This will vary depending on the final project scope. Expect to attend a small number of meetings at UWE’s Frenchay Campus. You will need your own IT equipment but there is plenty of communal workspace available on campus.
Contact:
Georgina.Gough@uwe.ac.uk
We would welcome students who wish to explore competence development in higher education, particularly in relation to education for sustainable development (ESD). We have ongoing work in education for sustainable development across the institution and there is potential for a student to co-design a placement project with us relating to their discipline or issues of interest.
Areas of focus include evaluating and reporting outcomes of ESD; building staff capacity for delivering ESD; development and assessment of ESD competences; ESD and PSRBs (professional statutory and regulatory bodies); business/ employer engagement; ESD and the civic university; and, ESD and ESD pedagogy. Please get in touch if you have an interest in any of these, or related, topics.
This is an ongoing opportunity with no set application deadline.
This webinar is jointly organised by the UK Data Service and CeLSIUS as part of the ESRC-funded data resources’ collaborative webinar series, ESRC data resources: discovering data and how to use it.
The webinar is for those who would like to know more about sources of data available for investigating education. It will focus particularly on longitudinal data but also touch on available cross-sectional sources.
The session will explore:
The range of longitudinal data on education available from the UK Data Service, including harmonised data, such as ‘Understanding Society: Waves 1-8, 2009-2017′ and ‘Harmonised BHPS: Waves 1-18, 1991-2009‘
The ONS Longitudinal Study, including the data structure, available research topics (with a focus on education) and procedures for access. Some results will be presented on how education relates to economic activity status through the life-course in a historical sample of young men and women
The value of using of longitudinal data for educational research purposes: case studies
The first 45 minutes of the webinar will be devoted to presentations from Beate Lichtwardt (UK Data Service) and Wei Xun (CeLSIUS), followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.
If you have any queries or require further information about this event, please contact the CLOSER Communications and Events Assistant, Jennie Blows (j.blows@ucl.ac.uk).
SWDTP students have access to ESRC training and workshops, and advanced training, as well as training through the Doctoral Colleges at partner institutions. Please see below for relevant external providers.
Essential Component: Development Needs Analysis (DNA)
Students commencing studies from October 2024 onwards, must engage with the Development Needs Analysis (DNA) process to identify and support ongoing training and development needs. This involves completing a DNA log provided to you by the SWDTP hub. Studentship funding is conditional on engagement with this important process. Further information will be provided at the commencement of your studentship, and can also be found on the Training and Development page of our website.
Essential Component: Placements
To find out more about placements and what we offer, please refer to the Placements section of the website.
Advanced Training/National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM)
NCRM training ranges from master classes in advanced quantitative and qualitative research skills, special lectures, seminars, and master classes involving keynote guest speakers from institutions worldwide.
All ESRC DTPs advertise advanced training offerings on the NCRM website. SWDTP PGR students are encouraged to participate in activities run by the wider social science community and should regularly visit the NCRM website to see what offerings are available. More information can be found at ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (ncrm.ac.uk)
Through MyDoctoralDevelopment doctoral researchers can access a wide range of training opportunities, online learning resources and get access to a variety of development opportunities throughout the year. We hope that these will help you to get the most out of your doctoral study and to enhance your future career prospects. Many of these skills are transferable and will enhance your employability both within and outside academia. We align our activities to the Researcher Development Framework (RDF) supporting your learning in the following key areas:
Every doctoral researcher has a six-monthly review to check that they are progressing with their research and training. This enables you and your supervisor to identify any potential problems at the earliest opportunity and to help ensure that work is completed to an agreed timescale. Once you are fully registered on the PhD you can find out more on the Doctoral Resource Hub.
University of Bristol
The Bristol Doctoral College (BDC) is dedicated to supporting the personal and professional development of all postgraduate research students, providing a hub of information and resources to help you get the most out of your time at Bristol.
The BDC organises university-wide events such as the Festival of Postgraduate Research and the Three Minute Thesis Competition specifically designed for researchers to develop communication skills, raise awareness of their work, and meet other researchers from across the University.
