Widening Participation in Postgraduate Research Workshop

Widening Participation in Postgraduate Research Workshop

Dates: Tuesday 31^st March and Wednesday 1^st April 2026

Location: Durham University

Cost: Free to attend (plus limited funding available to support travel and accommodation costs)

Presentations from the Widening Participation in PGR workshop on 31st March 2026

Please note that not all presentations from the day are able to be shared.

• Aiston – Making the Leap from undergraduatemasters to PGROpens new window
• Diverse CDT Circulation CopyOpens new window
• EISE talk to share_Rachael MilesOpens new window
• Fraser-McDonald_Widening Participation in PGROpens new window
• Grantley-Smith Reimagining PhD Programmes, Driving Diversity and Culture ChangeOpens new window
• Longbottom Durham PG WP Workshop 31 March 2026 v3Opens new window
• Moss, Andrew Developing a positive research culture for PGRs through CollaborationOpens new window
• Nagbe – Why Students Don’t Choose Postgraduate ChemistryThe Impact of Social and Economic FactorsOpens new window
• Penlington presentation Durham 310326Opens new window
• Wakeling Durham PGR WP WorkshopOpens new window
• 2026_Durham_Introducing EDEPI frameworkOpens new window

Information about the workshop

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 31^st March will focus on talks, networking and panel discussions related to widening participation in postgraduate research.
• Wednesday 1^st 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 31^st will also include a workshop session facilitated by the EPSRC EDI Hub+ to capture the outputs from the day. 

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

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.

Please speak to the conference organisers if you have any questions about funding.

We would also like to 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].