I want to begin by giving a big YGRS welcome to all our new postgraduate researchers, and an equally big welcome back to everyone else! Although research and PGRs carry on throughout the year, the rhythm of the academic seasons means September always has a special feel and whether this is your first month or your fortieth, I hope some of that buzz of a full campus and full inbox is inspiring you! 

I very much enjoyed meeting many of you at the YGRS induction event on 24 September where that same sense of anticipation was palpable - if you missed it, or even if you were there and want to relive it (!), see below for details of the recording.

Looking to future intakes, also in September I attended the excellent Generation Research (GenRes) project’s annual symposium, showcasing the work of the GenRes 2025 research interns. GenRes offers taster opportunities into research for prospective postgraduate researchers from backgrounds which are underrepresented at postgraduate level. It is based around tangible (and paid) summer research projects with leading researchers and also supports some PGR scholarships. Many GenRes alumni have gone on to become very successful YGRS PGRs.

We have recently received the results from the 2025 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES). Thank you to each and every one of you who completed the survey. It was very pleasing to see an improvement in overall satisfaction level for York PGRs to 85%. There is lots of useful feedback in the responses on what we are doing well and what we need to improve - we’ll be working through these in detail over the coming weeks.

Finally, those of you who are avid readers of the YGRS newsletter will recall that we have been working to implement changes to some of our policies as a result of the UKRI New Deal for Postgraduate Researchers. This has meant changes to the terms and conditions for UKRI-funded students, some of which we have adopted for all PGRs. I would like to draw your attention in particular to the updated PGR leave policy - see below for further details.

Best wishes,
Paul

Thank you to everyone who came to our September 2025 induction. For those of you who couldn't attend, or just want to recap on the information provided, you can view all of the presentations via the video and slides on our YGRS induction web page. We’d love to know if you found induction a useful and enjoyable experience, so we would really appreciate it if you could fill out our short induction feedback form.

Respect at York underpins everything that we do. Our Together York community declaration outlines how we behave towards one another at the University. This encompasses a new code of conduct on Free Speech and an updated Personal Relationship Policy. 

The University takes incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct seriously. In line with changes to OfS regulation and the Worker Protection Act we have taken steps to strengthen our approach to preventing harassment and sexual misconduct and providing support to our staff and students.

Postgraduate researchers must complete the new Respect at York training on ‘Understanding consent and being an active bystander’ on the VLE. This module supports everyone to better understand what sexual consent is and how to have healthy, consensual relationships.

Effective communities are built on shared values and we invite all members of our community to join together in upholding them.

In an update to previous processes, all PGRs should now request short periods of leave via e:Vision. Also, starting 1 August 2026, all staff and postgraduate researchers (PGRs) will follow a single annual leave cycle that runs from 1 August to 31 July. 

New UK legislation known as FIRS has come into force. The scheme aims to improve the understanding of activities taking place at the instruction of foreign governments, agencies and authorities. If you have questions around how your research might interact with this legislation, contact the Policy, Integrity and Performance (PIP) Team: trusted-research@york.ac.uk; for advice on non-research activities, contact Legal Services: legal@york.ac.uk.

Stay up to date on the latest campus works via our campus disruptions web page.

Throughout October, we're marking Black History Month which this year has the theme 'Standing Firm in Power and Pride'. Learn about our actions, about local and national groups and networks, and about the events on offer on campus and across the region. Have an idea for an event you’d like to run? Explore help and guidance from our EDI team on help creating, organising and promoting your event. 

York is regularly rated as one of the safest places to live in the UK but you can get 24/7 access to our Campus Safety team via our SafeZone app. With features such as emergency calling and a geo-location alert - as well as a general helpdesk for non-emergency queries - get quick and immediate help by downloading SafeZone now.

The start of a new academic year often brings about another round of scams targeting university students, researchers, associates and staff members. To mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re asking all members of our community to review the seven tell-tale signs of a scam to help keep yourself safe. 