Alongside the specialist training you will receive in your own faculty, the BDC oversees the University’s central Personal and Professional Development (PPD) programme for postgraduate research students. This includes over 160 interactive workshops, seminars and resources covering everything from ‘Planning and Managing your PhD’ and ‘Writing quality papers’ to ‘Mindfulness workshops’ and ‘Developing a social media strategy’.
Every postgraduate research student has at least one annual progress monitoring (APM) review a year. This gives you the chance to reflect on your progress and confirm your plans for your next year of postgraduate study. You can find out more here: Annual progress monitoring | Current students | University of Bristol
University of Exeter
The Researcher Development Programme at the University of Exeter is for Doctoral and Early Career researchers, to enhance the professional skills associated with undertaking higher level research projects. The programme is aimed at assisting students to complete their research project on time, and to progress in their chosen career. The Research Development Team can help you through workshops, courses, careers guidance and funding to help you design your own development programmes.
The Researcher Development Programme at the University of Plymouth supports postgraduate research students and research staff. The programme offers research specific skills training as well as supporting researchers continuing into diverse careers. Sessions are complimented by diverse and experienced facilitators and involve participants from a mix of disciplines. Sessions are delivered both in class and via webinars.
At UWE Bristol we are committed to supporting the development of postgraduate researchers throughout their research degree programmes, from admission through to final examination. The nature of undertaking a higher degree by research has changed in recent years; there is now greater emphasis on the development of personal and professional skills as part of a research degree as well as the production of a thesis.
In recognition of the broader range of skills and abilities that need to be developed, UWE postgraduate researchers gain a minimum of 60 credits related to professional and personal development. The Graduate School provides skills development workshops, the module Research in Contemporary Context (RCC) and a residential course that, together with discipline-specific modules students may choose in Faculties, are designed to ensure that all areas of the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), published by Vitae, are addressed. The skills development programme, the RCC module, and the residential course are available across the whole University with the focus on the transferable and/or generic elements to support the subject specific provision within Colleges.
The Researcher Development Programme at Bath Spa is informed by the work of Vitaeand its Researcher Development Framework (RDF) and provides training, workshops, development opportunities, resources and events to suit the individual needs of the researchers within our community at Bath Spa University.
The programme offers a diverse array of sessions – from publishing, public engagement, resilience, research bidding, impact, communication, project and time management, supervision, or developing yourself or your research. These workshops are led by external specialists and internal practitioners and take place across the university campuses. There are mandatory core training sessions that students are required to attend at each stage of their PhD journey.
Alongside the central programme, we also offer a wide range of opportunities for development including ESR mentoring schemes, the Journeys in Research Series (in which ESR and PhD researchers can apply for funding to lead events for their colleagues), and MA modules in Research Supervision and Researcher Development. Opportunities are also available for students to gain experience as Research Assistants on our seed funded research projects scheme, working alongside academic staff on their research.
The Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme (RDP) is designed to support PGRs’ independent learning and progress, offering the flexibility to enhance research skills and professional development. With the support of their supervisory team, PGRs should identify and document their strengths and training needs and review their development regularly. A training needs analysis template can be found on the Doctoral College Brightspace. In accordance with the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, researchers are expected to engage in a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year. How this is achieved will be individual to each PGR’s needs.
Plymouth Marjon
Doctoral students can access a wide range of training opportunities aligned to the Vitae researcher Development Framework (RDF). Training is offered both online and in person, with sessions offering an opportunity to mix with other postgraduate researchers and academic staff from different disciplines. Regular writing retreats and writing cafes are also offered as well as opportunities to present ongoing research in seminar sessions. The programme of events is available on the PhD Zone.
Every postgraduate research student has an annual review meeting with the PGR coordinator and their supervisory team. This offers an opportunity to reflect on progress and plans as well as consider additional development needs.
Vitae
Vitae, Researcher professional development (vitae.ac.uk) supports the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education and research institutions, by providing resources, advice, information and fora for individual postgraduate researchers and members of research staff:
– a dedicated researchers’ portal with information, news and opportunities
– a programme of national courses and activities
– careers information and advice, including surveys and research
– opportunities to input to national policy developments and initiatives.
