PGR Matters Podcast

In this final episode of season one, Matthew Sillence and Dr Stephanie Aspin discuss the intersection of poetry, therapy and academic life. Dr Aspin, who has two doctorates and is a neurodivergent therapist, shares her journey from literature to therapy, highlighting her new book Poetry and Therapy: Why Words Help (PCCS Books, 2025).

The podcast episode features Dr. Karen Clegg and Dr. Gill Houston discussing their book, co-authored with Dr Owen Gower, Doctoral Supervision and Research Culture, which was published by Taylor & Francis in 2024. They explore the challenges and importance of doctoral supervision, highlighting the lack of research on supervisors' experiences.

In this episode, Dr John Turnpenny discusses his latest research on postgraduate researcher (PGR) wellbeing, focusing on policy implementation and practice. He introduces the policy capacity framework, which examines political, operational, and governance capacities at individual, organizational, and systemic levels.

Peter Wells, a PhD candidate with a background in music, discusses his research on Greenvile Collins, a 17th-century naval officer and mapmaker. Collins's 1693 atlas, Great Britain's Coasting Pilot, was a significant contribution to naval hydrography, despite challenges like limited funding and outdated maps.

Matthew Sillence discusses the importance of digital tools for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and introduces the concept of digital minimalism, advocating for selective and intentional use of technology. He highlights the challenges of choosing tools in an ever-evolving market and emphasizes the benefits of open-source, community-supported software.

In this episode, Matthew Sillence meets Cassia Hayward-Fitch, a PhD student in American Studies at the University of East Anglia, who is currently the institution's EDI Ambassador for the CHASE DTP. Cassia is joined by Jess Jasper, a Learning Enhancement tutor at the University of East Anglia. Jointly, they discuss the findings from a recent conference on neurodivergence and the postgraduate re...

In this episode, Matthew Sillence is joined by Nayantara Nayar, postgraduate researcher in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, Dr Jeremy Schildt, Head of Life and Learning (Learning Enhancement) in Student Services. Our guests have been involved in convening writing groups and bring their own perspectives to understanding the act of writing in the company of others.

In this Halloween episode of PGR Matters we meet with Dudlei de Oliveira, a Brazilian PhD student of Literature, who has been awarded a scholarship from the Brazilian government to undertake part of his research abroad on television adaptations of the works of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849).

In this second episode of the Postgraduate Research Matters podcast, Dr Matthew Sillence interviews Dr Maria Tsimpiri about her doctoral experience and life and work after the PhD.

Dr Matthew Sillence introduces the PGR Matters series, which offers insights in postgraduate research in UK higher education.