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The current COVID-19 situation and the impact that it may have on your research is a worry for many of you. The latest advice on how we can support you and your studies can be found on the main University Coronavirus Information web page (under Postgraduate Research Students), with further details and more resources in the guidance available on the Graduate School Moodle Site Coronavirus advice page

Supporting you in your studies 

Please be assured that any disruption to your studies will be carefully considered in order for us to understand how best we can support you. We are aware that due to the circumstances, you may find yourself working in a different and/or challenging environment – having to work remotely or deal with more daily caring responsibilities for example - and that these may impact on your studies. In the first instance you should discuss with your supervisor the likely impact on your research and whether you can carry on, amend or even pause your studies during this period.

Keep in touch with your supervisors

You may have already been in contact with your supervisors, if not please contact them and give them an update of your situation. You may also find your Departmental Research Degrees Coordinator has been in touch to ask you specific questions about your research plans and how these may be affected by the current situation. 

Keeping in touch with other students

Feelings of isolation are common at the moment, in addition to keeping touch with your friends and family, why not join the University of Portsmouth PGR Community Facebook page.  The page has regular updates of both local and national PGR issues and can be a great way to link up with people in a similar situation to yourself.  

  • PGR Students and Supervisors Network - NEW! Google+ Network for PGR students and Supervisors. The Graduate School will also be on hand for any questions
  • Graduate School Twitter account - Managed daily by our Web & Communications Officer sharing research news, potential funding resources, interesting articles and more.
  • PhD Connections and Support - A Facebook forum managed by University of Portsmouth PGR students for Postgraduate Research Degree Students worldwide
  • Postgraduate Forum - The Postgraduate Forum is a worldwide forum for discussion about postgraduate study.
  • Research Gate Community - On the Research Gate Community you can share your work, collaborate with other scientists, and get the support you need to advance your science.
If you hear of any new communities / resources, please do let us know and we can share this with the wider PGR community.

What’s your favorite way to work online?

Our e-learning coordinator has put together a page of resources for UoP PGRs with links to recommended online meeting software and how to guides to get started as soon as possible.  The resource page currently has links to guides on WebEx, Google Meet and Google hangouts. 

Further information and contact details

Our Moodle guidance page is updated regularly to provide you with detailed information on PGR matters as the situation develops. Please check these pages regularly for updates. If you require further guidance in relation to your specific circumstances, you can contact your Supervisors, DRDC, Hub staff or the Graduate School who will all do their best to provide you with the information you need. The contact details for the Graduate School are:

Graduate School (general enquiries): graduate.school@port.ac.uk
Graduate School Development Programme and SkillsForge enquiries: gsdp@port.ac.uk
Research Degrees: research.degrees@port.ac.uk
Major review: majorreview@port.ac.uk
Annual review: annualreview@port.ac.uk