PGR Wiki

Contact Information:

Jake Spong - PGR Representative - jake.f.spong@york.ac.uk

Sangita Ganesh - PGR Representative - sangita.ganesh@york.ac.uk

Marianne Lotter-Jones - PGR Representative - marianne.lotter@york.ac.uk

Obroma Agumagu Ogadinma - International PGR Representative - oa824@york.ac.uk

Marco Franzoi- SEI-Y PGR Representative - mf856@york.ac.uk

Specific Departmental Enquiries - Maroula Hill - environment-pgrstudents@york.ac.uk

If you cannot find the information that you're looking for here, please email us with suggestions for things we can add.

An introduction from your reps:

Jake: Glad tidings! I'm in the second year of my PhD, and mostly live in ENV/205 surrounded by crocheted creations. Allegedly researching the effects of environmental change on unexplored soil biodiversity in upland regions. Available via email, and usually in the Heartspace at lunchtime (look for denim shorts; that's probably me).

Sangita: Hi everyone! I'm a first year Environmental Economics PhD student, working on well-being and biodiversity outcomes of technology in community-based projects. I'm based in India and on the distance program. You can contact me via e-mail!

Marianne (but pronounced Marianna): Hellooo, I'm a first year PhD student working on agricultural landscape design. I'm also involved in Crafty Lunch Wednesdays and the Green Impact Project because I do have the same amount of time in the day as Bill Gates. You can usually find me in ENV/128 or email me.

Obroma: Hello everyone! I am in my second year of PhD. My research is focusing on understanding the hydrological effects of climate change on the coastal economy of Nigeria, the Niger Delta region. My office is ENV/135 on the first floor, for now I am always in the building. My email is also accessible.

Marco: After finishing an MSc in Economics at the university of St Andrews, I have worked as an ecological economist, working on modelling the impact of trade on global biodiversity. This experience inspired to expand my research into marine ecosystem impacts, starting a PhD funded by the Leverhulme Centre on Anthropocene Biodiversity and conducted in collaboration with the Stockholm Environment Institute at York. My project covers the impacts on marine biodiversity of consumption through a supply chain perspective, as well as the policies and political economies that drive and change behind these pressures.

What we do:

As a team, we attend monthly meetings with Ed Garrett to discuss any issues that may have arisen, or any feedback for the department. We will send out online forms and surveys to gather your ideas beforehand.

We also attend staff meetings, equality and diversity committee meetings, exam board meetings and research team lead meetings, on your behalf, to represent the postgraduate community within the department. If you have any specific concerns or things you would like raising in these regular meetings, please email us!

Date: 16th - 17th May 2024

Venue: ENV/005 lecture theatre, and ground floor foyer

The annual PGR conference is a great way for you to present your research projects to the other PGRs in the department, be that via a poster (for first years and MRes students) or via a platform presentation (for the second/third/fourth years).

If you want to get in contact with us, you can email env-pgrconference@york.ac.uk!

Previous Years' Conference Websites (to get an idea of what may be coming your way):

2024: PGR Conference 2024

2023: PGR Conference 2023

2022: PGR Conference 2022

2021: PGR Conference 2021

Database of Useful Resources for ECRs and PGRs:

Access the database.

The above database provides a central location for useful resources submitted by members of the department. These are primarily to assist with research-related activities.

This is a moving resource and anyone can add links to useful information via the link above – please feel free to continue to add resources as you find them!

Ying's Tips!
2021/22 PGR Rep Ying Wang created some useful documents for us, shared below! A brief summary of the postgraduate journey: Top tips for successful supervision:

PGR Handbook

The PGR handbook is your go-to resource for information on your research degree, including requirements, structure, and TAP and progression meetings. This handbook is updated each year, combining department-specific information with university-wide information.

Please use this handbook as a reference throughout your degree, alongside the Policy on Research.

This year's electronic handbook can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16nMPNrJPCKmcB9_y6tW3LOdp_hze4sIQvWYoRPsqtvY/edit?usp=sharing g1440974efd6_0_293

Finances

Please feel free to consult with the Finance Wiki page where most of the FAQ are answered for you.

If you require assistance with an Expense Claim please follow the updated guidance.

If you need to rasie a purchase order (PO) complete this form. If you need further assistance please reach out to:

1. Rachel at environment@york.ac.uk for student-related queries.

2. Annabel or Chloe at environment-pa@york.ac.uk for staff-related queries.

If you need a one-off item/service purchasing via a departmental purchase card, please email the relevant contact:

1. For lab/tech related purchases: Dave at dave.hay@york.ac.uk

2. For student related purchases (including for PhD students): Rachel at environment@york.ac.uk

3. For staff related/misc purchases: Annabel / Chloe at environment-pa@york.ac.uk

4. For staff/student Amazon purchases, please use the Amazon purchase request form.

If it is an Amazon request please fill the Amazon Form and our Buyer team will place the order ASAP.

If your queries are not within the above remit we will reply to you ASAP

PGR Wellbeing Group:

Every Thursday at 4pm in the Heartspace, Robert Bennett from the Open Door Team has the space booked, alternating between sessions reserved just for PGRs and then sessions generally for all students in the department.

Feel free to join, and no sign-up is required!

TAP/Progression Guidance
Further to the PGR handbook, see this presentation summarizing TAP and Progression meetings: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aMI7uUgcJf4UFDJAGbrMJAmvQpzS9tfSYmKX64XmSW4/edit#slide=id.g1440974efd6_0_293

First Year Tips!

It is difficult getting through a PhD. Luckily, help is at hand! Dr Smriti Safaya put together a handy presentation with tips for the PhD, have a read here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uvnLykSUoozo57ONEbcaFOTx6k4JezSdjcl4QrdlxOE/edit#slide=id.

