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Facilitated and chaired by: Professor Tina Ramkalawan who is the co-convenor of the Postgraduates Issues Network. For more details about the network and its activities, please click here. 

Overview

Professional and alternative doctorates form an increasing part of the conversation within the overall portfolio of doctoral provision. This workshop will bring together colleagues and leaders in Doctoral Education to consider some of the broader outcomes and findings of the joint UKCGE and University Alliance publication on the trends, provision and institutional strategies for Professional Doctorates across HEIs in the UK and Ireland.

Discussions and activity will focus on the emerging trends in the provision of alternative doctoral models that support a changing doctoral population that is increasingly mature and part time. Doctoral education is also evolving around the changing needs and perceptions of employers, industry and society at a time where the HE sector is responding to shifting priorities. How doctoral education can meaningfully respond to these changes is a live and current debate and this session will provide opportunity to hear from UKRI and case studies of innovation in alternative doctorates. This workshop will be of interest to those considering the pedagogical implications of professional and alternative doctorates, those leading and supporting doctoral education and the delivery of doctoral strategies within their institutions.

Schedule

Speaker bios

Carolyn Wynne is the Director of the Doctoral & Researcher College at Coventry University with responsibility PGR and the strategic leadership and delivery of research degree programmes and researcher development. Carolyn has worked in the HE sector for 20 years, in strategic roles supporting PGT and PGR. Previously, she was Co-Chair of the UKCGE Graduate School Managers Network, Chair of the University Alliance Head of Graduate Schools Network, and has sat on the EUA-CDE thematic steering group for Cotutelle and Dual Award programmes, and the UKRI working group for the New Deal for PGR. Carolyn is also completing a part time PhD on the value of the doctorate for Professional Services Leaders in UK HEIs. Her other interests include structures and strategy and doctoral education and the experiences of part time PGRs. Carolyn is Honorary Secretary of the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) Executive Committee and co-author of its recent survey and report on Professional Doctorates in the UK and Ireland.

Jennie Eldridge is currently Director of Postgraduate Provision at University Alliance having worked there since 2015 overseeing the collaborative Doctoral Training Alliance programmes and working across the sector to advocate for and share best practice from professional and technical universities. She has more than 25 years’ experience of working in Higher Education supporting doctoral provision, with roles at the British Academy and King’s College London prior to joining University Alliance. Jennie also manages the UK administration for the Thouron Award, a postgraduate fellowship exchange programme between the United Kingdom and the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Jenny is co-author of the UKCGE survey and report on Professional Doctorates in UK and Ireland.

Richard Burguete has been Director of the Postgraduate Institute for Measurement Science (PGI) at the National Physics Laboratory (NPL) since 2015 Prior to that, he spent 20 years at Airbus in Structures Engineering, latterly as trans-national Programme Manager for Structures Test Research and Strategy. In his current role he works across NPL with academic and industry partners to develop a vibrant and inclusive postgraduate institute, collaborative research and funding, measurement science training and skills for all postgraduate students. He has sponsored postgraduate research projects, developed the Structures Test R&D strategy for Airbus, and managed the associated transnational test programme. He has a deep understanding of advancing academic research and its industrial application through collaboration. In his public sector role, Richard is actively involved in STEM Futures, an industry / academia / government partnership centred on skills development through placements and knowledge-sharing. He also chairs the Academic Liaison working group of the National Laboratories Alliance.

Frances Burstow is the Director for Talent and Skills for UK Research and Innovation.   She has responsibility for leading the strategic development of UKRI’s approach to talent and skills and the transition to working in a collective manner across its £3.4b of talent initiatives. She works to ensure the UK is developing national capability across the breadth of disciplines, working with academia, government, industry and third sector to address gaps skills gaps and to foster greater diversity and porosity of careers to support innovative solutions to economic and societal challenges, and drive the diffusion and adoption of research.