BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CiviCRM//NONSGML CiviEvent iCal//EN X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/London METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20260609T103000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:CiviCRM_EventID_789_c1ec699f7b9af3c31b962e2084dfe9d6@srhe.ac.uk SUMMARY:Doctoral belonging and inclusion in the academy: e xploring marginalised identities and considering p ossibilities for change X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

SRHE M embers must log-in to access member registr ation rates

\n \n

Facilitated and chaired by: Dr Martin G ough who is the co-convenor of the Postgraduates I ssues Network. For more details about the network and its activities\, please ~~click h~~ere.

\n \n
Overview
\n \n
In this event\, spea kers draw on discourses of belonging and inclusion to consider how doctoral students experience the academy\, using a range of empirical work to refle ct on the challenges for those from marginalised g roups\, including international\, racially minorit ised and women doctoral students. While literature indicates the significance of academic socialisat ion in supporting academic identity development (E mmioglu et al.\, 2017\; Parry\, 2007)\, doctoral students expe rience challenges in developing a sense of belongi ng within academic communities due to their limina l status within the academy\; something not fully acknowledged or understood by institutions and tho se working with doctoral students (Leading Routes\ , 2019\; White and Nonnamaker\, 2008\; Wisker e t al.\, 2010). Inequalities relating to race\, gender\, disability and social class influ ence individuals’ ability to access\, feel a sense of belonging to\, and imagine a future within\, t he contemporary academy\; especially for those fac ing intersecting forms of discrimination (Arday\, 2017\; Fisher et al.\, 2019\; Mattocks and Briscoe-Palmer\, 2016\; Pásztor and Wakeling\, 201 8). Yet the consequences of not belonging as a doctoral student are considerable\, with implications for individual’s wellbeing\, progression and retention within doctoral programmes\, as well as longer-te rm career aspirations and outcomes (de Welde and L aursen\, 2011\; Handforth\, 2022\; Levecque et al.\, 20 17). Presenters examine the position of doctoral studen ts within academic hierarchies\, drawing attention to how different forms of discrimination act as b arriers to belonging. We invite attendees to consi der the implications of not belonging for individu als\, institutions\, and the future of the higher education sector\, and together imagine what actio ns might present possibilities for change.
\n \n
Schedule
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
\n
10.30 – 1 0.40
\n \n
Arrival and refreshments
\n
\n
1 0.40 – 10.45
\n \n
SRHE welcome and housekeeping
\n
\n
10.45 – 11.00
\n \n
Introduction from Professor Gina Wisker
\n
\n
11.00 – 12.00
\n \n
Rachel Handforth: Imagining post-PhD futures: How women students’ experiences of belonging shape pe rceptions of academic careers
\n \n
Thirsha de Silva: Navigating the PhD as ‘The Outcasts’: W ellbeing Experiences of International Women Doctor al Researchers from the Global Majority
\n
\ n
12.00 - 12.45
\n \n
Lunch
\n
\n
12.45 - 1 3.45
\n \n
~~Bing Lu:~~ ~~Facilitating A ccess to Part Time Doctoral Degrees: Inequalities Faced by Racially Minoritised NHS workforce~~
\n \n
Barbara Adewumi: The Black PhD Experience: N avigating Academia Through Survival\, Voice\, and Purpose
\n
\n
13.45 - 14.30
\n \n
Group activity- How to facilitate doctoral student belonging- possibilities for cha nge? Attendees will be given prompts in groups to dis cuss\, recording their answers for sharing with ot hers.
\n
\n
14.30 - 14.45
\n \n
~~Break~~
\n
\n
~~14.4 5 - 15.15~~
\n \n
F eedback and plenary discussion of main issues aris ing chaired by Professor Gina Wisker
\n
\n
15.15 - 15.30
\n \n
Final questions & closing
\n
\n \n
Sp eaker bios
\n \n
Dr Rachel Handforth is Senior Lecturer in Doctoral Education and Civic Engagemen t at Nottingham Trent University and works on the Co(l)laboratory Research Hub doctoral training pro gramme\, working with community partners\, academi cs\, and doctoral researchers to support community -engaged research. She won an SRHE Newer Researche r Award in 2023\, undertaking a place-based projec t to explore public perceptions of and attitudes t owards doctoral research in Nottingham\, and her r esearch interests include gender\, mental health a nd wellbeing and doctoral graduates’ career destin ations. Her book\, Belonging\, Gender and Ident ity in the Doctoral Years: Across Time and Space was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2022\, a nd she is currently guest editing a special issue of the Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Edu cation journal on doctoral education for the p ublic good.
