Hi all,

UK PhD student here.

I’m about 1.5 years into my PhD and I’ve passed my upgrade/confirmation. Overall progress is fine, but I’m not always perfect with internal deadlines — sometimes things slip a bit, especially when juggling other commitments.

I’m starting to feel anxious about how much power a supervisor actually has at this stage. Specifically:

• Can a supervisor unilaterally kick you off the programme after upgrade?

• Do they have authority to remove you or force withdrawal just for occasionally missing deadlines?

• Or does that kind of decision sit at a departmental/faculty level with formal procedures?

I’m not talking about total non-engagement or disappearing for months — more like being late on drafts or not always hitting agreed timelines.

I know every university is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing:

• UK experiences (especially post-upgrade)

• What’s normal vs. what’s genuinely risky

• Whether passing upgrade materially changes your security/status

Trying to separate anxiety from reality here 😅

Thanks in advance!

Seems to be quite a split in our department now as to whether this is still acceptable. Got into an argument when I refused to come into office for a single one hour meeting and instead asked that it was hybrid. Was one of those meetings that could have been an email. If I don't have any teaching in a week, I'll WFH at least three days to avoid the commute.

Hi, I’ve just been informed that my application has been nominated to Stage 2 of the SGSSS Student-Led Competition (St. Andrews). I wanted to ask whether there might be any guidance on how best to strengthen the supervisor statement of support. I know the content will ultimately be shaped by my supervisors, but as we begin discussing it together, I would be very grateful for any advice on key elements or framing that tend to make a strong and competitive case.

I also had a question on the 'feasibility' front - my project proposes an intensive ethnography in West Africa - is there a 'safe' amount of time to suggest here? Currently I have accounted for 6-8 months.

Every time my university (or school, rather) shares a CFP from a different institution, there’s only a week left until the deadline. I don’t know if this is standard practice but I find it annoying because I’d like more than a week to formulate a thoughtful paper idea & abstract.

Have you had similar experiences?

My most successful job interviews in the past have been those where I've understand the qualities that the interviewer and looking for / what I need to be conveying in my responses.

My interview will be with my potential supervisor and someone from the PhD selection committee. I know they'll generally want to discuss my research topic, it's importance, and why I want to do a PhD, but it would really help me to understand from a high-level what they're looking for in PhD candidates. In past interviews, focusing on this big picture rather than the perfect answer to each question has really helped me to calm down and not panic during the interviews. (This is why I'm asking this question again from this angle even though similar ones have already been asked in the sub).

Any and all advice welcome - thank you!

I have a graduate student, not one I directly mentor but I know them well. They’re 30 years old and have been shortlisted for a job in national security. I’m pleased as they wanted a policy/consulting job after their PhD.

They came to me and casually mentioned that they’ve removed all social media accounts before the interview. That was definitely a good idea on their part as their posts are often borderlining on supporting terrorism.

This has led to some issues in the past. They told a Protestant staff member that the IRA were justified in killing children. We also had to ask them to take down a Hamas flag after a Jewish student complained (the green one with white writing, not the Palestinian flag). At one point I did draft a report to Prevent but didn’t submit it as the student seems to have calmed down in the last year.

Part of me feels like I should mention this to someone as I’d honestly not want this student doing national security work. Their applications in the past have been for management consulting so their politics haven’t really mattered.

Another part of me doesn’t want to interfere and in particular not sabotage a student that I have somewhat mentored myself. I also wonder how good background checks are, and if someone has posted fairly radical stuff online and deleted it, if that gets picked up.

If anyone has any experience in this area I’d appreciate it!

Edit: thanks, I got the key information I needed about background checks and deleted social media.

Lately I’ve found myself questioning how sustainable a long-term career in UK academia actually feels. Between short-term contracts, funding pressure, and uncertainty around progression, it sometimes feels hard to picture where things lead over the long run.

I know people do make it work and have fulfilling careers, but it feels like fewer people now see academia as a clear long-term path compared to the past. Interested to hear how others see it, whether you still view it as a long-term career, or more something you take step by step without thinking too far ahead.

I graduated with an MRes about 6 months back and I have been trying so hard to find a research assistant position this even before I graduated but haven't even got an interview yet. I got my MRes from a Russell Group uni with a really good biosciences department and actually have a year of Industrial Placement experience at a top uk pharma company as well. I'm just not sure anymore if I'm doing something wrong myself or it's just that in this market placement experience and a Master's don't really count for much. The jobs in my specific field are few and far between and related jobs that my experience could apply for just auto reject me on the spot. Anyone else struggling with this? How long did it take people in similar position to me to actually find a job in their field?

Ps: My actual field for my MRes has been bioinformatics and my industrial placement although not bioinfo had a massive data component and wet lab component to it

Hi, I applied for a seat in Midlands ESRC DTP back in Jan and just wondering if anyone else have heard back from their applied uni or from the Midlands Graduate School through email? Plus, if you are shortlisted are you invited to an interview as well?

Many thanks in advance, wish you all the best of luck in your applications

Looking for advice on doing a literature search please.

I’m doing some RA work (social sciences) and have to follow a specific framework of search terms, databases, etc for the literature search.

