Process for advertising PhDs

Supervisors

1. Refer to guidance on ‘writing effective doctoral research adverts’ (additional resources and training available on the DC website).
2. If you are re-submitting a project that failed to recruit previously, you will need to review your copy and title to improve your chances of future recruitment.
3. Submit PhD gecko form, one for each project you wish to advertise.
4. Include relevant details about the PhD as prompted in the above form.
5. Submit form (this will then be sent to the relevant PGR administrator).
6. For those who are awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship funding for their projects, additional information for promotion is required (the Research & Innovation Marketing Team/PG Marketing Team will contact you).
7. Please note timeframes and promotion over Christmas period in the Next Steps (if applicable to advertising over the winter period).
8. Any issues re. submitting projects, please contact your relevant PGR Administrator, see tab.

PGR administrators

1. Once the gecko form submission is received via email, refer to ‘guidance for PGR administrators’ (additional resources available on the DC website).
2. Add project reference number.
3. Check fee bands.
4. Include ‘How to apply’ information.
5. Funded opportunities – once the above checks have been completed, send the opportunity to the Doctoral College who will check eligibility and funding statements.
6. Unfunded opportunities - once the above checks have been completed, send the opportunity to the relevant school marketing colleague (list below).

Next steps

Timeframe: please be mindful of how long the entire process from submitting your project form to getting it live will take.

1. Your School/Institute PGR administrators will endeavour to process projects as soon as possible.
2. DCO team will require at least 2 working days to approve funded projects before passing to marketing colleagues. Allow up to 5 working days during the main campaign period between November-April every year.
3. Allow 1 working week after the approved PhD project is sent from Doctoral College/PGR Administrator to School Marketing team to upload to our website, jobs.ac.uk and FindAPhD. Once the advert is live on the PGR study site and third party sites, you will be notified by your school marketing contact.

Deadlines for publicising PhDs during the Christmas break*: Third party sites close over the Christmas holiday and have a cut-off deadline when PhDs can be uploaded onto their site before Christmas.

*Funded projects will be prioritised over unfunded projects to be placed online before Christmas.

If you wish to have your advert live over the Christmas period,

• We recommend Supervisors submitting Gecko forms by 22 November 2024 to allow for checks
• PGR Administrators need to have sent projects to the DCO by w/c 25 November 2024
• Approved projects (from DCO/PGR Administrators) must be with School Marketing teams by w/c 2 December 2024
• School Marketing teams need to send projects to third party sites by w/c 9 December 2024

School Marketing

1. Create PhD project webpage using details received in the Gecko form
2. Add expiry date to CMS webpage to auto expire the project on the day of the deadline specified
3. Send webpage link to FindAPhD to upload to project (see Christmas deadlines in Next Steps). Composite ads (approx £415) must be paid by School budget
4. Send PhD project to Jo Taylor to upload to jobs.ac.uk. Composite ads must be paid by School budget
5. Notify relevant PI when project is live. If it is a VC Scholarship PhD, notify PG Marketing team when project is live for cross-promotion
6. If PhD credits run out, contact PG Marketing team to add more credits
7. In the lead up to the Christmas break before the paid campaign starts, for urgent support from DCO please contact Jill Thurman and Katie Chamberlain in the first instance. Funded projects are given priority over unfunded projects to be publicised over Christmas