Your username and password are vital pieces of your University identity - never share your password. If someone does know it, you need to change your password straight away.

Some symptoms of meningitis can be confused with flu-like symptoms. Although cases are very few, meningitis is potentially a very dangerous infection and can get worse very quickly. Make sure you know when you need to act with infectious illnesses.

Previously known as our Building Research and Innovation Culture team (BRIC), the newly renamed Research Culture & Researcher Development team offers a range of careers and professional development workshops aimed at researchers. The team has just launched their 2025-26 York Researcher Development Programme, which provides details on the wide range of professional development available for PGRs at York.

The Research Culture & Researcher Development Team run and coordinate a wide range of developmental workshops for all Researchers at York. Explore the variety of topics available to PGRs this October.

Starting 29 September 2025, for any session delivered by the Research Culture & Researcher Development team via SkillsForge, please note that we will no longer send no-show emails to anyone who doesn’t fill out the Attendance and Feedback form. However if you don’t complete the form for one or more sessions, you can still email us at research-culture@york.ac.uk and we can amend your training record. We still encourage you all to fill out the Attendance and Feedback form for each session you attend (within one week of the session date), and maintain our honesty policy when it comes to the self-reporting of attendance.

This new Practical Guide from the Library provides a quick introduction to the topic of open research for researchers in different areas at the University: Open Research Toolkit.

Discover how researchers across the University have benefited from, and been challenged by, the adoption of open research practices. New case studies offering PGR perspectives include An Open Access Book Chapter: Final Fantasy VII by Katie Vernon (Centre for Medieval Studies) and Reflections on Open Access Publishing: Ethical Challenges in Community-Engaged PhD Research by Yorgos Paschos (Department of Archaeology).

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to fend off procrastination and beat writer's block. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges and work in a focused way using the established Pomodoro technique. View all dates for upcoming Writing Retreats.

Thinking about a career outside of academia? Join the Careers and Placements team for the Law Fair on 8 October and the Graduate Jobs and Placements Fair on 15-16 October. Many schemes are typically aimed at those who have limited professional work experience. If you think a graduate scheme could be for you,  watch our video on how to make the most of the fairs. There will also be opportunities to get your CV reviewed, get a professional photo taken for your LinkedIn profile, pick up free work clothes at the Work Wardrobe and more! 

This event will feature a range of professionals and recent graduates sharing their stories of personal impact in their work in the UK public sector.

Check the events programme in Handshake for details of upcoming events.

If you're planning to teach as a GTA at York, you need to complete Introduction to Teaching and Learning training first. There are three different workshops; you should complete the one recommended by your department. For any queries, please contact the Academic Practice Team: academic-practice@york.ac.uk.

See any current Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) teaching opportunities on Handshake.

For 2026, PhD Spotlight will move to the summer and be a part of the York Festival of Ideas, alongside our Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Applications open in spring 2026.

The University of York Students’ Union (York SU) represents your interests as a postgraduate researcher at York. The York SU Sabbatical Officers cover all areas of University life, including wellbeing, academia, equality, sports and activities, and more. They make sure that the voices of all students are represented in important conversations at the University and that you have the best experience possible. Head to the York SU website to read the York SU Sabbatical Officers manifestos for the year ahead.

If you’re a new PGR, York SU wants your feedback on your first impressions of life at York. Complete the York SU First Impressions survey by 13 October and you could be in with a chance of winning a £50 supermarket voucher. 

‘I wish I’d known not to panic when things go wrong. Research rarely goes exactly as planned… but those moments are often where the most valuable learning happens…’

The York Graduate Research School connects more than 2,000 PGRs across all disciplines at York. Read our spotlight on Lily: runner and PhD researcher in the Department of Psychology. Lily won the 2025 3MT competition at York. Find out more about Lily’s journey to her PhD and her top tips for maintaining a work/life balance around her research.

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