Postgraduate research students and postdoctoral researchers will have better support from Sussex under plans approved in principle at Senate for the creation of a doctoral school.
The University’s research strategy, developed in 2006-07, aims for significant growth in research activity at Sussex, and an important part of that will be achieved through increasing the number of postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers.
Professor Bob Allison, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), will be leading the next steps in the development of the school. Speaking to Senate on 5 December, he said: “Enhancing the planning and support we provide to this vital community of scholars at Sussex will be critical if our wider strategy is to be successful.”
In a changing research-funding environment - in which increased emphasis is placed on the scale of postgraduate activity and on professional skills training for research students - other leading research-intensive universities in the UK as well as overseas have successfully developed this model of leadership and support for research students and postdoctoral researchers.
The next step in the creation of the doctoral school would be to develop its precise role and focus. This could include:
While research students would remain firmly located within their department’s research activity, the doctoral school could offer a ‘virtual’ home to bring students together from different disciplines.
In the short term the school would not have a specific physical base, but creating a dedicated space for research students could be one of the possible options in the medium term.
The doctoral school would be supported from within the new Research and Enterprise team in the Professional Services, which arises from the Professional Services Review. A Director for that team is now being recruited, with adverts appearing today (Friday 14 December).
The Senate papers, with further details on the proposals for the development of the doctoral school, are available within the ‘Committees’ section of Sussex Direct.