The Centre for Multilevel Modelling (CMM) at Bristol is running two education-focused quantitative research method workshops using R at the School of Education. “R Progamming for Beginners” and “An Introduction to Rasch Modelling Using R”.
Exploring Multimodal Literacy Practices in Rural Tanzania – A Qualitative Study of Children’s Literacy Ecologies
My work focuses on early literacy development in rural Tanzania. International initiatives and interventions in this area largely focus on assumptions about children’s foundational literacy learning drawn from Anglo-American contexts and overlook evidence of how children interact with and use printed materials in their family and community. I use a socio-culturally situated and multimodal framing of literacy which draws on children’s play and their religious and community practices, and how their relationships with siblings, peers and family members support this early literacy learning and development.
Ang L., O’Neill S., Rogers S., Ko SY(J)., Fox K. (2025) ‘The Power of Play (PoP) Study: Understanding the Role and Value of Play in Supporting Early Learning and Development.’ Final Report. London: UCL Institute of Education.
Rolleston et al. (2023) Stepping Up or Falling Behind? Students’ Views on Universities and the Climate Crisis, Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate, Working Paper Series No. 10.
ISSN 2754-0308
Bathsheba Slater-Wells
Education
University of Exeter
School of Education
September 2025
An Ethics of Responsibility: A study of peer group relationships in a UK secondary school
Learning is highly relational, yet prevailing discourses in education position students as individually responsible for learning, attainment, and behaviour. My research follows a group of students from Yeat 9 to Year 11 to explore how narratives around attainment and learning influence students’ co-construction of an ethics of responsibility. I explore feminist and queer theoretical re-framings of responsibility that offer potential to rethink individualising impulses that position students in opposition to others, to consider new modes of cooperative relationality in school cultures.
Click here to see more
Slater-Wells, B. (2025). Helping others become: the pathologisation of non-participation in secondary school peer groups. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2025.2516649
Roseanne Chantiluke
Education
University of Bristol
Graduate School of Education
September 2024
How do teachers build self-efficacy in teaching identity and belonging through English Literature? A study of English and North American secondary literature teaching post the 2020 ‘Black Spring’
Since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, English literature teachers have been challenged to diversify their reading lists and to teach in ways that celebrate and support minoritised students. I will study how literature teachers in London and New Orleans manage to teach about racial and ethnic identity, and feel confident in doing so, while navigating anti-Critical Race Theory pressures ad discourses. The project will involve me conducting case studies – on both sides of the Atlantic — to identify the practical skills that confident English teachers use compared to those who are less confident in teaching about identity through literature. My aim is to co-design training materials to support British and American teachers to build confidence in teaching about identity and belonging through literature curriculums.
Publications
Elliott, V., Nelson-Addy, L., Chantiluke, R. & Courtney, M. (2021) Lit in Colour Diversity in Literature in English Schools. London: Penguin & Runnymede Trust
Chantiluke.R, Kwoba.B, Nkopo.A, Rhodes Must Fall: The Struggle to Decolonise the Racist Heart of Empire (London: Zed Books), 2018
Language education and translation and interpretation (TI): how do teachers feel about crossing disciplinary boundaries?
Advances in AI and Machine translation are making headlines. But we still need human linguists, translators and interpreters (TI). Adapting language and TI education to this technological shift is crucial to avoid deepening the current ‘language crisis’. Part of that adaptation will depend on undergraduate language teachers who teach at the boundary between humanities and TI. Adopting a cross-national mixed methods approach, my inquiry asks: How can teacher voices and cross-disciplinary knowledge contribute to the creation of innovative tools for language teacher development with and for TI in a post-AI era?
Publications:
(Based on MSc module assignment ‘Designing and communicating research’ (DCR))
Published in: The Linguist (summer edition), CIOL magazine.
“Is research working? Better use and understanding of translation are key to improving global research”
https://www.ciol.org.uk/sites/default/files/TheLinguistSummer24-website.pdf
Book translation:
one of a series of 4 books in English on ‘Shanghai Culture’.
Title: Shanghai Women,
Author: MA Shanglong,
Translator: Celine Garbutt.
