Recruiting Research Students

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Recruiting Research Students

• John Kirby
• Graduate School
• Faculty of Medical Sciences

Prof. Kirby is the Facultys postgraduate tutor
he has recruited and successfully supervised many
research students this presentation will give
some ideas of the things to look for when
recruiting postgraduate researchers
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Why do you want a student?

• The upside
• Have excellent qualification and a high degree of
  motivation
• Can be easier to attract good students than
  post-docs
• Can be good value for money
• Projects often lead to new areas and large grants
• Can be highly productive
• Some groups report up to 1/3 of their RAE
  submissions stem from PhD student research
• Positive contribution to research

Taking research students has many upsides and
studentships can often be the starting points for
bigger research projects with further projects
spinning out from their work
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Why do you want a student?

• The downside
• Projects can be expensive
• Can be a drain on resource (not much money for
  consumables)
• Loss leaders
• Can be very labour intensive for supervisors and
  other lab workers
• Time pressures
• Assessment
• Thesis writing
• Projects need to be reasonably predictable

On the downside the costs of a project are not
always covered by the studentship so may need to
be supplemented. There is also a considerable
amount of work in the Administration of the
students, completing forms etc. They are also
likely to need help with writing their
assessments and thesis. There is also few
guarantees of their quality or commitment than an
experienced postdoc. Projects need to have a
degree of certainty to provide the students with
some results.
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The bottom line

• In order to maximise fee income, the faculty
  expects all members of academic staff to
  supervise a mean of 2.3 postgraduate research
  students.

Overall students form a vital part of the
facultys research and academics are expected to
have students. Obviously its impossible to have
0.3 of a person but this reflects studentships
having supervisory teams allowing academics to
have a portion of a student.
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How do you get a student? - 1

• Apply for a studentship grant
• Examples
• Research Councils (various schemes)
• Faculty schemes
• Charities
• British Heart Foundation
• CRUK, etc .
• Typically need 75,000 for a 36 month
  studentship (home EU- fees, with limited
  consumables)
• May also be 4-year schemes
• Combine with MRes (1 3 year)
• Advertise the vacancy (through the graduate
  school)

The easiest way to attract students is to have
funding available for a studentship. This can
come from a variety of sources, the faculty is
keen to get research council funding and recently
has awarded some studentships which are 50
funded by the faculty and 50 by the MRC. A range
of Charities offer studentships, theses can be
quite variable regarding the amount of overall
funding with some not providing money for
consumables. Stipends vary greatly and those with
higher stipends will be popular for attracting
good students. Increasingly popular is the 13
model. Studentships will be advertised through
the graduate school, running ads is expensive
600 for a small ad in New Scientist so getting
the graduate schools support with this is a good
idea.
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The graduate school will then arrange the
studentship to be advertised and it will appear
in places such as find a phd.com as you can Prof
Birch Machins studentship is on this site
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How do you get a student? - 2

• Consider an application in your research area
  from a candidate who is self financing or has
  other personal support
• Often (but not always) an overseas applicant
• E2R can be found at
• http//www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/applicatio
  nforms.phtml

There are also the possibility that students may
be able to get there own funding to work with
you. Students may contact you directly but at
some point they should make their application
through the E2R (enquiry to registration) system
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How do students apply?

• If responding to an advertised studentship
• Students might contact the supervisor(s) directly
  for informal information
• But
• They should also use a reference number for
  specific web-based application through the E2R
  (enquiries to registration) system

Studentships will have a quotation number that
will be used when completing the E2R application
form. The E2R form is also used for students who
dont have a specific studentship in mind. Search
boxes should allow students to identify the
correct person to talk to if they dont have a
firm idea of what project they are interested in
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What is E2R?

• An award winning electronic application system
• E2R can be found at
• http//www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/applicatio
  nforms.phtml
• Potential students access the system
• Staff can view and decide quickly how to respond
• Main purpose is to reduce the delay between
  application, response and decision.

