PGR Induction

Find out more about the upcoming SRS PGR Induction events, as well as information and resources from previous sessions. In addition, Faculties/Schools will provide a comprehensive, local induction programme that includes Faculty-/School-specific information on supervisory arrangements, research and skills training, good research conduct, health and safety and their facilities.

PGR Induction, January and February starters

We are pleased to welcome all new postgraduate researchers to the Sussex Researcher School. We look forward to supporting you as you begin your research journey at Sussex and helping you to connect with the wider research community.

Please note that we will not be holding a main induction day during January–February. However, we have a series of PGR Essentials sessions organised for February. These sessions will introduce you to key areas including the Library, research ethics, open research, and intellectual property, and are designed to support you as you settle into your research at Sussex.

The main Sussex Researcher School induction day took place in September 2025. Recordings and slides from this induction, along with materials from previous years, are available on our RDP Canvas site. We encourage all new PGRs to access these resources.

PGR Essentials - February 2026
PGR Essentials: Introduction to ethics Tuesday 3 February, 11.00am-12.00pm, online via Zoom - register via Eventbrite This workshop will look at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explain how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University's Ethics team. There will also be opportunities to consider some case studies, ask questions about your own work, and gain insights on how to embed good ethical practices in your research.
PGR Essentials: Introduction to open research Wednesday 4 February, 2.00-3.00pm, Library Teaching Room - register via Eventbrite This workshop will introduce open research, considering the benefits for researchers, institutions and wider society. It will provide opportunities for you to consider how open research methods could be embedded into your research, and highlight sources of support and further information.
PGR Essentials: Introduction to Intellectual Property Friday 6 February, 10.00am-12.00am, online via Zoom - register via Eventbrite Facilitated by the Innovation and Business Partnerships team, this session will equip you with practical knowledge to navigate the world of IP, ensuring your hard work is protected and ready for future opportunities.

PGR Essentials - February 2026

PGR Essentials: Introduction to ethics

Tuesday 3 February, 11.00am-12.00pm, online via Zoom - register via Eventbrite

This workshop will look at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explain how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University's Ethics team. There will also be opportunities to consider some case studies, ask questions about your own work, and gain insights on how to embed good ethical practices in your research.

PGR Essentials: Introduction to open research

Wednesday 4 February, 2.00-3.00pm, Library Teaching Room - register via Eventbrite

This workshop will introduce open research, considering the benefits for researchers, institutions and wider society. It will provide opportunities for you to consider how open research methods could be embedded into your research, and highlight sources of support and further information.

PGR Essentials: Introduction to Intellectual Property

Friday 6 February, 10.00am-12.00am, online via Zoom - register via Eventbrite

Facilitated by the Innovation and Business Partnerships team, this session will equip you with practical knowledge to navigate the world of IP, ensuring your hard work is protected and ready for future opportunities.

Previous Induction recordings

The recording below is from this year’s Welcome Talks for new postgraduate researchers. It offers an introduction to the research community at Sussex and key information to help you settle in. Please note that some details may have changed since the session took place.

During the main morning session of the Sussex Researcher School Induction Day, Prof Jeremy Niven and Susanna Broom, Dean and Head of the Sussex Researcher School respectively, introduced postgraduate research at Sussex and the Sussex Researcher School offer.

They were followed by representatives from Student Advice and Guidance, Therapeutic Services and the Students' Union, discussing the support and services available for PGRs at Sussex. The session wrapped up with a short group activity on supervisory expectations led by Prof Jeremy Niven.

PowerPoint slides from the session:

Welcome and introduction to Sussex Research School Sep 2025

The afternoon session of the Sussex Researcher School Induction Day, which took place on 29 September 2025, This session focused on the Researcher Development workshops available to PGRs at Sussex.You will hear from teams such as Researcher Development, Careers and Entrepreneurship, and Library Research Support.

Read through the slides for an introduction to Personal Development Plans and the teams that can support your learning at Sussex, then use the template to start mapping out your training needs as you start your research degree.

PGR Essentials recordings

The recordings below are from our PGR Essentials workshops held last year, designed to support new PGRs as they begin their research journey at Sussex.

While some details may have changed since then, the sessions still provide valuable guidance and insights to help you get started.

You can not collect any new data from humans, animals, social media or conduct auto-ethnographic research without having received ethics approval beforehand, so at this early stage of your postgraduate research, it is essential to understand the ethics approval process.

This workshop looked at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explained how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University's Ethics team. There were also opportunities to consider some case studies, ask questions about your own work, and gain insights on how to embed good ethical practices in your research.

PowerPoint slides from the session:
Introduction to Ethics

PowerPoint slides from the session:
Introduction to IP