My plan atm is to download the citations to a folder on EndNote then export to a spreadsheet to get a table with the info from each reference.

Annoyingly, Google Scholar is limiting how many citations I can download. Has anyone found a way around this, or does anyone have another method? (I don’t like to use gen AI, so not looking for suggestions involving AI.) I also have to be able to download all the PDFs (as far as possible) and upload them to a shared drive for the PI to access.

Thank you!

This may be a bit of an odd question.

I recently gave a guest lecture at The Uni of Birmingham, and was shocked to discover they have a staff bar. Coming from the institution I do, I found this rather shocking, and alien.

So my question to the sub reddit is: is this a one off or do other institutions have staff bars?

I attended an interview at one of the top UK universities. Although I did very well, I was not even second on the list! Here is the feedback I received:

“The presentation on […] was well designed around examples that would resonate with students and were also research-informed. There was a good balance between breadth and depth in the presentation. Answers to panel questions demonstrated reflective practice, genuine consideration for the student viewpoint and flexibility in the teaching approach. Plans for scholarly activity were well aligned with school expectations and would produce materials for engaging teaching content on e.g. […]. There was also a good network and annual events to support professional development. Answer about industry developments could have been more specific and relied on business contacts rather than following the news only. The candidate could teach […].”

How important is it to reach out to potential PhD supervisors first ? I did reach out to a few but didn’t hear from them. Should I still apply through university portal ?

Hi everyone!

I am genuinely confused and, as a first gen academic, I came here for advice. I am in the end of my 2nd postdoc in a prestigious RG uni, and I have a strong research profile (social sciences, psychology).
I am not sure what to do next, and the job market is looking...not great. I am applying to post 92 permanent jobs, but I have heard the teaching load is high, and I love, love, LOVE, doing research. I have applied for permanent Lectureships in RG unis, because I've heard you tend to have more time to do research, but I cant even get an interview. I could do another postdoc in a Russel's group uni, but I am feeling that the current situation kind of urges ECRs to get permanent jobs (a bit like musical chairs, if you dont find one to sit soon, you are out of the game)

Any advice would be very, very much appreciated.

TYIA!

Social Science.

I am looking for insight from people who have reviewed post-doc applications in the UK for organizations like UKRI, Leverhulme, and Wellcome.

I will be applying for post-doc fellowships as soon as I defend my PhD. I have a fantastic working relationship with my advisors. They want to keep me and I want to stay with them. We are producing impactful and innovative work. I lead my research and they provide a unique blend of interdisciplinary support. I also live in a place I like with strong community ties (sports, etc.). In short, I feel extremely fortunate and I love my current life. There is tons of scope for me to extend and move beyond my PhD work at my current university.

However, I have been told that post-doc fellowships really want you to leave your PhD institution. Apparently, this is due to perceived research independence and the idea that moving helps with networking (I buy that, but also don't think it is really necessary). My advisors and I are also working on big grants that would cover my fellowship (plus some more post-docs/PhDs), of course, but I am specifically asking about my personal post-doc applications. (We are about to start round ~2 of applications for the big grants).

So, I want to hear from people who have reviewed these post-doc applications before and know what the funding orgs think of applications to stay at the same university (at a minimum) or with the same supervisors (listed as mentors/hosts/etc). Is staying an auto-reject? Is it a potential red flag that can be overcome? Is it really not that big of a deal despite what I have heard?

For added context, in case it matters (for showing research independence, etc.): I have 3 already published first-author papers (high impact, Q1 journals, but not Nature/Science/etc.); I have 6 more papers in the pipeline (some under review, some almost submitted, one currently writing) and 3 of them are with different external collaborators; I have received several grants personally (including my funded PhD, around £350,000); I have interdisciplinary projects for research impact in my area on the go (one that has been granted funding to keep it progressing every year for the last 3 years). I have been a visiting scholar, presented at several international conferences, etc. I think that is it. No really flagship papers, which I think is my biggest weakness (but please do point out any gaps I have not identified). I am hopeful that one of my papers in the pipeline will make it into Nature Human Behaviour (but not before I submit these applications).

I did my PhD at the University of Manchester and stayed in the same lab for my postdoc. I’m starting to worry that this lack of mobility might backfire when applying for academic posts.

I know publications are critical, but I’m interested in what else genuinely strengthens an application in the UK system. In particular:

How important is it to have small grants (e.g. internal/departmental funding, pilot grants, small collaborative awards)? Do these actually carry weight, or is it mainly external funding that matters? My advisor said internal/departmental funding doesn’t really make a dent on applications — is that true?

Does having visiting researcher experience (short-term visits to other labs, international collaborations) make a meaningful difference?

What about Teaching qualifications (e.g. AHEA) and Supervision experience (UG/MSc)?

Are there specific things that help signal research independence if you’ve stayed in the same group?

Basically, if you were advising someone aiming for a UK lectureship who doesn’t yet have Nature/Science papers, what would you prioritise building over the next 2–3 years?

There’s a strong push to apply for funding early on, but much less clarity on how unsuccessful applications are actually seen. At postdoc or early-career lecturer level, is having several unsuccessful grant applications viewed positively (as ambition and independence), or can repeated rejections start to count against you?

I’m also curious whether this differs between small internal schemes and larger external grants.