Deans Monthly update

February Update from Graduate Studies

The PG Renewal Programme has now completed four years of activity and completed two Horizons of work. We presented our Accomplishments Report to Council on March 11th, 2026. Given the scale of the ambition for change in our postgraduate activities, we broke our work plan down into three horizons. Horizon 1 focused on Clarifying and Simplifying some of our core activities (see our You Said, We Did page). Some highlights included the launch of the Trinity Research Doctorate Awards, and Trinity’s first Supervisor - Research Student Agreement. 

In Horizon 2 our aim was to Enhance our processes and activities to enhance the student and staff experience and to deliver on our vision of offering a 'stimulating, inclusive and sustainable environment where curious minds and creative thinkers thrive'. Enhancing processes and activities takes time, as we worked to understand the relevant issues, plan for effective change, and implement and review any changes introduced. We devised a Way of Working to help guide us. We developed a Trinity Blueprint for a Triple I postgraduate education, to ensure every postgraduate student has an opportunity to engage with Interdisciplinary, Intersectoral and International experiences. We will continue to field-test many ideas and initiatives from Horizon 1 and Horizon 2, and we will be reaching out to staff and students for your feedback. We're also open to hearing from you at any time. Share your ideas, your pet irritations, and your great experiences. We want to ensure that the changes we have made so far do not disrupt things that are working well and delivering for everyone.

The past few years have been exciting in the postgraduate space. One of the most important learnings from the PG Renewal Programme has been the importance of sharing our expertise, finding common ground and developing shared goals to support everyone within the postgraduate community. Work continues on some of the systems and processes to support PGR progression and we look forward to the new opportunities that the Digital Transformation Strategy will open up, enabling us to forge ahead with Horizon 3, aiming for a truly transformative shift in how we work. Regardless of the digital infrastructure development that we see on the horizon, we recognise that ultimately it is the power of the collective wisdom of the university that drives and sustains change.

Ní neart go cur le chéile – Our strength comes from working together.

My sincere thanks as Dean of Graduate Studies for the extraordinary energy and generosity of everyone – staff and students – over the past years.

Míle buíochas ó chroí

Prof Martine Smith,
Dean of Graduate Studies

January Update from Graduate Studies

Dear Research Students,

It’s hard to believe that January is almost done as we look forward to our new bank holiday this weekend. A few updates that may interest you:

AHSS Meet, Greet and Learn morning in the Long Room Hub, February 8th, 09.30-13.00, for all AHSS research students. Meet over coffee, participate in panel discussions with fellow students and colleagues from across the university on themes including Thriving in your PhD; Developing an effective researcher profile; How to navigate the PhD post-submission process. College services will also be on hand, so you can put faces to names, ask questions and share experiences with peers. All information can be found at the link above – and register early so we can ensure we have catering in place!
3 Minute Thesis. Did you participate last year? Or see the National Final? If not, check out the recording to see the Trinity representative, Lianne Shanley scoop the inaugural prize. This year, the internal Trinity competition kicks off with qualification heats scheduled for March 12th-19th, and the final is all set for March 21st. This competition presents a great opportunity for you to practise presenting your research concisely and clearly. There will be lots of workshops to help you prepare and hone your pitching skills – and applications are still open, but not for long. So, take the plunge and put in your application at this link (until January 31st): https://forms.office.com/e/ib7wXacJ6S
Research supervision agreement: We are currently evaluating the new Research Supervision Agreement. Many thanks to those of you who have participated in focus group discussions. If you have not had a chance to participate and would like to give feedback, please contact us at pgrenewal@tcd.ie – we want to hear as many voices as possible!

PG Renewal Programme: We have been working over the past 18 months to enhance the experience for all our postgraduate students and have been in touch with you about this work over that time. Many of the innovations relate to postgraduate research students. We marked the completion of his programme on January 17th and have summarised some of the key achievements of Horizon 1. The new research supervision agreement is one element, but other achievements have been the new Trinity Research Doctorate Awards, with a significant stipend increase, the introduction of terms of reference for thesis committees and associated guidelines, enhanced annual progress review process and forms with Schools on direct payment for teaching and learning supports provided by research students. More still to do? Absolutely! We are now into Horizon 2 of this programme. If you have suggestions, want to get involved or simply want more information, please contact us at pgrenewal@tcd.ie. We regularly run sessions to get feedback on new initiatives. If you are willing to be involved in these evaluations, you will be paid for your time, but you need to register with us at the same email: pgrenewal@tcd.ie .

