Community and campus

Researcher communities, networks and collaboration  

As a researcher, you will be a member of a number of communities beyond your supervisory team or immediate working environment: a research group, a department, a seminar group or journal club, a professional society perhaps (many of which are headquartered or hold meetings in London), and international communities. Researcher Communities and Networks are in essence groups of people that interact with each other. They can involve a rich menu of support, advice, events, projects, collaboration, outputs and publications – and are constituted and operate in many different ways both face-to-face and/or online.

Conferences, meetings, fairs, journals and books are still central to the dissemination of research results and for engaging with others, but the development of information technology and social media is changing the way research is conducted and communicated, and the way we interact with others. Established scholarly networks and societies have created virtual communities for their members, and new academic virtual communities are now important vehicles for researchers to interact. Engagement with research and with researchers is increasingly through educational and research email discussion lists (for example JISCMail), and academic oriented social networks (like Mendeley, Research Gate, Academia.edu) but also blogs, vlogs, tweets etc. You will need to explore what tools are appropriate for your aims and in what way you might use even familiar tools such as Facebook,WhatsApp, Linkedin or Twitter in a research context.

We’ve gathered together on these pages only a small selection of what is available to you at UCL as a starting point: your colleagues and peers are the best way to find out more, particularly of what is available in your department and in your field. Get in contact with the existing areas that interest you, explore your own discipline and other cognate ones. If there is no group or network in an area that interests you, then think about setting it up yourself. This is part of you forging the future of your discipline and your career, and of finding the right support for you and your work.

There may even be some funding available from the Doctoral School, RIGE, your Department/s, or the Students’ Union to help you do so.

UCL Research Domains and their Early Career Networks

UCL’s Research Domains are large, cross- disciplinary research communities (staff and students) that span UCL and our partner organisations, fostering interaction and collaboration. Each Research Domain includes a number of more specific research Themes which are of strategic importance to the Domain and UCL.

In general, the Domains and Themes aim to bring together researchers from across UCL to share experience and perspectives, increase the impact of their research and explore the exciting range of opportunities available within and beyond UCL. They provide much vital information on events and seminars, and key mailing lists and newsletters to get plugged into the latest developments.

The current UCL Research Domains are listed below, and additional Domains will be coming in the future:

• Neuroscience
• Personalised Medicine
• Populations & Lifelong Health
• Cancer
• Environment
• eResearch
• Collaborative Social Science
• Food, Metabolism and Society
• Space
• Microbiology

UCL Academic Research Networks, Societies and Groups

There is a wide range of academic and research networks, from the small to the large at UCL, reflecting the breadth of our research. A small number are listed below, the majority student-led, to give you a flavour of some of the exciting groups out there.

Your department, Supervisor and fellow students will have detailed information on what is organised within your department/faculty and particularly useful in your field.

There is a wide range of academic and research networks and societies at UCL, reflecting the breadth of our research community. The majority are student-led. See a list of our networks and societies.

UCL Public Engagement Networks

A combination of regular meetings and monthly newsletter, the UCL Public Engagement Network brings together UCL staff and students interested in public engagement whether they are an old hand of a complete novice.

Organised by the UCL Public Engagement Unit, Volunteering Services and one or more partner organisations, Creating Connections is a regular networking event that brings UCL staff and postgrads together with social enterprises, residents’ groups, charities and other community organisations.The aim is very simple – to explore ways of working together with mutual benefit. 

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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

UCL is proud to celebrate the cultural diversity of its community. Key to UCL’s success are the talents and experiences of our diverse community.

UCL is considered a sector-leader on equality, diversity and inclusion, as evidenced by the number of external charter marks we have gained such as the Race Equality Charter (bronze) and Athena SWAN (silver). We are proud to celebrate the diversity of our community.

Key to UCL’s success are the talents, experiences, and contributions of our diverse community of students and staff.

Six percent of UCL postgraduate students identify as disabled and those studying at the University are drawn from 150 countries, representing a rich and widespread international heritage. UCL’s Research Strategy commits to the creation of a diverse and supportive intellectual community, informed by researchers from all backgrounds and the widest possible talent pool, as the model that can best address the challenges of a global society.

