Focus group report on Deans and Directors of Doctoral Schools

We have been seeking the perspectives of Deans and Directors of Doctoral Schools (DDDS) across the UK, with a view to understanding more about their experiences as managers from an institutional perspective, as well as their approaches to dealing with poor supervision practice. We have also been discussing potential policy changes relating to UK research supervision culture, and the impacts that would be most beneficial to the sector.

We have conducted 4 focus groups with 20 participants, capturing input from over 20% of the total body of UK DDDS.

This report is due to be released in Spring/Summer 2026.