Brad-ATTAIN Seminar Series: Literature Review and What to Expect in Year 1

Organised by Brad-ATTAIN in collaboration with YCEDE (The Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education), the seminar series aim to inform, raise awareness and help to create pathways to academia for minoritised ethnicities.

The event is open to all.

The seminar will be led by Dr LaTonia A. Siler-Holloman and will focus on the following point:

• Gathering the tools
• Unearthing the artefacts
• Exploring the uncharted terrain
• Drawing the topic map

YCEDE Scholars will share their experience on what to expect within your first year of PhD.

Brad-ATTAIN

Brad-ATTAIN (Bradford Pathways to Academia for Minoritised Ethnicities) is a £1.3m project based in the University of Bradford which will bring together partners from across the region.

It will support internships for undergraduates to give them an understanding of what postgraduate research involves. Some 24 interns will each undertake a 10-week placement over four years.

There will also be special ‘research summer schools’ to showcase postgraduate research to undergraduates and students from outside the University, with provision for travel costs, refreshments and keynote speakers.

The events will be designed to increase students’ interest in postgraduate study, by encouraging networking, developing original research ideas and conducting fieldwork, together with an annual student ‘boot camp’, where staff and students can share and evaluate experiences.

YCEDE

The Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education (YCEDE) is a collaboration between five universities in Yorkshire, 12 UKRI funded Doctoral Training partnerships and Centres for Doctoral Training plus a number of external partners dedicated to equity at doctoral level. Central to YCEDE is the question of access to doctoral study for graduates from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

OfS, Research England and YCEDE partners have committed to invest more than £3.6 million over 4 years to improve access and participation of BAME people in postgraduate research study across Yorkshire. The project is divided into four workstreams led by different people and involving all partners. University of Bradford is involved in Workstream 3: Enhancing the on-course doctoral experience lead by Prof Udy Archibong. The workstream will develop a tailored mentoring package for PGRs of Colour through developing 1-2-1 mentoring with academics and non-academics.

Analysis of doctoral application success rates at YCEDE partners show that home fee paying People of Colour are less likely to receive an offer than White British applicants, but where they receive an offer, are just as likely to go on to enrol as White applicants. As a consequence, important voices are not heard, and as a result, the research enterprise is deprived of invaluable opportunities for creative problem solving. YCEDE aims to reduce the gap in access to PGR education between home fee paying BAME and White applicants and thus the ethnicity gap in progression into academic and other research careers.