Comparison is the thief of joy... but we all do it anyway, and want to know if we're ahead or behind where we should be in our PhDs. Every PhD is different (unhelpful we know, but true) so we invited some PhD students at different stages to tell us what their first year was like in their own words:

Anna...

Spent a lot of time reading and wrote a first draft of my literature review
Accompanied a fellow PhD student on her field work
Started working on my methodology (to extract plastic from salt marsh sediment and how to identify that plastic)

Jo...

I spent a lot of time reading literature and trying to compile it together in a coherent manner for my literature review
I learnt how the model I use for my PhD works, how to perform runs and how to perform calibrations
I designed my research questions and what may be included in each thesis chapter, and got an understanding of what data was available to me for my modelling
I attended as many relevant training courses as I could
I attended relevant conferences and presented my research ideas to get feedback from the wider research communities

Yoana...

I am currently in my second year of the PhD program in Politics, International Relations, and Environment. As a first-year PhD student, I arrived in York from Germany, and it has been an exciting and fulfilling year from many perspectives.
Firstly, from the university point of view, the opportunity to study within the intersection of these two faculties is significant. Both supervisors are highly experienced and knowledgeable. I greatly enjoy and feel honored to work with such professional individuals. Secondly, the location. Since the United Kingdom is not my home country, I have had the opportunity to explore and learn about the culture, education system, and environment of the country, particularly the University of York and the city of York itself. Moreover, I admire and appreciate the preservation and respect of the University for the environment, nature, and animals. Furthermore, the possibilities available outside of the curriculum. I have participated in various activities such as seminars, courses, training, lectures, and social groups. I have had the opportunity to learn and study new things, as well as network and meet great individuals from different disciplines. With all these positive aspects, I would like to add another important matter. The funding possibilities and opportunities available for EU applicants decrease significantly following Brexit. Therefore, it creates challenges and impacts the opportunities available for EU nationals and citizens.
To conclude, from my personal experience thus far as a first-year PhD student, I have had a remarkable experience from a personal, educational, and professional perspective. I believe in development and growth, and I believe that the University provides and offers the possibilities to do so.

Jake...

Spent 7 months (October - April) reading/trying to work out what the hell to do! Also visited field site, and spent a week in a spa resort learning about multi-omics approaches (funded by NERC!)
April - TAP (stuff I presented was almost immediately binned afterwards)
May - finally decided what to do! (after I presented poster at PGR conference on something I am no longer doing!)
June, July, August - field work (trialling methods, including lab extractions, before the "proper" samples)
September - lab extractions, finalizing written work for progression meeting in October. Then a holiday!
October - Progression meeting, very fun, and some good ideas for the following projects!

Systematic Review Training Video
For those tasked with the joys of a systematic literature review, there is a recorded online training session for evidence synthesis which will hopefully be useful. It's an hour and a half, so make sure to get cozy with a hot chocolate before the thrills begin:

PhD Thrive and Survive:

For more information, click here!

A set of useful tips and resources (and bookable workshops!) organised by PhD students in the university. The team is currently coordinated by Georgia Beel (from our own department!). If you have any ideas of workshops you would like to see – Georgia's email is pgr-thriveandsurvive@york.ac.uk.

Mentoring Schemes:

University-wide:

The buddying scheme pairs up a new PGR student with an existing research student who can help to provide a friendly welcome, and help the new student to settle in to the research lifestyle, new university and new city.

The mentoring scheme pairs up an existing PGR student mentee (2^nd year onwards) with a post-doctoral researcher as a mentor. This scheme provides the opportunity to talk about your research experience to someone outside of your primary research/supervisory team, as well as to develop your research skills and receive advice from a more experienced researcher.

For more information, click here.

Other Events:

Weekly DEG Coffee Morning:

Every Wednesday at 10.30am, in Heartspace - come together for tea, coffee and biscuits to chat with staff and other students in the department!

Lunchtime Seminars:

The DEG seminars are every Tuesday at 12pm, normally in G/N/020 (in James College, next to the Maths department), but sometimes online via Zoom. Check your emails for specific information on speakers. If you have any external speakers you'd like to suggest, please contact Dave Rippin.

The YMP Sustainability seminars run on Wednesdays at 12pm via Zoom. There are also Teaching and Scholarship seminars, also on Wednesdays at 12pm to watch out for, via Zoom. These sessions run on alternate weeks.

For more information on the lunchtime seminars, please keep an eye out in your emails for seminar reminders and the department newsletter from Chloe Mitchell (Environment PA).

Crafty Lunch

Join us in the heartspace on Wednesdays from 1-2pm. Bring a project you're working on or come along to learn a new skill.

Research Coding Club:

A university-wide initiative with a series of drop in code clinics and seminars. For more information, including how to sign up to the mailing list and add yourself to the Slack channel, check out: https://researchcodingclub.github.io/about/

Other Information:

Apply to be an exam invigilator. This is for extra seasonal work.

Check out the Building Research and Innovation Capacity team. The BRIC team run lots of training seminars, you can book these on Skillsforge.

Link to the Graduate Students' Association.

Postgraduate Free Sport.

Work, Volunteering and Career Planning.

The York Press guide to eco-friendly "green" shops around town.

Support and Welfare:

Here are a list of links that may be useful if you're seeking support.

What to do if things go wrong.

How to access healthcare.

How to self-certify illness during term time.

Advice A-Z, with self-help and guidance.

What to do if you need a Leave of Absence.

Sign up for Student Connect.

Student Complaints Procedures.

Link to the Open Door Team. Robert, who runs our wellbeing sessions, works for this team of Mental Health Practitioners and Student Wellbeing Officers providing support to registered students experiencing psychological or mental health difficulties.