Starting your doctorate at Sussex
For those of you just starting out on your doctoral journey, we hope you’ll be able to join us at our welcome event on Wednesday 7th October. You’ll get the chance to meet some of the key teams working with doctoral researchers at Sussex, including:
The Doctoral School
The Doctoral School is an overarching structure supporting research students across all Schools of study. There are approximately 1200 doctoral researchers at Sussex and we’re keen to help you feel part of the wider research community. We do this by providing a range of personal and professional development opportunities, which you can find out more about be exploring our webpages.
Researcher Development Programme
Our Researcher Development Programme is a busy programme of workshops and events, providing year-round training to help you successfully complete your doctorate, and share experiences and gain support from other doctoral researchers across the University.
Research Student Administration Office
The Research Student Administration Office is your single point of contact for any administration associated with your doctoral journey, from your first weeks at Sussex all the way through to your graduation.
Library Research Support Team
The Library Research Support Team ensure the Library’s collections meet the needs of researchers, and they offer bookable one-to-one sessions tailored to your own research interests to help you get the most from the Library’s resources.
Sussex Research Hive
Supported by three Hive Scholars, the Sussex Research Hive is the Library’s designated area for researchers, providing private study areas, bookable meeting rooms, and space for discussion and collaborative work.
Buddy Scheme
The Buddy Scheme, organised by the University of Sussex Student’s Union (USSU) is a peer support scheme where incoming students, including doctoral researchers, are matched with current students to help them settle into life at Sussex.
Language Café
USSU’s Language Café facilitates informal peer-to-peer language exchange for students by giving them the opportunity to learn or practice a language in a social setting. The Cafe runs every Tuesday (17.30 - 19.00) at Room 76 (at the back of Falmer Bar).
Excursions
Excursions is an online interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, run by doctoral researchers at Sussex. There are opportunities to join the editorial team and develop skills in editing, peer-review, and team working.
Careers and Employability Centre
The Careers and Employability Centre provide careers guidance for doctoral researchers and offer one-to-one short interviews with a professionally qualified careers advisor.
IT Research Support Service
IT Research Support Service provide support to researchers about using IT systems within their research, and are responsible for supporting High Performance Computing within the University.
International Student Support
The International Student Support Office provide advice and guidance on a range of issues, including immigration and visas, issues related to living in the UK, working in the UK, banking and money, and advice for families. They also organise specific events for international students throughout the year.
Student Centre
The Student Centre provides guidance to all Sussex students, including doctoral researchers. You can contact the Student Centre to discuss any issues related to life as a doctoral researcher at Sussex, whether personal, financial, or academic.
Postgraduate Association
The Postgraduate Association organised by USSU represents the views of postgraduate students at the University, and aims to foster a sense of community and empowerment amongst postgraduate students.
Sussex Centre for Language Studies
The Sussex Centre for Language Studies runs a range of academic development workshops and courses for international students. The workshops cover a range of topics related to good academic practice including referencing, giving presentations, structuring writing, and critical thinking.
Research Governance & Integrity
Isla Morris is the University’s Research Governance Officer, providing guidance to doctoral researchers on research integrity.
Student Support Unit
The Student Support Unit is a team of specialist advisors who work with students who may need support at the University due to a long-term condition.If you have a specific learning difficulty, disability, or long-term physical or mental health or Autistic Spectrum condition, you can arrange to see the Student Support Unit for advice.