Eight postgraduate research students sat around a large rectangle table with laptops at the writing retreat

A day of focused writing, connection, and inspiration for postgraduate researchers in Law and Marketing.

2 minutes

School of Law School of Strategy, Marketing, and Innovation Faculty of Business and Law Doctoral college

Building on the success of last year’s event, we held the 2nd Law and Marketing Writers’ Retreat on 31 March 2025 at the Aspex Gallery in Gunwharf Quays.

The purpose of the event was to bring postgraduate research students (PGRs) from the two schools together and provide them with an opportunity to have dedicated focused writing time, to meet and to collaborate with other PGRs as well as to enjoy a day away from the usual University setting. In addition to a number of writing slots, the programme for the event also included alumni guest speakers, an art gallery tour and several small competitions with prizes.

A student sat at a table wearing a black and white top talking to other students
A student sat at a table wearing a black blazer talking to other students, smiling
Two students standing talking

The participants at the retreat worked intensively on various writing projects ranging from thesis chapters and conference presentations to coding and literature review. The relaxing and structured environment combined with peer feedback enabled many PGRs to overcome common writing barriers, such as writer’s block, and refine their academic voices and future plans. They particularly enjoyed the Alumni talk, as emerged from their feedback.

"The alumni talk was great, very informative and gave hope to all of us... Knowing what others are experiencing in the present creates reassuring feelings and the ‘I am not the only one’ encouragement is so wholesome."

Three students sat in a line forming the PGR alumni panel, answering questions

Three alumni postgraduate researchers share their experiences and insights during a Q&A session with current PGRs, offering advice and reflections on their academic journeys.

The event undoubtedly fostered a sense of community with participants sharing their experiences and ideas, gaining motivation and inspiring and providing constructive feedback to one another. As organisers, we also gained valuable insights on what their main challenges are and how we can better support them via this Retreat as well as other PGR activities.

The event was made possible via the PGR Research Culture funding, which allowed for booking an external venue with catering for the whole day. We are looking forward to arranging a similar event next year.

Event organised by:

  • Dr Andrii Zharikov - Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research, School of Law
  • Dr Marta Garcia - Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research, School of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation (Marketing)