Building on our team’s ESRC-IAA project ‘Towards maximising international PhD students’ experience in the UK’ and with additional funding from the UK Council for Graduate Education; a team from the School of Education at the University of Glasgow organised an event entitled ‘Enhancing the Student Experience for International Doctoral Students’ in Glasgow on Tuesday 28th November 2017.

Speakers included:

• Professor Sheila Trahar (University of Bristol) – A Fruitful Doctoral Experience? Developing a Learning Alliance with Doctoral Researchers
• Mr Apiwat Moolnangdaew (MRC of Genetics & Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh) – New postgraduate students’ experience: A new beginning
• Dr Rob Daley (Heriot Watt University) – Supporting International Research Students: reflections on some pieces of the puzzle!
• Dr Ramona Blanes & Dr Oleksandra Pasternak (Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow) – Two Routes to International PhD

Participants included representatives from the following organisations:

Delegates’ perspectives were sought on:

1. Guidelines for supervisors to enhance international PGR learners experience,
2. Guidelines for international doctoral researchers to enhance their own experience,
3. Guidelines for researcher training managers or researcher development coordinators to enhance international PGR learners experience, and
4. HE institutional-level provisions and role of other UK organisations in supporting HEIs in their efforts.

The synthesised messages obtained from these discussions are now available below.

School of Education research team:

Dr Dely L Elliot, Dr Muir Houston, Dr Kara Makara, Dr Kate Reid and Dr Catherine Lido