can plan your time accordingly (especially for mandatory events).
• Requesting that there are a choice of dates for NWCDTP events as not everyone will be able to make the same day
• Highlighting the need for alternative delivery of NWCDTP events/information (such as live online streams, recordings, different formats for documents).
• Any ideas for events/support that you may have!  All ideas are welcome.

The list above is in no way exhaustive. If you would like to discuss any way in which the NWCDTP could help you further, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Here are the joining links for the next meetings in May and September. The meetings will be a valuable opportunity to get together, and actions/issues will be taken directly to the EDI Committee in the week following each meeting:

• Monday 13th May @ 10-11am • Monday 16th September @ 12-1pm

Please email me h.j.helm@edu.salford.ac.uk for the joining details.

PGR Network: Neurodiversity Forum

This forum is a supportive community space for NWCDTP researchers to meet, connect, and network with fellow neurodiversity PhD students who have an understanding and lived experience of navigating academia. This forum allows you to support and seek help, guidance, and strategies from fellow community members. It is also a place to recognise, empower, and celebrate members’ achievements, including your own. These forums will also celebrate everything neurodivergent, including the joys and successes that it creates.

Here are the joining links for the next meetings in April and June (online via Teams):

• Tuesday 9th April @ 12-1pm
• Monday 10th June @ 12-1pm

Please email me h.j.helm@edu.salford.ac.uk for the joining details.

EDI Group / EDI Committee

The next EDI Committee meeting will be on Monday, 20th May 2024 (3-4:30 pm) via Microsoft Teams to discuss and address current EDI issues within the NWCDTP and strategies for improvement.

If you are interested in EDI and feel passionate about involving student voices in our decision-making, then please email me (h.j.helm@edu.salford.ac.uk) to join the EDI Group and for a link to the EDI Committee meeting.

If you would like to discuss any of the above, please email me (h.j.helm@edu.salford.ac.uk) or use Microsoft Teams to have a conversation.

See you all soon!

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