Four ways to strengthen the PGR community and sense of belonging

If belonging has historically been correlated with student success and retention, we should absolutely care about fostering an inclusive postgraduate research (PGR) environment and research culture – not only as an ethical imperative but also for the sustainable development of the knowledge economy.

Although overall PGR satisfaction levels are at their highest level in more than a decade (83 per cent), according to AdvanceHE’s 2025 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), scores relating to satisfaction with research culture and community are noticeably lower, at 63 per cent. This disparity suggests that many doctoral researchers experience a weaker sense of belonging and limited engagement within their research environments. 

However, the gap is not new. As analysis found, sense of belonging is consistently among the lower-scoring areas of the survey, and it remains an area for improvement. This is why the University of Southampton’s Doctoral College continues to focus on strengthening belonging and community as part of its ongoing enhancement of the PGR experience. Despite our results as the top-performing Russell Group institution for PGR satisfaction, we undertook research to understand and improve the sense of community experienced by our own doctoral researchers.

• Why professional development in graduate supervision matters
• Nurturing supervisor-supervisee relationships
• How to build trust as a research supervisor

As part of our PGR Student Partners scheme, we engaged with more than 40 community members (such as doctoral researchers and academic supervisors) to understand the blockers and facilitators of an inclusive and constructive PGR community. 

Here, we summarise the key recommendations emerging from the research in response to four main barriers to building a PGR community reported by participants.

1. Provide dedicated physical space for PGRs to meet

A lack of consistent physical space to socialise makes it harder for PGRs to connect with peers and feel part of a wider research community, as many reported. They might have access to global research communities but still experience physical separation within their own department, which impedes their ability to build relationships within the departmental or university research community.

Students who had access to dedicated PGR coffee rooms or lounges spoke highly of them but limited physical space meant not all departments could offer such spaces. A practical alternative is regular in-person gatherings on campus, which could facilitate both social and academic connection. Booking larger seminar or lecture rooms would provide a venue without requiring new infrastructure.

2. Improve the ‘so what?’ factor for on-campus engagement

Practical challenges such as slow wi‑fi, ongoing construction and hot‑desking policies all contribute to a fragmented on‑campus working environment. So, many PGRs opt to work from home, reducing in‑person interaction and limiting opportunities for community-building. 

Universities need to clearly communicate the “so what?” factor of physical engagement and presence on campus, such as longer-term academic, personal and mental health benefits enjoyed as a researcher.

In response, we are increasing the frequency of centrally organised on‑campus social activities to normalise being physically present and to support work-life balance. We also use key touch points, such as PGR inductions. 

3. Support supervisor/academic engagement in PGR community-building

Supervisors remain central to PGR satisfaction, with PRES 2025 identifying supervision as the strongest aspect of the doctoral experience. Although this largely reflects support for researcher development, this influence could be extended to wider elements of the PGR journey, including community engagement. Often, however, responsibility for organising networking and social events falls to individual PGR students, which they take on in addition to personal and academic commitments. Staff engagement in such events is crucial yet limited, PGRs reported. 

Supervisors and academic staff should aim to take a co-leadership approach, increasing the frequency and visibility of community-building events and, where possible, providing financial/resource support. This should be workload-allocated or included in academic role descriptions that have a specific PGR remit – an approach we are implementing at Southampton – to normalise such expectations.

4. Build awareness and entitlement to community and belonging

Finally, challenging perceptions of isolation and lone working is essential for building community and belonging. Doing a PhD does not have to be lonely. Yet many PGR students are not aware of who or what constitutes their academic community, which can lead to feelings of isolation, especially for those newly transitioning into doctoral study. 

Reframing “community” as a reasonable expectation, rather than something students must independently seek out, can help normalise belonging at this level. PGR peer-mentoring schemes can provide early support to build social and professional networks. Additionally, PGR representatives should be trained to actively promote building a sense of community and belonging for their cohorts. 

Together, these measures not only help retain PGRs but ensure they produce and feel their best while with us.

Maisha Islam is research culture lead for equality, diversity and inclusion, and Natasha Palmer is a PhD student in the department of clinical and experimental sciences; both are at the University of Southampton.

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