SWDTP Community & Wellbeing
Working With Marginalised Communities: Towards an Ethical Practice for PhD Scholars – 9-11 November 2021, 3.30pm-5.30pm
A growing number of PhD students and Early Career Researchers have shown interest in pursuing research with and for communities who have traditionally been viewed from an abstract distance if, indeed, they have been viewed at all.
High levels of professional and personal sensitivity and ethics are essential if the researcher is to avoid replicating the participants’ experiences of marginalisation and creating an abstract rather than rich, nuanced picture of their lives and experiences.
This three part webinar series was delivered by Fred Ehresmann and Dr Jade Lee and was open to all ESRC-remit Doctoral researchers (at any stage in their studies; whether ESRC funded or not) based at SWDTP Universities.
Precarity, prosperity and everything in between: PGR identities & wellbeing – 8 September 2021
This workshop brought together PGRs and supervisors across institutions and disciplines, to explore the identities of a doctoral student. How is your doctoral journey going? Are you surviving, are you thriving, have you got your sight set on the end-point or are you enjoying the wandering? Or do you feel stuck in one place or going round in circles?
We spent time discussing these topics, as we bringing together PGRs and supervisors across institutions and disciplines, to explore what it means to be a doctoral student. We looked at how professional and scholarly identities are forged alongside personal, social, emotional, political connections and identifications. Click here to read the write-up.
Workshops on depression in young people, Summer 2021
The SWDTP co-funded a series of three workshops including talks by clinicians, researchers, focus groups and young people to open up new research opportunities for collaboration. These were led by ADvaNCE (the adolescent depression network to consolidate expertise), a research group which is passionate about reducing depression in young people. Follow the group on Twitter @advance_ntwk.
- Summary of workshop one: How can we better identify depression in young people?
- Summary of workshop two: What are the best early interventions for depression? And how early should they be used in order to result in the best patient outcomes?
- Summary of workshop three: – “What are the best ways to tell young people with depression about treatment options and their effectiveness to help them feel more in control and to manage their difficulties?”
Watch some of the presentations here:
The Impact of Conducting Sensitive Research Online: Before, During and After COVID-19
Many social scientists conduct research on sensitive or even traumatic topics, but the effects of this work on researchers are rarely discussed. The SWDTP have put together a webinar to discuss this impact. In this webinar, Emma Williamson and Alison Gregory draw on their extensive experience of undertaking research prior to and since the pandemic. In particular, noting some of the challenges they have encountered and suggesting practical coping solutions to employ.
Click here to watch the webinar.
SWDTP 2020 Conference November Series: Town hall Session
As Covid-19 continues to impact PhD projects, this town hall session aimed to spark reflection and offer solutions to help students with potential upcoming challenges. We expected that bringing together students across subjects and cohorts to discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on their research and the steps they took to mitigate said impacts could offer new ideas to their peers. It hoped to encourage students that they aren’t alone in their challenges.
SWDTP Christmas Party
Warren Speed and Elis Jones (both from the University of Exeter) are pleased to announce that we have secured SWDTP funding to host an Online Christmas Party and a ‘Research as a Christmas Card’ competition. We’re hoping this will be a good opportunity to get together as a group after a while apart, as well as have some fun and maybe a few drinks.