Publisher: Shanghai University Press
ISBN 978 – 7 – 5671 – 4647 – 1
Compassionate pedagogies for supporting neurodivergent students in higher education
I work as a senior educator developer specialising in inclusive education teaching and learning practice. My participatory neurodivergent-led research project examines the phenomenology of neurodivergent learner shame. It aims to unpick the messages that neurodivergent young people starting university have internalised about their ability to succeed in education, reflect on how stigmatised academic identities are managed, and think about what educators can do to nurture a healthier academic identity. I am working with Tourette’s Action charity and University of Exeter’s Neurodivergent and Disabled Students’ Society on creative ways to engage a wider variety of neurodivergent people in participatory research.
Developing a youth-centered methodology for the co-creation of Climate Change Education through collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches
In my research, I plan to develop a methodology for the co-creation of Climate Change Education (CCE) through collaboration between young climate activists (YCAs) and in-service teachers. For me CCE is not a topic which should eb left to Science or Geography – I am interested in every aspect of climate change, in particular issues of climate justice and how they intersect with other issues of epistemic justice. I am heavily influenced by critical theory and ideas from critical pedagogy, from thinkers such as Paolo Freire. In my project, teachers and young people will be positioned as co-creators of pedagogy, with the young people bringing the specialist knowledge of climate justice, as well as their own experience and understanding of pedagogy. The research will examine both the experiences of the participants in this collaborative, youth-led process of curriculum making in relation to CCE, as well as the outcomes of that process in the form of novel pedagogical approaches.
Drama-based Pedagogy for Marginalised Children in Indian Preschools: Research, Intervention, and Impact
My research aims to draw on ideas from anthropology and education to explore the possibility of using drama as an art-based pedagogy in early childhood education among marginalized communities. I would be conducting an ethnographic research using visual and other methods on the early years classroom practice and children’s experiences in the selected state preschools of India. In the next stage, by working with an NGO, a drama based pedagogical intervention will be facilitated and developed in collaboration with the early year education teachers. In the final phase I intend to explore the impact of the intervention.
The Competence Based Curriculum and Education for Sustainable Development in Rwanda: Understanding the dynamics of environmental and epistemic justice and the opportunities for education transformation in six Rwandan Eco-Schools.
This research focuses on the urgent global call for education systems to be reimagined into a ‘new social contract’ that can repair injustices while transforming the future. Based in Rwanda where, despite challenges, there is strong political support for education transformation, this doctoral research seeks to explore the dynamics of environmental and epistemic justice and the potential for structural and transformative change through the integration of transgressive Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) methodologies into the newly introduced Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC). Collaborating with the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) and involving a research team of teachers, students, and parents, with NGO, ministry and district representatives, and academics in six Rwandan Eco-Schools, the research will use transdisciplinary knowledge co-creation approaches to explore and co-produce new learning approaches, pedagogical tools and curriculum guidance to support the integration of Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action) and 4 (Quality Education) in the CBC.
Decolonising Nigerian Higher Education Curriculum: Re-examining the Philosophy, Policy and Structure for Inclusion and Narrative Transformation
My research explores inclusion and exclusion issues within the Nigerian higher education system. I have selected an ethnography design to contribute to the decolonial discourse, its struggle and transformation of higher education, especially in the global south, and bring to the fore the issues around Inclusion and exclusion raised by the admission policy and selection into higher education. Finally, I hope my research will give the oppressed or marginalised students the avenue to share their everyday experiences of inequity and inequalities in the university.
Does learning a Sign Language Orthography (SLO) support deaf children’s bi-literacy development? An investigation into the relationship between SLO acquisition and British Sign Language and English development.
Key researchers have identified challenges for deaf children with literacy, and found a gap between deaf learners’ cognitive abilities and their language learning levels. Deaf children struggle with depicting English sounds in writing because British Sign Language (BSL) does not have a written orthography. My study would enable me to conduct an investigation to explore a deaf child’s bi-literacy potential by using BSL in its written form – SLwrite (Sign Language Write).
The overall aim is to examine whether deaf children, if taught a representational, written form of their native visual-gestural sign language (L1), may better develop improved cognitive abilities in order to regenerate literacy skills in their second language, English (L2).
