A new pilot initiative by GuildHE Research (GHER) and the Wellcome Collection is delivering a transformational opportunity for a PhD student to undertake a placement engaging with the collections.
Currently operating as a pilot placement, the innovative and inclusive scheme is designed to flexibly accommodate students from higher education institutions who are not part of existing Doctoral Training Partnerships or similar externally funded doctoral programmes. Unlike existing placement schemes, the collaboration is designed to include students who don’t have access to traditional schemes due to studying part-time, or being self-funded.
Rachel Persad, Head of Research Policy at GuildHE Research said:
“GHER is delighted to have partnered with the Wellcome Collection to co-create this innovative and inclusive PhD student placement. We are committed to creating the widest opportunities for doctoral students at our member institutions and the pilot scheme provides a framework that can potentially be transferred to other organisations in the future. Expanding the diversity of researchers placed in cultural institutions not only creates opportunities for new and upcoming researchers but also brings new insights to collection material and archives.”
Two years in development, the pilot is one of a range of projects that the Wellcome Collection have co-created with researchers and partners to fulfil their strategic objective of creating a diverse community of researchers and embodying their commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
The pilot will run over a six month period, for the equivalent of one day per week and is dual-funded by GHER and member institution the University of Winchester. The placement has been co-created with Winchester PhD Student Susan Birch whose research into the Family Planning Association will be enhanced by examining archives into the National Birthday Trust held in the Wellcome Collection.
A second project is a new freelance opportunity for a researcher to explore the barriers to cultural sector career development opportunities faced by self-funded PhD students (arts, humanities, social sciences), funded by the Wellcome Collection. It will run in tandem with the pilot scheme, which will help inform this research.
Elma Brenner, Researcher Development Lead at the Wellcome Collection said:
“In tandem with developing the pilot self-funded PhD student placement with GuildHE, Wellcome Collection has been able to develop an opportunity for a researcher to investigate the barriers to career development opportunities in the cultural sector faced by self-funded PhD students in arts, humanities and social sciences. Liaising closely with GuildHE staff and gaining feedback from GuildHE’s PhD peer support network enabled Wellcome Collection to shape the goals and remit of this research work, which will in turn feed back into Wellcome Collection’s future work with PhD students and will be shared more widely in the cultural sector.”