E2R is the Enquiry to Registration system,
intended to help process students applications,
it is difficult for supervisors to see this from
a students perspective as you to be an applicant.
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How do students apply? - 2

• If making a general application for PhD training,
  students also use the online E2R system
• Student may not have identified a supervisor
• but, should provide details (up to 500 words)
  listing research interests/plans
• Student may not have secured funding at this
  stage
• A conditional offer from Newcastle can and does
  help such students to secure a grant

When applying without a studentships applicants
are asked the area of study they are interested
in with the use of keywords this will help
identify an appropriate supervisor. They wont
need to write a grant application, a few words
will help match them up. If the initial match
isnt the best they can be passed on. A final
review of their application will be with Prof.
Yeaman, Director of International Studies
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Online information is available for students to
apply using the E2R system, this system
operates for all applications. It is there to try
to minimise any lag between application and
getting a response
12
A typical advert
Typical advert for a PhD showing the reference
number highlighted in red
13
The E2R form looks like this and the reference
number from an application should be entered
where the red arrow points
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What next?

• Applications are sent to appropriate graduate
  school contact (Julie Dalgetty for PhD/MPhil)
• If application is for a specific (advertised)
  studentship, details of all applicants are
  forwarded to supervisors
• Minimum requirements
• Relevant good upper second class degree (or
  equivalent)
• Two satisfactory references
• Language qualification (see later)

Students sometimes get in without a 2i degree or
with some dispensation on the language
requirements but these are often students which
run into difficulties at a later stage. Though
not always a current lecturer got a 2ii degree.
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• If overseas application, the graduate school
  will
• Check qualifications (including quality of the
  issuing university)
• Requests references
• Pass application to Prof Steve Yeaman
• (who decides whether to proceed)
• Then to School/Institute PG tutor
• (who selects most appropriate supervisors
• Then to individual academic
• (who decides whether to offer conditional place
  and level of fees)

Checks are made about the quality of the degrees
from international universities and if a suitable
level is reached the application is passed on
finally reaching the appropriate academic
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Sites are available to help check the quality of
degrees from around the world
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Fees

• Overseas students are required to pay fees at a
  high rate
• Band 2/2a little bench fee
• Band 2b 4,500 comes to the lab per year
• Band 3 8,000 comes to the lab per year
• Good overseas students can apply for a
  competitive ORS award to pay the difference
  between home (EU) and overseas fees.

Overseas students fees will cover consumables,
and offer more support than a RCUK studentship
ORS can pay the difference between an overseas
and a home students fees typically this will only
happen after the first year.
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English language

• Measured by recognised examinations
• Typically IELTS (international English language
  test system)
• Require overall score of 6.5
• 4 component scores
• Writing (minimum score of 6 required)
• Reading
• Speaking
• Listening
• Or successfully complete a pre-sessional
  programme of study

Writing is the key area as the other areas are
likely to be improved when present but really a
higher score in writing is better, higher scores
tend to correlate to students success
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The IRLTS page shows how a student performed on
each section. Student may be able to have a
summer of English lessons before starting their
degree, this is known as a pre-sessional. If a
student does not meet the language requirements
it is ultimately up to the Dean to say if
dispensation can be granted
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References

• Request specific rather than general details
• Do you anticipate (s)he will obtain at least a
  21?
• Does (s)he have research potential and motivation
  towards biomedical science?
• Can (s)he express ideas clearly?
• Can (s)he work well with a team?
• Does (s)he enjoy an intellectual challenge?
• Does (s)he show tenacity in the face of difficult
  problems?
• Has (s)he demonstrated laboratory skills
  (although we do anticipate that most PhD
  candidates will have little practical experience
  at this stage)?

Each student requires two references, sometimes
references are collected as a matter of course
sometimes pre-selection occurs first it is a good
idea to ask questions that invite comment.
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References

• Few academics will write strongly negative
  references
• Read between the lines
• Look for faint praise or coded messages
• with the benefit of strong supervision this
  candidate should..
• although this applicant has no direct knowledge
  of the subject area, with appropriate training
  (s)he..
• If in doubt, phone the referee for a chat

as referees are reluctant to be negative. It is
important to read between the lines and make sure
they have the qualities required of a good
researcher, tenacity is as important as academic
brilliance.
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If possible, interview potential students

• Minimum of 2 experienced supervisors
• Supervisory team
• Ideally, an additional academic
• Decide in advance what you will all contribute to
  the process
• Who will ask what?
• Keep notes
• Has the candidate taken the trouble to find out
  about your work?

Interview if possible using a team to help you,
telephone conferencing maybe an alternative if
this is difficult. Its a good idea to maintain
an element in informality. There is no excuse for
a student not knowing about your work
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• Why did the candidate apply for this project?
• What relevant experience has (s)he?
• Final year project?
• Summer vacation projects?
• Will the candidate achieve at least a good 21?
• Do you think the candidate will accept the
  studentship if offered?
• Remember to offer to pay expenses!

