Lead Department
Management and Enterprise
Coordinated by
Trudie Murray (trudie.murray@mtu.ie)
Active Members
10 +
Purpose
The Staff Doctorate Support Learning Community provides a structured environment for academic staff undertaking PhD research, offering both informal peer support and formal professional development opportunities. This initiative fosters a culture of academic scholarship and research excellence across MTU, aligning with the university’s broader strategic goals for research and innovation.
Key Objectives:
- Provide informal peer support – Creating a network of staff undertaking PhD research to share experiences, challenges, and best practices.
- Facilitate professional development workshops – Hosting workshops focused on academic writing, research methodologies, and scholarly publication strategies.
- Expand interdisciplinary collaboration – Extending membership to staff across all MTU disciplines, including Business, Art & Design, Maritime Studies, and Music.
- Enhance research dissemination – Organising events such as an 'Editors and Publications' day, featuring journal editors to provide insights into the publication process.
- Establish links with external institutions – Engaging with the Ingenium Partnership to explore international collaboration opportunities.
Summary
During the 2023-24 academic year, the Learning Community:
- Organised a full-day research symposium for doctoral candidates and early career researchers across the School of Business.
- Hosted an ‘Editors and Publications’ workshop, where five journal editors provided training on publishing strategies.
- Delivered professional development workshops on academic writing styles, understanding journal ranking systems, and manuscript submission strategies.
For the 2024-25 academic year, the Learning Community aims to:
- Expand membership to include colleagues from Crawford College of Art & Design, NMCI, School of Music, and MTU Kerry to create a university-wide community of doctoral researchers.
- Develop new initiatives that foster research collaboration across disciplines.
- Continue organising targeted professional development workshops that advance research capabilities and support scholarly publication efforts.
- Strengthen external collaborations within the Ingenium Partnership, enabling further international research exchange.
The Staff Doctorate Support Learning Community has been highly successful in supporting doctoral candidates at MTU, fostering both individual and institutional research excellence. Expanding its reach will further enhance MTU’s research profile and provide valuable opportunities for staff undertaking PhD research.