PGR representation at the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). I am delighted to welcome two new representatives for postgraduate students to the GSC. This committee meets monthly and discusses issues related to policy and strategy for our postgraduate activities (both taught and research). With all the changes in the Graduate Students’ Union, it has been many months since we had students at our GSC meetings, so this is a very positive development. Almudena Moreno Borrallo and Rory O’Sullivan are your representatives and I’m sure they will be delighted to get your input on all matters that affect you as research students in Trinity.

Wishing you all a good week and a very enjoyable bank holiday weekend,

Kind regards,

Prof Martine Smith,
Dean of Graduate Studies

December Update from Graduate Studies

Dear postgraduate research community,

It’s hard to believe that 2023 is nearly done. I’m sure you have astonished yourselves with all you have achieved over the past year, and I hope that you are planning some time to reflect, relax, and recuperate before we launch into 2024.

A few updates on the Graduate Studies side of things:

EPA and DAFM announce stipend uplift.

We are delighted that the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have announced an increase in PhD stipend levels to €25,000 in line with the recommendations from the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers. Since we launched our own Trinity Research Doctorate Awards, there has been steady progress across multiple agencies towards delivering a stipend level that supports PhD students to focus on their research and reducing the financial pressures many research students face. This is still a work in progress, but we will continue to focus on raising the financial boat for all students.

AHSS students SAVE the DATE! Thursday, February 8 from 09:30 – 13:00

A meet and greet opportunity for AHSS research students to meet fellow research students across the Faculty, and find out about the services that support your Trinity student journey. The event, in the Trinity Long Room Hub, will be a mix of panel discussions mapped to the student journey, opportunities to meet the faces behind the names of College services and to share coffee and nibbles with your peers.
To make sure we cater to your needs please click here if you’ve any suggestions for what should be included. Whether you’re a few months into your studies or heading towards thesis submission, we’d love to meet you.

Problem with stipend payment

It’s come to our attention that a small number of students experienced an unexpected drop in their stipend payment this autumn. It appears that students who had been granted a Covid-extension funded through the HEA switched to this payment mechanism for the final months of their PhD. We have now identified the issue and the Office of the Dean of Research has kindly agreed to cover the cost of the differential between the HEA payment and the uplifted stipend level. We are working to ensure we have identified all affected students and hope to have the situation resolved in January.

If you experience an unexpected change in stipend payments, please let us know. We may not always be able to resolve it for you, but with some information we can explore what might be possible.

Upcoming milestones

If you registered in March, don’t forget that early in the New Year, you should be planning your annual progress review with your supervisor and thesis committee.

If you submitted your thesis last September, you should know by now when and where your viva will take place. See the Viva Voce Handbook for useful tips and hints. Remember, the default is that a viva voce examination takes place in person. If it is proposed that the viva will be conducted online or with some members online, that can only happen with your agreement – so talk to your supervisor and have your input into the decision.

PG Renewal Programme

The PG Renewal Programme has an extensive workplan for 2024. If you are willing to share your experiences and engage in consultation workshops, please contact us. You will be paid for your time and help ensure that the changes we make are of real value to students.

Health, wellbeing and support services

December and January can be times of particular challenge for many people. Remember that there are many support services that you can access, whether you have a pressing health concern or simply need a friendly ear to listen to you.

Take time over the break to recharge. Your research progress will see the benefit when you return, ready to tackle the next big challenge!

If that next big challenge is dipping your toes into the waters of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, then see the email attached at the end of this message from Tangent, offering a FREE Certificate course to registered PhD students.

Le beannachtaí, with warm good wishes, agus gach dea-ghuí do 2024

Martine Smith, PhD
Déan an Léinn Iarchéime Dean of Graduate Studies