In addition to supporting research projects, supervisors are also well-placed to offer guidance to help supervisees develop knowledge, skills and experiences that benefit them in and beyond academia. This includes helping them navigate the many opportunities available throughout their studies, determine which opportunities are most beneficial to their individual goals and aspirations, and reflect on achievements and development plans.
The SWDTP understands that institutions offer or require supervisory training locally. As such, we try to offer training in areas where we have identified gaps, such as strengthening the capacity to support the development of transferrable skills and ability to monitor wellbeing and signpost to appropriate support.
Getting to know the SWDTP
Our ‘Getting to know the SWDTP’ series of webpages explains our key processes, studentship requirements, and funding opportunities available to you.
Compulsory training for new supervisors
If you are supervising an SWDTP-funded student for the first time since the 2024/25 academic year, you must read this series and complete an accompanying short quiz before your supervisee commences study.
Supporting an SWDTP supervisee’s researcher development
Some SWDTP-funded students, depending on when their studies commenced, must engage with Development Needs Analysis (DNA) and complete a placement as part of their studentships. Read our best practice guidelines on what you can do to support your supervisee in taking full advantage of these opportunities to meet their development objectives.
Interdisciplinary Research Supervisor Training Workshop, 20 Jan 2025
This workshop aims to guide and support research supervisors in negotiating the complexity of interdisciplinary research supervision with tips and tools for best practice. This workshop will be useful for new and experienced research supervisors who are interested in learning more about how we can support students undertaking interdisciplinary research. The workshop is relevant for all disciplines.
The workshop was developed and led by Helen Thomas-Hughes (Associate Professor in Community-Engaged Research and Pedagogy, Cabot Education Director, University of Bristol), and Jo Rose (Associate Professor in Social Psychology of Education, University of Bristol).
This webinar, part of our Conducting Literature Reviews webinar series, explores the process of conducting a systematic scoping review. Using a worked example on education in the post-independence Indian diaspora, the session will outline the five-stage framework of Arksey and O’Malley (2005), covering search strategies, inclusion criteria, and thematic analysis. It will also discuss challenges in refining search terms, identifying relevant literature, and synthesising findings. This presentation provides practical guidance for doctoral students on conducting rigorous scoping reviews and demonstrates their value in mapping research landscapes.
This presentation will be presented by Dr Rita Chawla-Duggan, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Education at The University of Bath. No interaction is expected, but there will be Q&A during the session.
Reserve a space on our Ticket Tailor page: https://buytickets.at/swdtp/1620296
The School of Education at the University of Bristol are pleased to extend an invitation to SWDTP-affiliated students and colleagues to attend the following event:
From research impact to commercialisation: the who, what & how of making your research impactful and sustainable
Hybrid event | 15:00 – 16:00, Wednesday 5th March 2025
Academics in the School of Education have been quite successful in impact work which has led onto commercialisation opportunities, including the options to license the toolkits arising from research to organisations to continue to deliver this work in practice or by the creation of social enterprises that create value to educators/pupils etc but also give the opportunity to reinvest into the enterprise.
This session, chaired by fellow School of Education academic Dr Frances Giampapa, aims to give you an understanding of what enterprise is and how to work from impact towards commercialisation in this panel session.
This workshop aims to guide and support research supervisors in negotiating the complexity of interdisciplinary research supervision with tips and tools for best practice. This workshop will be useful for new and experienced research supervisors who are interested in learning more about how we can support students undertaking interdisciplinary research, and is relevant for all disciplines.
The workshop will be led by Helen Thomas-Hughes (Associate Professor in Community-Engaged Research and Pedagogy, Cabot Education Director, University of Bristol), and Jo Rose (Associate Professor in Social Psychology of Education, University of Bristol).
Eligibility:
This opportunity is open to pathway leads and current supervisors of SWDTP students.
Registration deadline:
13th January, or until all spaces are filled.
A Zoom link will be sent to participants separately before the workshop.
Welcome back to a new series of the SWDTP’s Let’s Collaborate podcast, recorded at the SWDTP Student Conference: Architects of Change. In Episode 7, Dinara Shaimakhanova discusses her research into trilingual language policy and how it may be implemented and the acceptance or resistance of the policy.