We take great efforts to ensure that UCL provides a welcoming environment for all who study, work, and socialise here. Key objectives are focused on ensuring all students feel a sense of belonging at UCL, that we develop inclusive curricula that better speaks to the diversity of our community and that our academic and research staff profile is more representative of the diverse profile of our student body.

UCL has several staff and student networks, both face-to-face and virtual, offering opportunities for those with shared identities to socialise and work collaboratively. For more information about these please visit the Staff Equalities Networks website.

RaceMatters@UCL is a forum on race equality at UCL.

GEN is a UCL virtual network that allows any member of our community who is interested in gender equality to find out more.

Parents and Carers TogetherNetwork (PACT) raises awareness of the needs of working parents and carers.

Out@UCL is a network for LGBTQI+ staff and students.

Friends of Out@UCL is a network for LGBTQI+ allies.

LGBTQ+ STEM @UCL Network for staff and students who identify as LGBTQI+ working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines.

UCLTrans Network is an informal network on MS Teams for everyone (staff & students) at UCL who identifies as trans (including non-binary, genderqueer & all other identities not identical with the gender assigned at birth).

The Interfaith Forum supports and showcases the diversity of religious belief within UCL’s community and promotes understanding, respect, positive relationships and constructive dialogue between people of all faiths and none.

In addition to the staff and student networks listed here, there are also a large number of Students’ Union UCL clubs and societies.

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Students’ Union UCL

Students’ Union UCL exists to make more happen at UCL. UCL is a majority postgraduate university and the Union has more than 25,000 postgraduate members. They know that postgrad life is different from undergraduate and they’re set up to support you throughout your time here.

While everything the Union does is open to all students, regardless of level of study, they understand that the needs of postgraduate students are different to other students. The Union has   more specific representation for postgraduates, including dedicated elected representatives like a full-time Postgraduate Officer, a part-time Research Students’Officer, as well as a Faculty Representative in each faculty specifically representing the interests of research students.

Many students, particularly those focusing on research, say it can be difficult to meet their peers and feel a part of the UCL community. The Union works hard to bridge the gap between your academic and non-academic life. Conferences, events, sports, arts, society activities, and volunteering opportunities in London are all organised by the Union and open to you. The Union also find ways for you to share your work with your peers from a range of disciplines; look out for the 3Minute Thesis competition. The Union has created a strand of activities under their Project Active programme which are specifically for postgraduate students,check these out on their website to help you stay active during your time at UCL. 

As a Union of more than 48,000 students, we give you the power to shape the elements of the university that affect you. We believe that having your voice heard within your faculty and department is the key to improving the quality of education and research at UCL. You can have a say in the decisions that will affect your time here by becoming research student representative.

It’s not just the university you can change. The Union is for students and led by students so you can get involved with making it as good as it can possibly be. Twice a year we elect the students who will run the organisation, and you will always have the chance to stand to be one of those leaders or vote for the students you want to do the job for you. The first round is in October, so keep an eye out for it.

There’s more to the Union that we can cover here, so keep in touch with us via our fortnightly PG email (you’re automatically signed up) or any of our social media channels.

‍facebook.com/studentsunionucl

‍facebook.com/UCL.Postgrads/

‍instagram.com/studentsunionucl

‍twitter.com/theunionucl

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Representation and Feedback

Being part of UCL’s doctoral community means being engaged in a dialogue with us about your experience at UCL – letting us know what you particularly value and things that you would like to see improved. Research students have different needs to other communities of students, in some ways much closer to early career research staff.

It’s important that your voices help shape and influence the work of departments, faculties, and UCL as a whole.

There are many ways of letting us know your views, for example by speaking to your supervisory team and members of your department and faculty staff, for example your local Administrators or Departmental Graduate Tutors. There are also structured and formal ways of feeding in your views to the way UCL works and supports research students.

Research Student Academic Representatives

Student academic representation at UCL is conducted in partnership with our Students’ Union. Each department and faculty appoint Research Student Representatives to ensure all views across the research student community are represented.

Staff-Student Consultative Committees (SSCCs) are local meetings between students and academics where students have an opportunity to share feedback with staff, to develop solutions to students’ concerns, and to prioritise areas for improvement.

You should find out from your local administrators how your local SSCC operates and who the rep is for your area so you can feedback or volunteer to be a rep yourself!