Try to make sure the candidate will accept the
offer if it is made, the graduate school may take
sometime in making the offer and you want to be
sure that they will be coming. Expenses should be
paid and if you arent going to pay travel
expenses this should be explained prior to the
interview. This must come out of your own budget.
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Discrimination

• Be fully aware of (and comply completely with)
  the Universitys policy on discrimination
• Age
• Sex
• Disability
• Race
• But be aware that not all funding bodies will
  support applications from non UK or EU nationals
• For example, EU Marie Curie PhD fellows training
  in the UK must be citizens of any country in the
  EU but the UK!

Make sure you are aware of the correct policy for
each studentship Marie Curie awards are for EU
students while UK research councils tend to fund
only UK students
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Premia helps with information about disability,
remember this can be at all levels a student with
colour blindness will have problems using flow
cytometry
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What next?

• Let the graduate school know your decision
  (complete a studentship form)
• detail project title, supervisors, fee band,
  start date, HoS signature etc
• The graduate school will make a formal offer to
  the successful applicant
• The graduate school will also let unsuccessful
  applicants know the result
• You might also wish to provide specific feedback

It is good for candidates to know why they
werent selected so you might like to contact
them in order to let them know why they werent
chosen
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Selection is critical

• Every year a number of research students withdraw
  after registration

1995/96 13 1996/97 15 1997/98 19 1998/99 13 1999/0
0 21 2000/01 22 2001/02 28
2002/03 19 2003/04 10 2004/05 9 2005/06 7 2006/07
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This represents a significant waste of time,
money and effort Non-completion can be VERY
damaging to the University
Each year a number of students withdraw this can
be for a variety of reasons but its important
this number is minimised as it is a considerable
waste of resources if they do leave
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Reasons for withdrawal

• Personal/Health/Financial
• PhD study not what expected/wanted
• Lack of results/wrong project for me
• Unhappy with supervision
• Student gone AWOL
• Studies terminated by Dean of Postgraduate
  Studies
• Transferred with supervisor to another
  institution

If a student is ill they can apply for a
suspension of studies and this is better than
having time troubles. Good selection should help
to cut down on the number that withdraw.
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Is withdrawal predictable?

• Life events not really
• Suspension of studies?
• Weak students yes
• there is a correlation between students with a
  22 or whose language entry criteria have been
  waived and subsequent withdrawal
• Has the supervisory team experienced a greater
  than average withdrawal rate? (some have)
• Was the student really motivated to undertake
  this specific project?
• Should this have been apparent at an earlier
  stage?
• Some students only decide to do a PhD when they
  get a better degree than was anticipated
• Was the project well-designed and achievable
  within the timescale?
• Project approval is crucial

Students who drift into a PhD, those with a 2ii,
or with language difficulties are all more likely
to end up with difficulties. Rigorous assessment
of the project is important and does take place
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Exit routes along the way

• It is a good idea to encourage untested PhD
  students to register for a four-year MRes PhD
  programme.
• If the MRes does not go well, the student can
  leave after 12 months with (hopefully) a positive
  outcome
• Successful students will also benefit from the
  experience gained during the MRes and will hit
  the ground running at the start of the PhD.

The MRes route has the benefit of giving students
some experience of research and exiting with a
degree, only suitable candidates will end up
doing a PhD
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What about 3-year PhD programmes

• The 9-month assessment identifies students who
  are unlikely to achieve a PhD
• However, a clear decision MUST be reached within
  the first 12-months
• Many grants will re-generate first year funding
  if a student departs in the first 12 months
• Withdrawal after 12 months shows as
  non-completion in our overall rates

If a student withdraws in the first year of the
degree this often means the studentship can be
taken up by another student. If a student is not
likely to complete their studies this is the best
solution for all parties
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Induction

• There will be faculty and Institute inductions,
  please make sure students attend these sessions.
  You should also make your students feel welcome
  in their new environment
• Project approval
• Defines project goals, timelines, supervisory
  team, assessors
• Crucial for assessors to approve projects which
  have not already been peer-reviewed (eg overseas
  or self-funded students)
• Learning agreement

Appropriate induction is very important, this
subject is being covered within Schools and
institutes. It is very important that projects
are approved as this ensures the rigour of the
project. The students also must sign their
learning agreement to make sure they understand
their responsibilities.