The governance of the WRDTP is managed via four committees – the Management Group; the Academic Quality Committee; the Training Group and the Student Forum. Each of these committees consists of representatives from all seven partner universities.
Management Group
The Management Group oversees the strategic direction of the DTP in the context of institutional, funder and sector-wide priorities. Specifically, the Management Group agrees the annual allocation of studentships across WRDTP studentship schemes; ensures the effective use of funds and resources; collectively agrees new policies and processes; and maintains oversight of risk. Members of the Management Group are senior academic leaders within their institutions, who collectively encourage and embed collaboration across partner universities.
Current Management Group members are shown below:
Academic Quality Committee
The Academic Quality Committee is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day
governance of the WRDTP, and for representing the WRDTP within their own institutions. It designs and oversees studentship and fellowship competitions; the organisation of WRDTP partnerships, placements, and activities; and has responsibility for governance of the training grant (ensuring compliance with ESRC requirements). The Academic Quality Committee is also responsible for ensuring that the WRDTP’s core values – particularly in relation to EDI, collaboration, interdisciplinarity – are embedded in all WRDTP decision-making and activities. The Academic Quality Committee reports to the Management Group.
The Academic Quality Committee comprises representatives from all seven partner institutions, with three senior academics from each of the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, and two from each of the University of Bradford, University of Hull, Manchester Metropolitan University and Sheffield Hallam University.
Membership of the Academic Quality Committee in 2024/25:
- Professor Karen Pashby, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Dr Sarah Campbell, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Dr Alisha Ali, Sheffield Hallam University
- Professor Sarah Pearson, Sheffield Hallam University
- Dr Melanie Cooper, University of Bradford
- Professor Peter Gardner, University of Bradford
- Dr Elsbeth Robson, University of Hull
- Professor Simon Green, University of Hull
- Professor Jen Hendry, University of Leeds
- Professor Effie Kesidou, University of Leeds
- Dr Nichola Wood, University of Leeds
- Professor Ryan Powell, University of Sheffield (WRDTP Director)
- Dr Stef Pukallus, University of Sheffield
- Dr Michael Martin, University of Sheffield
- Dr Claire Smith, University of York
- Dr Philip Garnett, University of York
- Dr Carolyn Snell, University of York
Training Group
The Training Group coordinates and facilitates the WRDTP’s training offer and reports into the Academic Quality Committee.
The Training Group is chaired by the WRDTP Deputy Director (Training). Membership is made up of the Pathway Directors from each of our seven interdisciplinary pathways and our Advanced Quantitative Methods, Advanced Qualitative Methods and Advanced Data Analytics Directors.
Student Forum
Student representation is a key part of the governance of the White Rose DTP. Student representatives help to inform the provision that the WRDTP offers, and provide a point of contact for, and advocate on the part of, their fellow students. The Student Forum assists in informing the operations and development of the WRDTP. The Forum is chaired by the WRDTP Deputy Director (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), and feeds into the Training Group and the Academic Quality Committee.
The Student Forum membership is made up of a combination of institutional and pathway representatives. There is also a representative position from amongst our Stuart Hall Foundation award-holders.
Governance of the WRDTP is structured according to the chart above
