Written by Laurence Coles, PGR Vice President.  Over the next few months we’re going to be working closely with all of you through short workshops held within each School/Department, in order to help us understand our Research Culture across the campus! You may be wondering what this means…? Well promoting local interaction within communities is a vital part of our postgraduate experience here at Lboro, especially when often faced with individual and self-motivated projects, and our local research communities should encourage a feeling of involvement and belonging surrounding our day to day research. During our visits to each department we’ll be interest to find out how good your local research culture is in terms of both quality and engagement, which will also discussing the area of isolation within individual research and how we can look to resolve current and future cases.

The purpose of this initiative will be to investigate what makes a successful research community, and how this differs between the variety of subject areas across the campus. We’re aiming to help improve our general understand of the term “Research Culture”, while also looking to provide multiple suggestions for mechanisms which promote local peer based support networks.

The benefit to you as PGRs…

• Provide a self-sustaining mechanisms for peer based support and knowledge share within local research groups.
• Become involved in a wider community outside of individual research.
• Improve the day to day involvement within your research group and / or department.
• Better communication with all associated academics and research associates, this will help bridge the gap and promote engagement outside of the required meetings.

So please keep an eye out for these advertise workshops, the details will follow via your School/Department.

I look forward to discussing this further with you all!