Employers

Through the Doctoral College you will have access to PhD/EngD/MD and PsychD (research students) and Early Career Researchers (staff), with higher level skills, able to bring new ideas and ways of thinking to your organisation as well as the potential to engage in collaborative research and knowledge exchange opportunities.

We will also be able to signpost you to other parts of the university, if working with us isn’t quite the right option for you.

Ways to work with us

Work Placement

Does your organisation have limited capacity to begin, or complete, a specific project or piece of research work?  Do you have a problem to solve?  Through the Doctoral College, as an organisation you can offer a work placement to our postgraduate researchers.  Our postgraduate researchers will bring their higher-level skills and knowledge to your project.

Currently the Doctoral College has funded opportunities through the Surrey Black Scholars: To Become Visible Programme.  This provides Black or Mixed Black postgraduate researchers who are UK residents with the resources, support and environment necessary to achieve excellence and pursue rich and rewarding careers after graduation.  This programme is jointly funded by the Office for Students, Research England and the University of Surrey.

Some key details:

• We support placements in organisations that do not run an existing placement scheme for research students.
• The maximum duration of a placement will be 420 hours (equivalent to 35 hours per week for 12 weeks).  Shorter placements are welcome.
• Flexible part-time models are popular with our postgraduate researchers. 
• Postgraduate researchers are workers of the University whilst on placement
• Postgraduate researchers will discuss with you the skills they wish to develop through a placement.

Feedback from one of our host organisations

"Working with our (frankly brilliant) sustainability researcher made it possible to investigate, collate and curate the massive body of thoroughly checked evidence we needed within a short period of time.  And, as a start-up, to have such an intelligent, enthusiastic self-starter on the team has helped supercharge the programme's development.  To have him fully funded via the University of Surrey has been the icing on the cake."

If you have a work placement opportunity, or you would like to register your interest in the scheme for a later date, please complete the Expression of Interest Form and we will be in touch.

If you are interested in joining our networking events, or would like further information please contact Clare Wunderly, Head of Researcher Development and Employability.

Consultancy

As an employer you can offer short-term consultancy projects to our postgraduate or early career researchers, in addition to staff across the University.  For further details: Consultancy | University of Surrey

Employer mentoring

We have an established employer mentoring programme targeted at both our post graduate and early career researchers. We are always keen to talk to employers who may have an interest in mentoring.  

• Mentoring provides you with an opportunity to ‘give back’ and for researchers to explore how their research is viewed outside of academia, gain support on managing the transition from academia to business/industry/charity sectors and build their professional network. 
• Many of our mentors have a doctorate themselves.
• It is a flexible model which means it may be a one-off meeting or ongoing (three to four sessions) over a year, and you agree with your mentee the mode of contact (currently of course all meetings are virtual).

Please contact Emma Francis (Careers and Employability Consultant) if you would like to know more.

Employer events

We also run a number of events during the year enabling employers to connect with future talent, ensuring that our postgraduate and early career researchers are better aware of future opportunities open to them.

Are you a University of Surrey doctorate alumni?

You may wish to join our  Doctoral College alumni community

Do you have a vacancy opportunity for a postgraduate researcher (PhD) or graduate?

Through the Employability and Career digital hub, Surrey Pathfinder you can post and manage your vacancies online.

Contact us

Interested in any of the options, or do you have other innovative and interesting ideas for collaboration?

If so, please don’t hesitate to email Clare Wunderly Head of Researcher Development and Employability. We look forward to hearing from you.