Early summer is probably my favourite part of the year in YGRS, since that is when many PGR conferences take place. Recently I attended the Frontiers of Fusion conference to hear about the cutting edge projects taking place there. This month I will be popping along to the Humanities Research Centre’s poster conference, very handily timed for the European Doctoral Day! Hopefully I will get to meet some of you there, but you can always come along to our YGRS/York SU PGR Drop-in (with food!) on Monday 18 May between 12.30pm - 2.30pm in The Courtyard for a chat.

I’m looking forward to working very directly with some PGRs on YGRS projects. This month we will be joined on a research culture internship by Midhat Farzeen (HYMS) who will be investigating the experience of Masters by Research PGRs at York. Those of you who are studying at this level will be contacted directly by us in the coming weeks to invite you to participate in this project, where we are aiming to understand your motivations, experiences and challenges to better inform policy and practice. 

Later in the summer, we will host two White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership PGRs on placement. Lindiwe Seotsanyana (CWS) and Hannah Redman (Sheffield) will be conducting research on the housing and commuting behaviour, needs and experiences of York PGRs. Look out for further information on these projects, and how you can participate, in the coming weeks.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the item below on the ECR Collective. This is a White Rose University Consortium group which spans postgraduate researchers and those in the early stages of an academic career. Details of the group’s activities follow, including online and in-person events. 

Best wishes,
Paul

Although PGR study doesn’t follow the taught student semester structure, we do want to let you know about some changes to our semester structure from 2026/27. The update is to address issues regarding staff stress, student engagement, and administrative workload. For more, see our semesters information for students.

Be inspired and hear from our talented postgraduate researchers about their cutting-edge work. In a challenge against the clock, the competing York finalists have just three minutes to outline the power of their research and explain how it will improve society and our lives. Join us at the live final on Friday 5 June, vote for your favourite and see who wins! Book your free tickets.

York Festival of Ideas (30 May to 12 June) presents over 200 mostly free events, including talks by world-class speakers, walking tours, performances, exhibitions and more. Events include:

Visit the Festival website to browse the full programme and book tickets.

From Monday (11 May), our current guest wifi network known as CityConnect will be replaced with a new wifi service known as UoY-Fi. Find out more about connecting to UoY-Fi.

A pair of Great Tits have begun nesting in a bird box on the Ian Wand Building on Campus East. Watch a live feed for updates on their brood. 

The PGR mentoring scheme is available to all 2nd, 3rd and final year postgraduate researchers, and applications are open now for mentoring relationships running from July - December 2026. Mentees will be matched with a postdoc/early career researcher who is willing to share their recent knowledge and experience as a researcher. Submit your application by 5pm, Friday 29 May 2026.

We're running our first Accessibility Awareness Day with a mixture of online, hybrid and in person events and activities to explore. From sessions covering accessibility tips, British Sign Language and braille workshops, to wheelchair skills tasters, sighted guiding sessions and workshops to improve the student experience and more, there are a range of ways to get involved. All sessions are free to attend, but may have limited numbers.

A new law called the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. It changes how private renting works in England and gives you stronger rights as a tenant. These changes may affect how you find housing, sign your contract and plan your tenancy. If you’re already renting when the law comes in, most of these protections will still apply to you.

Staying in York over the summer and looking for something to do? Join our Communities team for a range of postgraduate opportunities, including:

The Smart Data Donation Service (SDDS) is a new piece of national research infrastructure to address the gap between corporate-held data needed to study digital ecosystems, and independent researchers. Lunch and networking at midday will be followed by a talk from SDDS Director, David Zendle and a session to workshop ideas for future funding bids. Find out more and register for your place.

Join the Early Career Researcher Collective for an in-person event exploring ways to maintain your wellbeing when faced with researcher-specific challenges. Some funding is available to support travel expenses for those with financial limitations. Find out more and register your interest by 29 May.