\n \n
Thirsha de Silva is a doct oral researcher at the University of Portsmouth. H er doctoral study employs narrative and visual dia ry methods to explore mental wellbeing experiences of international women doctoral researchers from the Global Majority. Prior to embarking on her PhD \, Thirsha worked as a Lecturer in Psychology in S ri Lanka\, teaching on a wide range of topics incl uding health behaviours and social inequalities in health. Her research interests include lived expe riences of minoritised groups in higher education and the impact of social inequalities on wellbeing . She is enthusiastic about intersectional\, inter disciplinary and multimodal approaches to research .
\n \n
Dr Bin g Lu is a Higher Education res earcher at Nottingham Trent University and works o n the Equity in Doctoral Education through Partner ship and Innovation (EDEPI) programme. Bing’s rese arch centres around academic mobility\, inclusive admission\, postgraduate community\, and superviso r development. Bing is currently guest editing a S pecial Issue on Taboos in Doctoral Education Across Cultures hosted by Higher Educa tion Quarterly scheduled to be published in Ap ril 2026.
\n \n
Dr Barbara Adewumi is a soci ologist and Senior Researcher at the non-partisan think tank British Future\, working on the Nuffield Found ation–funded project Voices for Equity: Moving from Evidence to Action. Her research examines national polling data on racial equality\, identi ty and lived experience to inform social policy. S he previously held roles as Lecturer in Sociology and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Ke nt\, where she completed her PhD. Her work focused on Black student’s academic progression in higher education\, including degree-awarding diff erentials\, belonging\, and the lived experiences and pathways to progression of Black doctoral stud ents. She has won multiple EDI awards for diversi fying the curricula work known as Diversity Mar k and as co-chair for University of Kent’s Glo bal Majority staff network. Barbara serves on the National Windrush Museum and co-editor of the open access book Race\, Capital and Equity in Highe r Education\, Palgrave Macmillan.
\n \n
Gina Wisker PFHEA SFSEDA is Senior Lecturer in the Bath University In ternational Centre for Higher Education Management \, doctoral supervisor there and at the University of Liverpool Institute of Education. She is Prof essor Emerita of the University of Brighton where her previous role was Professor of Higher Educatio n and Contemporary Literature and Head of Centre f or Learning and Teaching\, holding a National Teac hing Fellowship. She has taught for the Open and f or Cambridge Universities\, in FE colleges in scho ols. She is passionate about teaching\, including integrating research and professional practice int o teaching\, learning and assessment practices. Sh e has been involved with several HE research proje cts and other international work\, on doctoral sup ervision\, HE curriculum development\, internation alisation\, decolonisation\, student learning. Bo oks: The Good Supervisor (Palgrave\, 2002\, 2012)\; Getting started in Supervision (Ro utledge\, 2026). Journal editing: Innovations i n Education and Teaching International. She ha s two adult sons\, a dog and lives in Cambridge.
