Creating opportunities for self-funded PGR students: a pilot placement model at Wellcome Collection

GuildHE Research delivers a PGR support programme as part of our mission to amplify diverse research activity and develop a collegiate and inclusive research community for institutions. The programme offers PGR students at member institutions access to a peer support community and Global Majority PGR Network, as well as workshops, webinars and our annual Doctoral Festival. We have built a supportive and inclusive community of researchers across our institutions and devise innovative opportunities for the PGR students of our members. 

Beyond the annual delivery of the programme, we work collaboratively with other organisations to identify and address barriers to opportunities for PGR students, in particular those who are self-funded. One key barrier to participation can be placement opportunities. Many sector organisations currently don’t offer those opportunities to self-funded students, usually due to a framework not having been established for this group, plus concerns about self-funded students not receiving a stipend. 

To address this, we are delighted to have worked with the Wellcome Collection to develop a flexible and inclusive placement model for self-funded students. Funded by GuildHE and the student’s institution, we piloted the model with University of Winchester PhD student, Susan Birch, building in flexibility and adjustments to accommodate her work and caring responsibilities.

Susan’s experience at the Wellcome Collection 

From July 2024 until February 2025 I undertook a placement at the Wellcome, London. This was a pilot placement developed through the support of GuildHE, the University of Winchester and Wellcome Collection. The initial idea for the pilot placement came directly from attending the GuildHE Research Doctoral Festival in April 2023 at Bath Spa University. I was invited through the University of Winchester and from listening to the talk by Elma Brenner, Research Development Lead, I learnt about opportunities for PhD students at the Wellcome Collection. As there were no existing opportunities at the Wellcome Collection for self-funded students, I reached out to Elma and following this worked with GuildHE, my university, and Wellcome to participate in the pilot placement. This was the first time that Wellcome had worked with University of Winchester and GuildHE on a placement and I am really pleased that I was able to participate in the pilot scheme. The flexibility and connection to my thesis have aided my future career, professional and personal development. 

Research

My research area focuses on family planning, women's sexuality, and women's work after the Second World War. On the placement I worked on a specific project ‘The National Birthday Trust Fund’, a medical organisation founded to improve maternity services. This connected really well to my PhD focused on a separate medical organisation, the Family Planning Association. From looking at the archives on the National Birthday Trust Fund I was able to see connections between their work and the women’s contributions to their development which has aided my PhD thesis. The National Birthday Trust Fund archive has not been recently researched so this provided me with new, fresh material. 

Professional and personal development

Not only has the experience contributed to my research, it has also supported my professional and personal development. From analysing this material I have started to think about post doctoral opportunities for the future. I gained experience in managing a research project, working as a part of a team at Wellcome and presenting my findings at talks for the Wellcome, GuildHE and University of Winchester. One of the presentations included the material I had consulted during the placement and it was so beneficial to share this with members of Wellcome and other external visitors. The placement offered other professional development in terms of training in archives, digitalisation of material and inventory.  I was able to see how a working museum and archive operated and I fully enjoyed the experience.

 In terms of personal development it was wonderful to be part of a team and attend team meetings. Working on a PhD part time, and at a distance, can be a lonely experience and it has been so fulfilling to work in a team environment. In particular, my mentors Elma Brenner and Victoria Sloyan provided feedback on my development and progress and were incredibly supportive. 

Flexibility 

The structure of the placement was incredibly valuable. The only concern I had prior to starting the placement was how I was going to juggle my other commitments alongside the placement. These included paid work to fund my living costs and caring for my disabled mother. I discussed these concerns with GuildHE and Wellcome and a flexible structure was developed with both face to face and online sessions which allowed me to balance my other priorities. This support enabled me to undertake the placement successfully and fully benefit from all the opportunities offered. 

Next steps 

These opportunities have continued after the placement finished. I have remained in touch with several contacts at Wellcome and have discussed future projects. I organised an event on a key theme of my placement research ‘gender and agency’ at the University of Winchester in June. This showcased my research alongside work by the Wellcome and other PhD students. Three other University of Winchester PhD students presented with two external PhD speakers. 

I am also planning to present for the Women of Wellcome group on the findings of my placement and write a blog for Wellcome. I have found the placement incredibly rewarding for my future career and development. I would advise any students thinking of undertaking a placement to do so – I have learnt so much and would like to thank all those involved in its creation and development. 

Expanding pathways: reducing barriers

Together, GuildHE Research and the Wellcome Collection have developed an innovative solution to barriers and created an opportunity for a self-funded PGR student that supports excellent and diverse research. We are very grateful to Susan Birch, the Wellcome Collection and the University of Winchester for their contribution and support. The experience has been extremely positive and impactful on all levels.

The diversity of UK higher education not only translates into a diversity of research but also a diversity of pathways into research. As institutions conducting specialist, applied, vocational and practice based research, GuildHE Research members often recruit postgraduate researchers who have taken so-called ‘non-traditional’ routes into academia.

There can be a misconception that students who self-fund do so because they were unsuccessful in applications to funded programmes. However, while funded PhD programmes provide fantastic opportunities for so many early-stage researchers, self-funded PGR students often choose this pathway to maintain autonomy, freedom and flexibility over their research topic, workload and timeline. Although it's not an option that is available to everyone, decisions to self-fund drive diversity in research and knowledge. Whether students are researching AI, health inequalities or contemporary dance, the research of our members’ self-funded PGRs is motivated by curiosity, years of professional practice and lived experience, not just the opportunities available from funding bodies. 

So what's next? GuildHE Research is exploring diverse placement models and we continue our policy and advocacy activities as we work closely with UKRI, Office for Students and sector policymakers to tackle barriers for PGR students.