Find out who want to represent the academic interests of PGR Students for the 2025/26 academic year!
The 2025/26 elections for the Postgraduate Research (PGR) Lead Rep are coming! The role of the PGR Lead Rep is to represent PGR student views and academic experiences in key academic governance meetings, such as Academic Board, Doctoral Academy Sub-Committee and the Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Committee. They also provide key insights to the Students' Union on how the PGR community can get more involved in Union activities and affairs.
Voting opens for PGR students only on Wednesday 3 December at 08:00 and closes on Wednesday 10 December at 18:00. Results will be announced on our social media pages on Thursday 11 December at 12:00 midday. More information on the PGR Elections can be found here: https://www.thestudentsunion.co.uk/elections/pgr/
Below are the candidates for the Elections:
Diverse doctorates, fiercely championed, thriving together
UWE has a uniquely diverse and vibrant doctoral community—across seven doctoral programmes, three colleges, three campuses and Hartpury. It would be an absolute joy to be your fierce yet friendly champion!
Our diversity is not always recognised, supported or celebrated. Too often, we are treated as a monolith. Professional doctorate students get erased when staff just talk of “PhD students” – but they have very distinct challenges. You might be full-time, part-time; funded or self-funding; lab, practice, field or mostly desk-based. Juggle caring responsibilities, disabilities, health struggles and other employment. In this diversity is richness and strength but we need recognition and support to thrive!
Support systems have not adapted or kept pace with growing PGR numbers in recent years. The Doctoral Academy is understaffed, responses are slow, and School-level PGR leads have as little as one day per week allocated to support us. Shared spaces, extra training, resources, and pastoral support varies across Schools. Comms are inconsistent, leaving many unaware of key processes or opportunities.
PRES results show what many of us already know: too many PGRs feel isolated, stressed, and disconnected, lacking a strong sense of community and research culture. When I began my social science PhD in 2024 I felt this myself. That’s why, after hearing that DocSoc was dormant, I worked to revive it. But peer led efforts should complement institutional support not paper over the cracks.
If elected, I will:
Champion fairness and transparency, benchmarking across programmes and Schools to expose inequalities—and push for coordinated, equitable provision.
Represent our full diversity, ensuring professional doctorate students and all under-represented groups are heard and understood.
Continue the work of the outgoing reps, including campaigning for more shared PGR spaces, fair desk-space allocation, and stronger democratic representation.
Build collective PGR voice, collaborating with College and School reps, staff and the SU to ensure our concerns cannot be ignored.
Strengthen communication and break down silos, drawing on relationships I’ve already built through DocSoc across the Doctoral Academy, Schools and programmes.
Meet PGRs where they are—routinely visiting offices, trainings and events, and using all channels to reach off-campus and remote students.
Host regular open “PGR Town Halls” so every student can hear what’s happening and have their concerns and ideas heard.
Together, by valuing our diversity and demanding fairness, we can create a supportive, connected and thriving doctoral community at UWE.
Co-creating a caring democracy together
An advocate for equal voice, inclusivity and diversity, I am a born leader, leading with actions, not empty words. I am in the third year of my PhD and my research is about co-creation and highlighting the perspectives of People with Refugee Experiences (PRE) (a term I coined) on arts activities for sanctuary. I’m an artist and a martial artist and wellbeing is at the core of everything I do. You can find me out in the field listening to those who my research is designed to benefit, and I take every opportunity I get to put their needs and voices first. I am not afraid to be unpopular or to challenge the status quo. I live by ‘be the change you want to see in the world’ and my dreams of building a better world starts with building better visibility for PhD Students.
I never shy away from a challenge and I never back down. I stand for the under-dog and those who have felt unseen and unheard. I come with power, and I come from the heart. I will listen to you, and I will help you. I have stood up for my own voice and rights many times, asking to be treated on equal footing as my supervisors - changing my entire team from those who weren’t experts in my field (and those who didn’t support me) to those who are the best in my area and who are on my side. I am now being treated with the care and support I deserve. I want this for you also.
If you want someone to listen and someone who isn’t afraid to speak on your behalf elect me to represent you in this crucial moment in history to show the University just how vital PGRs are to the future of education!
Your voice, my commitment, our progress.
Stepping into the doctoral journey is one of the most rewarding yet demanding experiences we undertake. As researchers, we balance ambition, curiosity, uncertainty, and the desire to create meaningful impact. I am standing for the position of Lead Postgraduate Research Representative because I firmly believe that our community deserves strong, dependable, and compassionate representation, someone who listens carefully, acts decisively, and advocates consistently.
Over the past year, I have had the privilege of working closely with fellow PGRs, academic staff, and various research support teams. These interactions have given me a clear understanding of what we do brilliantly as a community, and what we must continue to strengthen. If elected, my goal is simple: to ensure every PGR feels heard, supported, and empowered throughout their PGR journey.
I will work actively to improve communication between students, and university services, ensuring information is accessible, timely, and transparent. I am committed to raising concerns promptly, following through persistently, and pushing for solutions that genuinely benefit researchers across faculties and stages of study.
Mental wellbeing, workload pressure, funding challenges, and the sense of isolation that sometimes accompanies research deserve focused attention. I aim to build a more connected research culture, one where peer support, interdisciplinary conversations, and shared problem-solving become part of our everyday experience. I will champion more social mixers, skill-sharing circles, writing retreats, and informal support spaces that allow us to grow not only as researchers, but also as a community of colleagues and friends.
Moreover, I will work to strengthen connections across disciplines and departments, building a broader, more collaborative network that supports shared learning, mutual growth, and a genuinely positive research environment. Our research deserves to be celebrated, valued, and uplifted, and I will work to ensure the University continues to enhance the support structures that help us thrive.
Above all, I bring approachability, dedication, and genuine care. Whether you want to raise an issue, share an idea, or simply have someone to speak to, I will always make time. My commitment is to represent you with honesty, consistency, and integrity, ensuring your voice becomes a driving force in shaping the PGR experience.
Together, we can build a stronger, more supportive, and more inspiring research community. I would be honoured to have your vote.
Your Journey, Your Voice, Our Future
I am standing for Lead PGR Rep because I truly believe that every researcher deserves to feel supported, confident and connected throughout their journey. As someone who is currently walking this path myself, I understand how exciting, demanding and transformative the PhD experience can be.
During my doctorate at UWE, I have published papers, presented at international conferences and worked part time as an Associate Lecturer. These experiences have shown me how important it is to have the right guidance, encouragement and opportunities at the right time. Before my PhD, I worked across different departments within UWE, including the Academic Practice Directorate (APD), during my master's, which helped me understand the unique challenges faced by students in different faculties.
Outside academia, I won an international innovation competition for developing a product that improved lives, and I continue to bring that same creative, problem-solving mindset to everything I do. I am an enthusiastic communicator, an experienced public speaker and someone who genuinely enjoys helping others. My research ethos is centred on enabling human potential, creating positive change and making a real-world impact.
All of this has shaped me into someone who is ready to listen, ready to lead and ready to support every PGR to succeed.
My aim is simple: to make the PGR journey feel more connected and supported. If elected, I will work hard to create an environment where every researcher feels they belong.
My priorities are:
I want to help build a PGR community where we lift each other up, celebrate wins, learn from setbacks and feel supported every step of the way. If elected, I will dedicate my time, energy and experience to making sure no researcher ever feels alone in this journey.