DESCRIPTION:SRHE Members must log-in to access member registra tion rates \n \n \n \n Facilitated and chaired by: Dr Martin Gough who is the co-convenor of the Pos tgraduates Issues Network. For more details about the network and its activities\, please click here . \n \n \n \n Overview\n \n \n \n In this event\, speakers draw on discourses of belonging and inclu sion to consider how doctoral students experience the academy\, using a range of empirical work to r eflect on the challenges for those from marginalis ed groups\, including international\, racially min oritised and women doctoral students. While litera ture indicates the significance of academic social isation in supporting academic identity developmen t (Emmioglu et al.\, 2017\; Parry\, 2007)\, doctor al students experience challenges in developing a sense of belonging within academic communities due to their liminal status within the academy\; some thing not fully acknowledged or understood by inst itutions and those working with doctoral students (Leading Routes\, 2019\; White and Nonnamaker\, 20 08\; Wisker et al.\, 2010). Inequalities relating to race\, gender\, disability and social class inf luence individuals’ ability to access\, feel a sen se of belonging to\, and imagine a future within\, the contemporary academy\; especially for those f acing intersecting forms of discrimination (Arday\ , 2017\; Fisher et al.\, 2019\; Mattocks and Brisc oe-Palmer\, 2016\; Pásztor and Wakeling\, 2018). Y et the consequences of not belonging as a doctoral student are considerable\, with implications for individual’s wellbeing\, progression and retention within doctoral programmes\, as well as longer-te rm career aspirations and outcomes (de Welde and L aursen\, 2011\; Handforth\, 2022\; Levecque et al. \, 2017). Presenters examine the position of docto ral students within academic hierarchies\, drawing attention to how different forms of discriminatio n act as barriers to belonging. We invite attendee s to consider the implications of not belonging fo r individuals\, institutions\, and the future of t he higher education sector\, and together imagine what actions might present possibilities for chang e.\n \n \n \n Schedule \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 10.30 – 10.40\n \n \n \n \n Arrival and refreshments\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 10.40 – 10.45\n \n \n \n \n SRHE welc ome and housekeeping\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 10.45 – 11.00\n \n \n \n \n Intro duction from Professor Gina Wisker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 11.00 – 12.00\n \n \n \n \n Rachel Handforth: Imagining post-PhD futu res: How women students’ experiences of belonging shape perceptions of academic careers \n \n \n \n Thirsha de Silva: Navigating the PhD as ‘The Ou tcasts’: Wellbeing Experiences of International Wo men Doctoral Researchers from the Global Majority\ n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 12.00 - 12.45\ n \n \n \n \n Lunch\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 12.45 - 13.45\n \n \n \n \n Bing Lu: Facilitating Access to Part Time Doctor al Degrees: Inequalities Faced by Racially Minorit ised NHS workforce\n \n \n \n Barbara Adewumi: The Black PhD Experience: Navigating Academia Thro ugh Survival\, Voice\, and Purpose\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 13.45 - 14.30\n \n \n \n \n Group activity- How to facilitate doctoral student belonging- possibilities for change? Atte ndees will be given prompts in groups to discuss\, recording their answers for sharing with others.\ n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 14.30 - 14.45\ n \n \n \n \n Break\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 14.45 - 15.15\n \n \n \n \n Feedback and plenary discussion of main issues a rising chaired by Professor Gina Wisker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 15.15 - 15.30\n \n \n \n \n Final questions & closing\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker bios\n \n \n \n Dr Ra chel Handforth is Senior Lecturer in Doctoral Educ ation and Civic Engagement at Nottingham Trent Uni versity and works on the Co(l)laboratory Research Hub doctoral training programme\, working with com munity partners\, academics\, and doctoral researc hers to support community-engaged research. She wo n an SRHE Newer Researcher Award in 2023\, underta king a place-based project to explore public perce ptions of and attitudes towards doctoral research in Nottingham\, and her research interests include gender\, mental health and wellbeing and doctoral graduates’ career destinations. Her book\, Belong ing\, Gender and Identity in the Doctoral Years: A cross Time and Space was published by Palgrave Mac millan in 2022\, and she is currently guest editin g a special issue of the Studies in Graduate and P ostdoctoral Education journal on doctoral educatio n for the public good.