Widening Participation in Postgraduate Research Workshop
Widening Participation in Postgraduate Research Workshop
Dates: Tuesday 31st March and Wednesday 1st April 2026
Location: Durham University
Cost: Free to attend (plus limited funding available to support travel and accommodation costs)
It is well established that many groups are under-represented at Postgraduate Research (PGR) level, representing a challenge to the Higher Education (HE) sector to provide equitable access to PGR study opportunities and the careers they enable. This workshop will examine these challenges from the perspective of the Physical Sciences, and seeks to achieve two purposes – first to bring together PGR stakeholders and share best practice and insights that may break down barriers to equitable PGR access, and second to strengthen the network of practitioners to shape future directions in the UK HE sector.
The themes of the workshop will include:
- Competency based admissions
- Impact of undergraduate experiences on PGR choices
- Influence of socio-economic background and ethnicity on PGR choices and experiences
We hope the workshop will be of particular interest to anyone involved with the design, development and implementation of PGR programmes, recruitment and support for PGR students. All are welcome, including PGR students.
Workshop programme
Each of the two days has a different focus:
- Tuesday 31st March will focus on talks, networking and panel discussions related to widening participation in postgraduate research.
- Wednesday 1st April will focus on training to implement change – including Theory of Change and Neuroinclusive Supervision.
Participants are welcome to join us for just a single day, or both days.
Tuesday 31st will also include a workshop session facilitated by the EPSRC EDI Hub+ to capture the outputs from the day.
A detailed programme for the two days will be posted on March 2nd.
This workshop is free to attend, for which we gratefully acknowledge support from:
- Durham University EDI Fund
- Durham University Research Culture Funding
- Durham University’s Engineering Department
- The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Inclusion and Diversity Fund, which was backed by the Chemists’ Community Fund
- The Institute of Physics Higher Education Group
Should you wish to attend, please indicate your interest via the registration form:
If you wish to contribute a talk or a panel session, please indicate this on the form and we will be in touch to discuss further.
If you have any questions please contact the workshop co-chairs Prof Chris Groves and Dr Helen Cramman at [email protected].
Prof Groves and Dr Cramman are part of the ReNU and ReNU+ CDTs.
Funding to attend
We have a limited amount of funding available to cover basic travel and accommodation for UK attendees as follows:
- General (either as contributor or attendee)
- Ringfenced funding for Chemists
- Ringfenced funding for members of the Institute of Physics.
If you would like to be considered for funding support, please complete the form at the link below before the 23rd February. Please note that funding is limited and that the decision of the panel is final.
We highlight that chemists attending the meeting can apply for additional financial support (up to £1,200/year per grant) via the Royal Society of Chemistry to:
- Cover additional costs relevant to accessibility needs (e.g. accessible travel or accommodation options, communication support, personal assistance costs) – Accessibility Grants
- Cover additional costs relevant to caring responsibilities (e.g. extra home help or nursing care for a dependant, travel expenses to allow someone to care for your dependant whilst attending the meeting, extended hours with a care worker or child minder for your dependant etc.) – Grants for Carers
If you have any questions about funding support, please contact the workshop chairs at [email protected].