Supervisor Support

Recruitment and Admissions

The EDEPI Competency-Based Admissions Framework

EDEPI (Equity in Doctoral Education through partnership and innovation) is one of 13 Research England and Office for Students funded programmes, created to tackle persistent inequalities that create barriers to access and participation in doctoral education for racially minoritised groups.

The EDEPI project seeks to tackle inequality at scale by framing PGR admissions in the context of the competencies required to successfully undertake PGR study, reducing over-reliance on narrower measures related to degree classification and previous degree-awarding institution.

Last year, LJMU’s Prof Julie Sheldon, in partnership with the UK Council for Graduate Education, carried out a comprehensive survey to explore current PGR admissions practices. Based on the analysis of this study, ten barriers in the PGR admissions process for individuals who were from racially-minoritised groups were identified.

One key barrier was the use by some supervisors of applicants’ Master’s degrees and the degree-awarding institution as the main assessment criteria. This was considered a potential barrier to access for some individuals from racially-minoritised groups because of systemic inequalities in access to higher-tariff universities, attainment gaps at undergraduate level, and unequal access to loans for postgraduate study.

The EDEPI Competency-Based Admissions Framework has been developed following the UKCGE study, focus groups, and consultation with the wider sector.

EDEPI Postgraduate Researcher Admissions Report

Postgraduate Researcher Competency-Based Admissions Framework and Guidance

If you would like advice about using the framework in LJMU, please contact edepi@ljmu.ac.uk


Resources for supervision and examination

Supervisor Development Programme

Numerous studies have shown research supervision to be crucial in determining the quality of the postgraduate student experience and the chances of timely completion. The Supervisor Development Programme, run by the Doctoral Academy, is a suite of workshops where participants learn more about institutional processes for research degrees and explore case studies drawn from our experiences of postgraduate support. The aim of the programme is to help participants to refine and develop their practice, to improve the quality of doctoral support, and to establish a productive and satisfying supervisory relationship both for the doctoral candidate as well as for the supervisor.

Follow the links below for more information on workshops and to book a place.  The link for sessions delivered online will be circulated by email one day in advance.

Please contact DoctoralAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk or PGRExaminations@ljmu.ac.uk if you have any queries at all.  

Research Supervisor Induction

Wednesday 18 October 2023 - 9:30-16:30 (in person, Exchange meeting rooms 1 & 2)
Wednesday 10 January 2024, 9:30-16:30 (in person, Student Life 304)
Wednesday 6 March 2024, 9:30-16:30 (in person, John Foster G23)
Tuesday 7 May 2024, 9:30-16:30 (in person, Redmonds 137)
Thursday 11 July 2024, 9:30-16:30 (in person, venue TBC)

The session gives staff an overview of the University’s Research Degrees Framework and the provision for postgraduate research across LJMU. It is mandatory for all new supervisors of research degrees, and for academic staff new to LJMU and intending to supervise PhD programmes.

Training for the Independent Chair

Thursday 16th November 2023 - 10:00-11:00
Tuesday 6th February 2024 - 10:00-11:00
Wednesday 5th June 2024 - 14:00-15:00

The use of Independent Chairs to oversee the PhD Viva Voce examination is increasingly common in the sector. At LJMU, Independent Chairs can play a crucial role in ensuring and witnessing that examinations are conducted fairly and in accordance with University regulations. This session outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Independent Chair and allows participants to learn from 'this really happened' case studies.  

Research Degrees Examiner Workshop

Wednesday 11th October 2023 - 14:00-15:00
Wednesday 22nd November 2023 - 10:00-11:00
Tuesday 9th January 2024 - 14:00-15:00
Tuesday 27th February 2024 - 10:00-11:00
Tuesday 16th April 2024 - 14:00-15:00
Friday 14th June 2024 - 10:00-11:00

This workshop aims to prepare staff to act as internal examiners for a PhD candidate at LJMU. It provides information on processes, procedures and approaches, as well as acting as a forum for discussion and sharing practice.

eDoc for Supervisors

Wednesday 25th October 2023 - 10:00-11:00
Wednesday 28th February 2024 - 14:00-15:00
Monday 22nd April 2024 - 11:00-12:00
Wednesday 3rd July 2024 - 14:00-15:00

eDoc is a comprehensive online progression system for the LJMU PGR community. It keeps all your PGRs in one place and streamlines:

  • Supervision meetings
  • Training and events
  • Progression monitoring
  • Confirmation of Registration
  • Changes to registration eg. Leaves of absence
  • Examinations 

The session will provide an overview of the system and highlight key functionality from a supervisor's perspective.

Outside of these times, if you require any specific support you can request a one-to-one session via DoctoralAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk 

Privacy notice for Supervisor Development Programme events

When you sign up for and attend certain supervisor development events, the Doctoral Academy will use this information to manage PGR progression on eDoc. This relates to your role on a current Supervisory Team. The lawful basis we rely on for storing this information is that we have a contractual obligation.

For further information as to how we handle your data, please see our information relating to employment.