Meet the Team
You will have already met with your supervisors and understand that their primary role is to offer you guidance and support in your studies.
Your PhD Researcher Representative is Jane Leonard and she will represent your UoA on University level committees to ensure that your voice is heard and any concerns raised.
Your Research Director, Postgraduate Tutor and research area administrators are also available for you, should you require any additional support.
Research Ethics and Integrity
Before you commence any data collection involving human participants you will need to complete an ethics approval form(RG1A).
Please note that this form must be completed for any study involving data collection with human participants (i.e., if you plan to hold interviews, conduct surveys, focus groups, observation etc.). The process involved in obtaining Research Ethics clearance is shown below:
- The completed form for Research Ethics clearance (RG1A) should be completed at least two months in advance of when you plan to collect data. The form is normally completed in collaboration with your supervisors, who will give advice if changes are needed.
- When an agreed form is produced the supervisor sends a copy and other relevant materials (e.g. information sheets, consent forms, interview questions etc.) to the Chair of the UUBS Research Ethics Committee (Dr Kristel Miller).
- The UUBS Research Ethics committee will then review the RG1 ethics form and communicate to the Chair of the supervisory panel and the researcher involved if there are any possible ethical issues with the planned research approach. A UUBS research Ethics Filter Committee meeting is held once a month to consider applications.
- The researcher is advised if any changes are needed and given the opportunity to revise and resubmit the form and materials. These are then reconsidered by Research Ethics committee and normally Research Ethics permission is granted.
Working Environment
In conjunction with the subject-based Schools and the research area, UUBS undertakes to provide its full-time PhD researchers with facilities for study. UUBS has dedicated Postgraduate Research accommodation on all campuses, where full-time researchers have access to desk space and printing facilities. Full time funded PhD researchers are also provided with suitable technology to be used for research purposes during the duration of the programme and should be returned at the end of your studies. Please note this equipment remains the property of the University.
It should be noted that space is limited on the Belfast campus and the room we have been allocated has 12 desks – BA-02-004 for full-time researchers. As a consequence of this limited space researchers may be required to share desk space at certain times and hence, we are operating a ‘clean desk’ policy where researchers should not leave their possessions on any desk but should use lockers provided to store equipment and personal belongings (at the time of writing this handbook we are awaiting lockers to be installed in Room BA-02-004).
All researchers obtain an e-mail address when they officially register for PhD study. This will be the address used by the faculty for all correspondence in relation to their research studies and researchers should access their university e-mail account regularly. If you wish to use a different e-mail address it is your responsibility to set up his or her private e-mail programme to read mail delivered to the University address.
UUBS has formed a PhD Researcher Liaison committee to discuss issues linked to your experience as a researcher. All PhD Researchers are encouraged to attend the Liaison committee which meets twice a year and is Chaired by the Research Director. The remit of the committee is to deal with any general issues impinging on or likely to impinge upon your studies.
Your PhD Researcher Representative will also sit on the Faculty Research Committee, the PhD Researcher Forum and the Doctoral College Board.
It is important that you have regular contact with your supervisors. The university requires that full-time funded PhD researchers will attend the campus regularly (at least twice a week) unless there is agreement which allows for more flexibility with supervisors. Clearly the recent experience of the Covid pandemic has altered working patterns for many of us and we have become more open to working more flexibly. Given this I would expect you to find a working pattern that works optimally for yourself and your supervisors.
It is anticipated that initially you will need to have relatively frequent supervisory meetings. However, when you settle into a more familiar pattern of work, meetings may become less frequent although at various times you may need more support (approaching assessments or during the final writing up stage). The actual supervisory procedure and systems adopted should be agreed by yourself and your supervisors, but for clarification UUBS would expect that full time PhD researchers should have substantive meetings with their supervisors at least once a month and that part-time PhD researchers at least once during a three-month period. The PhD Manager system allows uploading of digital records of supervisory meetings, and it is the responsibility of the PhD researcher to ensure that a full record of meetings is held.
Digital Services provide information on how to print including how to access multifunction devices (MFD) that will allow you to print, copy and scan documents. More information can be found on their website. PhD Researchers within the school can access £50 of printing credits. Speak to the research area administrator to arrange this.
Attendance and Absence
Attendance at University on a daily basis is expected, except by agreement of your supervisors or the Research Director. Hours should be agreed with your supervisors. Typically, PhD Researchers will work 35-40 hours per week, between core hours of 9:00am- 5:00pm. Holidays, as approved by your supervisors, are allowed within the period of the Studentship. These must not exceed a total of eight weeks including public holidays (40 days) per year. Any periods of sickness should be notified to your supervisors.
If you experience some health, family or other problems that make it difficult for you to continue working on your PhD research project, you may need to consider applying for leave of absence. Funded PhD researchers should be aware that they may normally only be allowed Leave of Absence for a maximum of one year, and that their maintenance allowance is suspended during any Leave of Absence. It is also important to note that Leave of Absence is not permitted if the main reason is to take up paid employment. Should you need any advice on Leave of Absence you can ask your supervisors. Support is also available through the Doctoral College and Student Wellbeing.
Attendance of international PhD Researchers will be monitored to ensure we meet our sponsor license obligations with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Engagement of Student Route visa holders will be evidenced through recording an in-person meeting via PhD Manager and having the notes accepted by a Supervisor for each calendar month (last day of the month), unless there is a pre-approved study away, leave of absence, annual leave or other authorised leave.
If the Researcher does not have an in-person meeting recorded and does not have a valid reason for this, i.e., the absence was not pre-approved on PhD Manager, it will be noted as an unauthorised absence. If the International PhD Researcher has two unauthorised absences within an academic year, the Compliance Team may invite you to a meeting to review continuation of sponsorship of your student visa.
Tips to avoid registering an unauthorised absence:
- Consider scheduling meetings with your supervisor in advance, perhaps at the beginning of the month, to give your supervisor sufficient time to approve the meeting notes logged on PhD Manager.
- Remind your supervisors to approve the meetings if necessary.
- If none of your supervisors are available to meet in person in any month, please contact the Postgraduate Tutor in your area to make arrangements to meet with an alternative member of staff for the purposes of monthly monitoring and to record this as usual on PhD Manager as a meeting with supervisors, but with a note of the alternative staff member you met with.
Business and Management Research Area
The Business and Management research area is a virtual centre and focal point for academic research across the Faculty.
The Associate Dean of Research, Professor Paul Humphreys, and Research Director, Professor Martin McCracken, are responsible for the strategic development of research within the area.
The research area has developed collaborative linkages both nationally and internationally through its close relationships with the British Academy of Management, Academy of Marketing, Academy of International Business, and a range of professional bodies, such as, CIMA, ACCA, CIPD and ICSA.
Business and Management
Our research focuses on Operations Management, Marketing and Corporate Governance with a strong cross-cutting theme supporting the SME regional economy....