The NERC GW4 Centre for Doctoral Training in Freshwater Bioscience & Sustainability, its institutional partners, and the community of students, supervisors, stakeholders and staff celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity.
Research projects are supervised by cross-institutional teams representing diversity in background and career stages. Non-academic stakeholder partners co-design approaches to address real-world issues and develop both the theoretical and applied capability of FRESH students. Our cohort-based approach fosters a vibrant peer network while the FRESH hub serves as a central resource for guidance and support.
We highlight the cutting-edge research of FRESH students and alumni as well as their achievements and activities outside their core PhD projects.
We support part-time studentships and provide reasonable adjustments to ensure all our students benefit from the CDT offer. FRESH CDT students are encouraged and supported to arrange placements outside academia during their PhD to augment their personal and professional development.
We deliver training designed to be as accessible as possible to all. Where possible, we include hybrid and asynchronous virtual participation options.
We work with a wide range of collaborators to deliver exceptional training and actively seek to highlight underrepresented perspectives in freshwater research. FRESH students are empowered to engage regularly with student-led activities and conferences, challenging them to promote their own skills and supporting them to reach out effectively to leaders in their individual areas of interest.
We maintain a flexible approach to doctoral training, adapting a robust programme of challenge-based training and cross-disciplinary skills development to respond to student needs and feedback. FRESH students elect a representative to lend a student voice to management group meetings. Our students serve as representatives in local School and College groups as well as the GW4 Water Security Alliance.
Our hub staff may be contacted via email, phone, Teams chat or bookable in-person or virtual meetings.