Social Science PGRs are invited to submit an abstract or poster to this year's WRDTP conference on 17 June in Sheffield. Your submission can link to this year's theme, New Forms of Power and Resistance, or to one of the seven interdisciplinary pathways. You don’t need to be funded by the WRDTP or ESRC to take part. Submit your abstract/poster by 12 noon on Friday 15 May, and register to attend the conference by 9am Monday 8 June.

Come along to the next Enhancing Research Culture workshop, exploring ways we can rethink ‘failures’ (big or small) and the learnings they bring. Find out more and register for your place. 

Join Dr Catherine Preston for an in-person workshop exploring connections and key priorities in women's health, as well as challenges and opportunities of a multidisciplinary approach to this subject. Register your interest in the workshop and/or being part of a future Women’s Health Research Network at York. 

SZWG, an online writing group for academics, postgraduates and creatives, offering community, accountability, and structure with online writing sessions to share goals and write together in solidarity. Demystify the writing process, develop sustainable working habits, and share the process of research and writing.

The SDDS team are donating their remaining tickets to day 2 and 3 of the upcoming Digital Footprints Conference to PGRs on relevant courses, allocated on a first come, first served basis. If you’re interested in attending, please contact Nicola Thomis (nicola.thomis@york.ac.uk) with the following details: 

Note these details will be shared with Smart Data Research UK (SDR-UK) in order to allocate your ticket.  

Join the Postgraduate Communities team for their final Research Exchange session of the academic year: Endings, Submissions and New Beginnings. 

Following their launch earlier this year, the Early Career Researcher Collective have curated a range of online resources aimed to support ECRs at different stages of their journey. With a variety of events and mentorship schemes planned over the next few months, sign up to the ECR Collective mailing list to stay up to date with their latest opportunities. 

Join Leeds Beckett University’s annual conference, organised by PGRs for PGRs, open to all universities. Enjoy insights from leading academics and industry experts, as well as networking opportunities with peer researchers. For more information and to register to attend, contact Misan Jekhine (O.Jekhine@leedsbeckett.ac.uk).

In March, the White Rose University Consortium launched their Mature Students Network - bringing together mature PGRs from York, Leeds and Sheffield to share experiences, reflect on their diverse career journeys and discuss the support they’d like to receive. Read about the launch event, and connect with the Consortium on LinkedIn to stay up to date with future network events. 

This in-person workshop will enable you to start the process of creating the story of your career thus far, through reflection on your past experiences, identification of key events and learning experiences, and consideration of career motivators and goals. Find out more, and register for your free place.

PGRs from York are invited to join a range of online and in-person careers events in June organised by the University of Huddersfield. Find out more and register for your place (using your UoY email address). For questions, please contact: pgrskills@hud.ac.uk. 

The Maths Skills Centre is hiring a part-time statistics Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) for the current semester and beyond. Find out more and apply before Sunday 17 May.

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

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.

From Autumn 2026/27, this training will be delivered through a revised structure of online preparation and in-person workshop activity. The current three site versions will also be consolidated into a single integrated site, which will be released in Summer 2026.

Please note: the current VLE sites are intended only for participants enrolled in the 2025/26 workshop cycle. If you are not currently scheduled to attend, please do not begin the online activities.

York Students' Union offers a number of regular PGR-exclusive events and activities, and we head into spring and summer, it is also running a number of events that may be of particular interest to PGRs.

The York SU Student Life Awards are taking place on Sunday (10 May) in Central Hall! Whether you're shortlisted for an award or fancy an evening celebrating fellow students, grab your free ticket for the York SU Student Life Awards.

“I wish I had known that failure was not only okay, but incredibly common. Even what you may think is a “bad” result can lead you down a path to something even more interesting...”

Meet Greg McNeil, a third year PhD researcher in Biological Chemistry, and our next PGR spotlight. We asked Greg what he enjoys most about being a postgraduate researcher, what led him to his PhD subject, and if his research had a theme song, what tune would he pick and why? 

Could you be our next spotlight? Contact our newsletter team at student-communications@york.ac.uk for more information on taking part in upcoming ‘Meet The PGR’ features.

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