\n \n \n \n Thirsha de Silva is a doctoral researcher at the University of Por tsmouth. Her doctoral study employs narrative and visual diary methods to explore mental wellbeing e xperiences of international women doctoral researc hers from the Global Majority. Prior to embarking on her PhD\, Thirsha worked as a Lecturer in Psych ology in Sri Lanka\, teaching on a wide range of t opics including health behaviours and social inequ alities in health. Her research interests include lived experiences of minoritised groups in higher education and the impact of social inequalities on wellbeing. She is enthusiastic about intersection al\, interdisciplinary and multimodal approaches t o research.\n \n \n \n Dr Bing Lu is a Higher Educ ation researcher at Nottingham Trent University an d works on the Equity in Doctoral Education throug h Partnership and Innovation (EDEPI) programme. Bi ng’s research centres around academic mobility\, i nclusive admission\, postgraduate community\, and supervisor development. Bing is currently guest ed iting a Special Issue on Taboos in Doctoral Educat ion Across Cultures hosted by Higher Education Qua rterly scheduled to be published in April 2026.\n \n \n \n Dr Barbara Adewumi is a sociologist and S enior Researcher at the non-partisan think tank Br itish Future\, working on the Nuffield Foundation– funded project Voices for Equity: Moving from Evid ence to Action. Her research examines national pol ling data on racial equality\, identity and lived experience to inform social policy. She previously held roles as Lecturer in Sociology and Senior Re search Fellow at the University of Kent\, where sh e completed her PhD. Her work focused on Black stu dent’s academic progression in higher education\, including degree-awarding differentials\, belongin g\, and the lived experiences and pathways to prog ression of Black doctoral students. She has won m ultiple EDI awards for diversifying the curricula work known as Diversity Mark and as co-chair for U niversity of Kent’s Global Majority staff network. Barbara serves on the National Windrush Museum an d co-editor of the open access book Race\, Capital and Equity in Higher Education\, Palgrave Macmill an.\n \n \n \n Gina Wisker PFHEA SFSEDA is Senior Lecturer in the Bath University International Cent re for Higher Education Management\, doctoral supe rvisor there and at the University of Liverpool In stitute of Education. She is Professor Emerita of the University of Brighton where her previous rol e was Professor of Higher Education and Contempora ry Literature and Head of Centre for Learning and Teaching\, holding a National Teaching Fellowship. She has taught for the Open and for Cambridge Uni versities\, in FE colleges in schools. She is pass ionate about teaching\, including integrating rese arch and professional practice into teaching\, lea rning and assessment practices. She has been invol ved with several HE research projects and other in ternational work\, on doctoral supervision\, HE cu rriculum development\, internationalisation\, deco lonisation\, student learning. Books: The Good Su pervisor (Palgrave\, 2002\, 2012)\; Getting starte d in Supervision (Routledge\, 2026). Journal editi ng: Innovations in Education and Teaching Internat ional. She has two adult sons\, a dog and lives in Cambridge.\n \n CATEGORIES:Conference CALSCALE:GREGORIAN DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/London:20260609T103000 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260609T103000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260609T153000 LOCATION:Society House\, Regents Wharf\n 8 All Saints Stree t\n London\, N1 9RL\n United Kingdom\n URL:https://srhe.ac.uk/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=789 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR

\n 10.30 – 1 0.40 \n	\n < span style="line-height:normal">Arrival and refreshments \n
\n 1 0.40 – 10.45 \n	\n SRHE welcome and housekeeping \n
\n 10.45 – 11.00 \n	\n < span style="line-height:normal">Introduction from Professor Gina Wisker \n
\n 11.00 – 12.00 \n	\n Rachel Handforth: Imagining post-PhD futures: How women students’ experiences of belonging shape pe rceptions of academic careers \n \n Thirsha de Silva: Navigating the PhD as ‘The Outcasts’: W ellbeing Experiences of International Women Doctor al Researchers from the Global Majority \n
\ n 12.00 - 12.45 \n	\n Lunch< /span> \n
\n 12.45 - 1 3.45 \n	\n ~~Bing Lu:~~ ~~Facilitating A ccess to Part Time Doctoral Degrees: Inequalities Faced by Racially Minoritised NHS workforce~~ \n \n Barbara Adewumi: The Black PhD Experience: N avigating Academia Through Survival\, Voice\, and Purpose \n
\n 13.45 - 14.30 \n	\n Group activity- How to facilitate doctoral student belonging- possibilities for cha nge? Attendees will be given prompts in groups to dis cuss\, recording their answers for sharing with ot hers. \n
\n 14.30 - 14.45 \n	\n ~~Break~~ \n
\n ~~14.4 5 - 15.15~~ \n	\n F eedback and plenary discussion of main issues aris ing chaired by Professor Gina Wisker \n
\n 15.15 - 15.30 \n	\n Final questions & closing \n