Nominations: Nominations closed
Voting: Voting closed
Election
In order to nominate/vote for this position you must be a Research student.
Category
Candidates
Martina Fisk
What will you bring to this role (e.g. experience, skills or qualities)?
I have been a PhD student at UCL for 4 years in full-time as well as part-time mode. During that time, I served as departmental and faculty research student representative and was involved with many initiatives and events at UCL, for example the Environmental Domain Early-career Network (EDEN). These experiences helped me learn how UCL works as an organisation and how to best get things done here. I enjoy being part of the structural fabric of our university and like to think that I am a caring and a reliable representative for our shared interests as PhD community.
What do you hope to achieve in the role if you are elected?
I will continue the efforts of the previous research student officer in the fight for increasing PGTA salaries and the streamlining of PhD inductions across departments so we can all have easy access to the information we need. Beyond that, I want to make a push for an implementation of explicit agreements between supervisors and PhD students regarding expectations around teaching load, pre-viva publications, etc. And I picture us having access to a centralised mediation service so we do not have to approach our supervisors’ colleagues for help with sticky disagreements.
Please summarise why students should vote for you.
I care about our shared experience as PhD students at UCL and believe that it can be improved in various ways. I have necessary the experience and understanding of how UCL operates to know what opportunities and limits there are for change. If you are looking for a research student officer who has a clear and realistic vision of what she wants to achieve, the knowledge to back it up, and a track record of genuine interest and success in helping our PhD community thrive, I am the right choice for you.
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Emma Francis
What will you bring to this role (e.g. experience, skills or qualities)?
I was one of the leading voices in the UK-wide campaign to increase stipends for 100,000 UKRI-funded PGR students, to account for the rising cost of living. Additionally, I co-led the movement to ensure UCL increased stipends for ALL PGR students, regardless of funding source.
I have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that research students voices are heard and will bring to this role my experience of effective lobbying to ensure senior UCL leadership take action on issues that matter.
What do you hope to achieve in the role if you are elected?
Tackle issues that are impacting research students:
Some of the actions I intend to take: Improve support for PGTAs, ensure mental health support is easily accessible for research students, propose consultations with research students about employment rights to ensure our voices are heard (to prepare for UKRI’s “New Deal” and the knock-on effect this will have for all).
Continue to advocate for ALL research students:
Work closely with reps and the sabbatical officers to ensure decisions are made in the best interest of ALL research students, including self-funded and international students.
Please summarise why students should vote for you.
I’ll keep this simple - If you want a research officer who will ensure research students are at the heart of decision making at UCL then vote for me.
I will not be afraid to tackle issues that widely impact us all and if elected I will bring my prior experience of creating change with an aim to improve our UCL experience.
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