You can find further information on Academic Student Representatives, including contact information for the Research Student Representatives in your area, more on what the reps do, and how to get involved yourself, on the Students’ Union website.

Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)

Every two years UCL takes part in the national Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) usually from early March until May. PRES is a national survey, co-ordinated by the national body for improving teaching and learning in Universities, Advance HE. The survey is a crucial opportunity for our research student community to tell us about their experience; it asks questions about key areas such as: supervision; resources; research skills and professional development.

The results are published on the Doctoral School’s website and discussed by the key UCL committee looking after the standards of research degree provision, Research Degrees Committee, and with the various stakeholders (for example UCL’s Faculties,  Students’ Union UCL) to make sure we identify and implement actions.

The Doctoral School uses the information gained to consider how to make improvements at UCL, and also to inform our work for the wider research student community through national bodies like Vitae, or LERU (the League of European Research Universities).

The next PRES will be held in spring 2023. You will be emailed a link directly so that you can participate and let us know what you think.

Please see the Doctoral School's Student Surveys web pages for the results and action plans of all previous surveys.

“The survey is a crucial opportunity for our research student community to tell us about their experience; it asks questions about key areas such as: supervision; resources; research skills and professional development.”

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Competitions

The Doctoral School runs competitions each year, offering you the chance to share your research and win some generous prizes. These include: the Research Images as Art / Art Images as Research Competition, the Research Poster Competition and the UCL Three Minute Thesis.

Research Images As Art / Art Images As Research Competition

The Doctoral School runs a competition for researchers and artists, both students and staff, who are invited to submit images associated with their work, which have an aesthetic appeal.

Selected images are used to illustrate this Compass and other UCL publications / websites.

An exhibition of the images is held centrally in College and assessed by a panel of judges. Images are selected by the panel on the basis of their aesthetic appeal, the nature of their subject matter and technical quality. The panel is particularly interested in images that effect a transformation in the eye of the viewer in translating or communicating the subject that they portray and which have the potential to alter the way that we view the world. Prizes are awarded for the best images and all the images are presented in an online gallery on the Doctoral School website.

A selection of images from the recent competition is featured throughout this Compass.

Research Poster Competition

The Doctoral School organises an annual Research Poster Competition for all UCL research students. Students are invited to display their posters centrally in College and these are then judged by a panel of UCL academics.

Prizes are awarded for the best posters. The posters exhibited should convey the essence of a student’s research to an audience of both colleagues and non-specialists.

The exhibition attracts interest among UCL staff, students and visitors. The competing students have in the past found it a valuable way of focusing on their own research, and learning about the research of others.

UCL Three Minute Thesis 3MT ®

Your PhD thesis will be tens of thousands of words long when you submit it. Could you explain it in three minutes?

The Students’ Union UCL runs a Three Minute Thesis competition at UCL in the summer term, the winner of which is eligible to enter the national semi-finals, and hopefully the finals. Select in heats are held at faculty level.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) celebrates the exciting research conducted by research students. Originally developed by the University of Queensland, the competition focuses on students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The competition supports students’ capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience – it is also great fun.

Further information on all Doctoral School's events and competitions can be found on our website.

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Spaces for graduates            

All UCL learning spaces are available to research students. You can book a study space on the Library Services website.

Student Centre

The Student Centre is designed from the ground up with student needs and the student experience at its heart. The Student Enquiries Centre is located on floor 1 and has1,000 new study spaces, radically improving the way you move and learn on campus.

Science Library Postgraduate Cluster Room

A PC cluster exclusively for graduates situated in the Science Library (DMS Watson Building) alongside other clusters.

Research Grid in the Science Library

This study suite located on the 4th floor of the Science Library provides a contemporary 74-seat space to study either collaboratively or in private.

Graduate Hub

A space for graduates to meet on central campus, comprising a seminar room for group discussion and presentations, a breakout space with integrated kitchenette, 9 individual study carrels and a common room with Desktop PCs and comfortable seating. The room is located in the South Wing basement opposite the PrintRoom Café.

Senate House Hub

The Hub includes 160 quiet and social spaces, PCs, Print@UCL and four student bookable meeting/training rooms.

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