DTP Matters Newsletter

News and Events

The WRDTP is committed to ensuring all UKRI updates for current ESRC funded students are brought to you in a timely and understandable manner. We acknowledge that this is an uncertain time for many, and wish to support you wherever we can, providing up-to-date information and advice on how best to manage your award.

To this end, we have set up a Frequently Asked Questions page for you to view, which will be updated with new information from the UKRI as it is released. On this page you can also find links to the UKRI’s updated guidance.

This page is evolving, so if you see any omissions in information which you would like us to include, please contact us at enquiries@wrdtp.ac.uk

If you are concerned about your award, access to funding, or would like to find out if there is any specific support available to you, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Hannah Boneham: Does your boss know how to support your wellbeing?  The self-other perception gap in leadership and wellbeing.

Flavia Manieri: Living with Water in Hull: Past, Present, Future

Recordings of all of the Conference workshops can now be viewed in the VIRE. To view, please log in to the VIRE and then follow this link: WRDTP Annual Conference

The second edition of the Liverpool Fashion Summit was held after successfully bidding for N8 ‘Northern Fusion’ Event funding (21st – 23rd April 2021), with the organisers of the event achieving a runners up award in the 2021 PRME (Principles of Responsible Management Education) recognition awards. PRME is a global initiative of the UN Global Compact. It recognises initiatives across the world that promote sustainability and the SDGs in their business schools and strategy.

Below is a message from the organisers of the event:

This year we “sold” 146 tickets! A huge increase on last year, and all thanks to you, our supporters and friends, for spreading the message and taking part. We understand that not all of you could make it, you can check all the videos on our YouTube channel here . Including interviews to Prof Andreas Chatzidakis (Royal
Holloway University of London), Dr Vera Hoelscher (Royal Holloway University of London), Rob Harrison (co-founder of Ethical Consumer), Dr Katia Balabanova (University of Liverpool), Dr Helen Holmes (University of Manchester – Sustainable Consumption Institute), Dr Patsy Perry (Manchester Metropolitan University), Hasna Kourda (co-founder of Save Your Wardrobe) and Prof Deirdre Shaw (University of Glasgow – Adam Smith Business School) among others.

We are going to take a couple of well-deserved months off from LFS, but we will begin planning in the summer for LFS2022. If anyone would like to be involved in next year’s summit, please do let us know, and we will find ways to collaborate and explore better futures.

In other news, our co-founder Olly successfully completed his fundraising challenge, running 288km from 23 March to 23 April, and raising over £700 for multiple charities, including Refugee Women Connect.

Olly also recently featured as a guest on the “Unbiased Label” podcast, hosted by Zara Korutz, to talk about issues of modern slavery in the fashion and textiles industry. You can listen to Olly’s episode here.

Once again, thank you all for helping bring LFS to life for another year. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube to receive the updates. We will keep in touch periodically – but for now, stay safe, be well, and keep pressing for change in fashion.

The WRDTP’s Commercialisation Programme for Social Sciences came to a close last week, following a four week intensive programme exploring all elements of creating a business model and enterprise.

The ‘Routes’ programme was devised by the Universities of York, Leeds and Sheffield as part of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership.

Throughout the programme, the participants were offered an introduction to enterprise, guidance on intellectual property, first-hand access to speakers from industry, academia and business development, insights into networking and communication to non-academic audiences and the opportunity to pitch their idea during the final session in front of an experienced panel.

The winners of the £2k prize to work with an agency to build and develop their brand were:

Bethany Suggett, University of York, Centre for Women’s Studies with her ‘Of Menses and Men’ pitch, advocating for a change in men and boys involvement in the menstruation conversation and education. ‘Of Menses and Men’ aims to build a space for boys and men – brothers, sons, friends, partners, fathers, managers and colleagues – to learn about menstruation beyond basic biology, and create a society where the full gamut of menstrual experiences are understood by all.

Geneffa Ahmed Virjee, University of York, Department of Education with ‘Holding hands across the world – tomorrow’s child©’, a story-telling approach to support and educate refugees who want to learn English as a foreign language. Geneffa has devised a way of teaching English as a second language that is engaging and effective to help provide better futures for underprivileged groups.

Eleanor Craig, University of Leeds, School of Sociology and Policy with ‘The Violet Project’ pitch, addressing the lack of understanding among medical practitioners as to the impact of sexual abuse or assault on people’s experience of undergoing examinations by medical staff. The Violet Project aims to provide training to healthcare and medical professionals to better understand the complexity of trauma to the victims.

Student Experience

We organised Bridging the Gap: Innovative methods for text analysis in political science and IR because we felt there was a need for an advanced training on quantitative methods for document analysis. We met during an MA in Social Research at the Sheffield Methods Institute, where we gained a strong basic knowledge of quantitative methods and the usage of the statistical software R. During the MA, we both developed an interest in a quantitative text analysis method known as Structural Topic Modelling (STM), which led us to keep in touch and keep working together. Bridging the Gap was – hopefully – only the first of many future collaborations.

The initial plan was ambitious, as we decided to organise a half-day event with three separate sections: a panel for early career researchers to present research findings, a practical training session on STM and a roundtable on the use of STM in political science and International Relations. We were very pleased to secure a number of established and interesting participants for the event. Among our contributors were two of the developers of STM – Professor Dustin Tingley and Dr Brandon Stewart – as well as prominent academics in quantitative text analysis and political science, including Professor Kenneth Benoit, Professor Susan Banducci and Dr Anastasia Shesterinina.

A number of practical and methodological lessons were shared across the day. The developers of STM shared insights into how it was built, and gave tips for aspiring developers. And there was a lively debate about common mistakes made in quantitative text analysis and the future role of these methods in political science. However, perhaps the most valuable lesson we gained from the event is the willingness of academics to share their experience and insights with early career researchers. We had far more success in recruiting contributors than we initially expected. So, our motto has become to aim high and then readjust afterwards. Around 120 people attended or participated throughout the half-day. Events like this not only look good on the CV, they also provide very useful skills and experience. Plus, you can organise them on things you are passionate about!

Training

Over the summer months, the WRDTP intends to deliver all training opportunities in an online format. We are continuing our training programme well into the summer and there are a number of fantastic session lined up both for Pathway specific training and for general skills and well-being. You can find all of our upcoming training sessions by visiting the Training pages, or by scrolling through the training calendar below.

Please be aware that training sessions are ‘selling out’ fast so please book early to avoid disappointment. If a session is already fully booked, please contact training@wrdtp.ac.uk to be added to a waiting list.

Staffing Update

This summer we will sadly lose Dr Matt Bishop from the WRDTP team as he reaches the end of his tenure as Civil Society, Development and Democracy Pathway Director. Matt has been part of the WRDTP team from the early days and helped to shape the CDD Pathway into what it is now. We will miss his enthusiasm for the role, and his drive to ensure WRDTP students and PGRs are given an enriching programme of training.

We are pleased to announce that Dr Maria Rovisco has been appointed to the position of CDD Pathway Director, to take over from Matt Bishop from September 2021. Maria is Associate Professor in Sociology at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds. To find out more about Maria, her background and research, please visit her academic staff page at the University of Leeds website.

We look forward to working with Dr Rovisco towards the future of the WRDTP and the CDD Pathway, and hope that there are opportunities for you all to meet Maria either online or face-to-face in the coming months.