Sustainability Research Training

Postgraduate training and support

The Sustainability Research Institute's inter-disciplinary research focuses on the causes and consequences of environmental change at different scales and in diverse contexts. We specialize in participatory, action-oriented research that brings together government, businesses, NGOs and local communities.

Our graduates will influence the achievement of sustainable development in the future and thus, we are committed to providing the highest level of interdisciplinary research training on sustainable development. The aims of our doctoral programme are:

• to provide interdisciplinary research training on sustainable development
• to provide a broad understanding of the different research areas and methods needed for sustainable development research
• to provide a research culture for expanding the boundaries of sustainable development research
• to explore new approaches to problem solving and to apply results of research to relevant problems.

Our doctoral programme links the University, our Faculty, and our School requirements with the SRI approach to produce thorough postgraduate research training in sustainable development.

Induction

Our School Induction Course is held during the first week of the academic year, when you are introduced to key elements of School systems, including safety measures and IT provision. The University, through its International Centre, has a comprehensive welcome and induction service for International Students. Additionally, the University’s Equality Unit ensures that the needs of all students are understood and met wherever possible. Students are introduced to Personal Development Plans as part of their induction and are strongly encouraged to use them.

Supervision team and progress monitoring
Supervisory meetings are held on a regular basis as appropriate to the needs of the student, but normally at least once every two weeks. All students have, in addition to their supervisor(s), a Research Support Group (RSG) which is usually 3-4 people in total. The RSG includes the supervisor(s) plus at least one member of staff from our School but also, where relevant, people from outside the School or University. The RSG meets at 6, 12, 24 and 33 months and additionally where required (eg, at the request of the supervisor or student). All students are encouraged to discuss their ideas with other members of SRI staff at seminars or more informally.

Research skills training

As a requirement of their Professional Development Plan, our students are required to undertake a training needs analysis in consultation with their RSG at the beginning of each year of study. The Training Plan includes both subject specific skills and generic skills training.

Students who have successfully completed our MRes in Sustainability Research are considered to have completed the necessary research training to start their PhD.

The training needs of students who have not completed the MRes in Sustainability Research are considered during their first supervisory meeting when the Training Plan is agreed. Unless students have previous research training or experience, they are expected to attend the following modules:

• SOEE5490 Environmental research philosophy and design.
• GEOG5520 Quantitative and spatial methods.
• SOEE5350 Qualitative research methods.
  

In addition, complete one of the following modules

• SOEE5041M Standards and Tools for Business, Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility.
• SOEE5051M Business, Environment and Sustainability.
• SOEE5091M Principles of Ecological and Environmental Economics.
• SOEE5591M Participatory Environmental Project/Policy Evaluation
  
• SOEE5580M Tools and Techniques for Integrated Ecological Economic Modelling
  
• SOEE5281M Introduction to Sustainability.
• PIED5508M Environmental Politics and Policy
  
• SOEE5540M Climate Change: Physical Science Basis
  
• SOEE5550M Climate Change: Impacts and Adaptation

Further training can be identified and agreed with supervisor(s) using the following sources:

• Training and Development Opportunities for Postgraduate Research Students. This website explains the University requirements in training and development for students and supervisors and includes links to all the training and development opportunities offered. In addition links are given to research related services. Language tuition and first aid training are available free to all students. The First Aid courses are specifically designed to develop team-working, leadership, and communication skills. One-to-one tuition in statistics and LaTeX is available. The Faculty collaborates with the University Careers Service to provide workshops on career skills for both early-stage and late-stage PhD students.
• Students have the opportunity to visit overseas universities to collaborate with other international researchers, though either the World Universities Network or schemes like Leonardo. WUN is particularly important in providing internationally enhanced training and research frameworks, for example, through the video-linked seminar series ‘WUN virtual seminars in climate change’.

Academic skills training

SRI believes in training all its research degree students to converse and work in the broad interdisciplinary field of sustainable development. Thus our students are expected to attend a regular reading group with academic staff, which chooses a range of key papers in sustainable development for interrogation, debate and learning.

All members of our Institute attend regular research seminars, which consist of external, University and SRI researchers presenting cutting edge research. Each student is also expected to present progress at SRI seminars once a year for discussion and constructive feedback. The format for students at different stages is:

1. 1st Year Full-time (FT) and 1st and 2nd Year Part-time (PT): 15 minutes presentation including (i) subject area; (ii) background to topic of project; (iii) research questions and aims; (iv) a research plan, if available.
2. 2nd Year FT and 3rd and 4th Year PT: 15 minutes presentation including (i) brief recap of topic; (ii) preliminary results and analysis; (iii) a research plan.
3. 3rd and 4th Year FT and 5th and 6th Year PT: 30 minutes presentation including (i)select a chapter for an in depth presentation of contents; (ii) future plans.

All research students are encouraged to attend at least one conference during their period of research and also to take part in the annual Faculty research conference. Students are encouraged also to work towards publication of at least one journal paper during their research period. In this way, students acquire vital skills in communication and dissemination, both oral and written, in a way that prepares them for future careers both within and outside higher education. SRI has a working paper series which offers a good opportunity for students to get constructive feedback from members of SRI about work that they are thinking of submitting for publication.

Once registered, many research students undertake some paid teaching and demonstrating duties in the School (up to 250 hours per academic year) which provides useful experience. Training is provided within the Faculty, to all students who are to be involved in undertaking tutorial and demonstrating duties.

Support, resources and research environment

Leeds University Library is one of the major academic research libraries of the UK. All registered students are given access to the lending library and electronic facilities.

The University’s Student Support Network provides a full range of support and services to all registered students including the University’s Graduate Training and Support Centre as well as the health, welfare, sports and accommodation. The Sustainability Action Group (‘SAG’) provides a forum to discuss, learn and act on sustainable development issues.

Thesis and Examination

A University of Leeds PhD thesis is normally submitted within 4 years of full-time study, and has a maximum limit of 300 pages or 100,000 words. Once the thesis has been submitted, the PhD student will also have a viva voce (oral examination) with an Internal (University of Leeds) and External Examiner (normally from another university in the UK) which normally lasts a few hours, although may last longer. The supervisor may be present at the viva voce although is not permitted to contribute. During the viva voce, examiners consider both the quality and value of the work and the way in which the PhD student has chosen to present the relevant literature, results, arguments and conclusions. The ability to express findings in a clear and concise manner will be considered an asset and excessive length or too discursive a style will be judged a weakness. A mock viva will be undertaken with members of the RSG (not the supervisor) to practice these skills.