Researching with us

As a postgraduate researcher, you will have a range of support services and opportunities available to you which will enhance your studies and your career prospects.

Explore our postgraduate researcher page to find out more about our current postgraduate researchers and their topics of research.

Your supervisors

At the beginning of your research degree you will be assigned two supervisors who are here to guide and support you throughout your postgraduate research journey. You will meet with your supervisors on a regular basis to discuss your progress.

You can find out more about supervisor expertise on our staff directory.

Leeds Doctoral College

The University offers a number of opportunities for you to develop and has numerous support services to help you during your time here.

Leeds Doctoral College brings together all of these support and enhancement opportunities from across the campus including:

Training and development

Training is available to help you get the most out of your research studies. Training opportunities cover topics such as how to approach your thesis, working effectively with your supervisor, preparing for your viva, and how to get published.

See all the training opportunities available.

Facilities, library and IT support

As a university, we have all the facilities you’ll need to support and enhance your academic experience, and we have continuously invested in our facilities to ensure we maintain a first-class learning and research environment.

The Library’s Researcher@Library service offers support and development opportunities to research students at all levels. The Library supports you in showing you how to make your research more visible, how to search for literature, and issues around copyright for PhDs.

Research events

Being a researcher isn’t just about carrying out your research, but also being able to communicate your work to a wider audience. Leeds Doctoral College organises a number of events from discussing your work with a wider audience, talks about career development and celebrating your work with the wider research community.

Graduate School

Being a postgraduate researcher in the School of Law means you are also part of the faculty Graduate School. Through the Graduate School, you will have the support of your Graduate School Manager who will be able to assist you with any specific queries you might have about your PhD candidature, from funding payment and extensions, to training opportunities and graduation.

University community

Leeds University Union and the Language Centre offer the perfect opportunity for you to meet new people from across the University and take a break from your research, whether you want to join a club or society or meet up with a language exchange partner to practice a new language.

The Union also organises a number of dedicated postgraduate activities such as postgraduate pizza and film nights, walks and even garden therapy.

School of Law opportunities

The School of Law also has a number of additional school-specific opportunities available including:

Conferences

As a postgraduate researcher, you will have an allowance to spend over your first three years of your candidature on relevant research activity such as attendance and presentation at conferences, fieldwork, visits to external libraries, and transcription of interviews.

Attendance at conferences will provide the opportunity to present your ideas to academic audiences as well as networking with other researchers working within your field.

Showcase your research

You will be affiliated to a Research Centre which offers events such as Postgraduate Research conferences, where you will have the opportunity to present work-in-progress and gain feedback prior to submissions of work for publication. You can use such sessions as a dry-run before a conference presentation, or just to gain wider feedback on chapters of your thesis.

Teaching

Teaching opportunities are offered to select candidates who will have the opportunity to share their expertise in a number of teaching areas as module assistants. At the outset of each year, teaching opportunities are advertised and applicants are asked to make presentations to a panel including the Head of School.

Whether successful or otherwise, applicants are provided with training and an internal mentor.