Let’s Talk EDI is a new podcast series brought to you by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures at the University of Leeds, to provoke conversation, reflection and explore the experiences of staff and students within our Faculty. This episode focuses on exploring invisible work within the PGR community. It surfaces day‑to‑day experiences, validates the contributions that can go unseen, and create space to reflect on how invisible work shows up differently for different PGRs. The conversation will also signpost to existing resources, support good practice, and look toward developing future interventions, helping to turn recognition into action. Host Bio: Kashmir Kaur (SFHEA) is an Associate Professor of English for Academic Purposes at the University of Leeds, where she leads in-sessional provision across Earth and Environment and Transport. She collaborates on an international COIL project integrating AI into language education. Her research explores decoloniality, language, power and epistemic justice in academic communication, and she has delivered invited talks across the UK, Europe and the United States. She is also the creator and host of the One Language, Many Silences podcast, which explores language, power, identity and academic life through conversations with scholars and practitioners. Panel Bios: Elaine Evans is a Senior Teaching Fellow and part-time PGR student in the School of Design, who specialises in fashion design innovation, pattern cutting and garment construction. Her research focuses on women's everyday clothing production and consumption in Yorkshire between 1945 and 1989. Ola Fagbohun is a first-year postgraduate researcher in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries and runs a Sheffield-based social enterprise exploring health equity in menopause and ageing amongst people often marginalised by the health system. Her research and practice focus on valuing diverse knowledge systems, asking whose knowledge and experience are valued, and why, and how different ways of knowing, being and doing can challenge dominant understandings of menopause and ageing. Her PhD brings decolonising, participatory and creative health methods together to co-produce a framework with Nigerian women in the UK that reimagines menopause and ageing through cultural heritage and identity, making space for knowledge and experiences that conventional health research can overlook and contributing to more equitable approaches to health and wellbeing. Teba Natasha is a PhD researcher in Linguistics at the University of Leeds, specialising in corpus linguistics and translation studies. Her research explores Arabic–English translation in Iraqi legal and peacebuilding contexts. Alongside her research, she has experience in university teaching, professional translation, and working with international organisations in Iraq. Technical Support: Thanks to Susan Preston, Faculty EDI Project Officer, for their technical support, recording and editing this podcast. Support and routes available to PGRs at Leeds Your supervisor isn’t your only point of contact. PGRs can also speak to their School Director of Postgraduate Research Studies (DPGRS) about academic or pastoral concerns, including independently of their supervisor. Your Faculty Graduate School can help. The Graduate School can advise on PGR processes and individual circumstances and help identify the appropriate University support where they can’t resolve something directly. The Doctoral College provides University-wide PGR support, including induction, researcher development, events, resources and signposting throughout the doctorate. Starting outside the main autumn intake: the Doctoral College induction is online and available throughout the year, alongside School/Faculty induction and other PGR welcome activities. There are also buddy and a PGR Diversity buddy scheme, and peer-support schemes. The experience of joining outside a large intake may nevertheless be different, so PGRs should talk to their Graduate School about opportunities to connect with other researchers. International PGRs travelling to conferences: Leeds provides guidance on overseas travel and visa requirements, and Graduate Schools can advise on University travel processes, documentation and arrangements. However, PGRs who require a visa for the country they are visiting normally have to navigate that country's visa process themselves; Student Visa Advice does not provide specialist immigration advice for other countries. PGRs with caring responsibilities: Leeds has a policy supporting students who are parents or carers, including PGRs and those caring for dependent adults as well as children. PGRs can discuss the impact of caring responsibilities with their supervisor, DPGRS or Graduate School and explore appropriate flexibility in their studies. Some funded PGRs have specific carer provisions. UKRI- and University-funded PGRs may be eligible for carer’s leave, emergency/compassionate leave and, in some circumstances, support with additional caring costs. Exact entitlement depends on the source of funding. If personal circumstances are affecting progress, there are formal routes for discussing adjustments, authorised absence/suspension and other support rather than a PGR simply having to manage the situation alone. Financial difficulties: PGRs experiencing unexpected financial difficulty may be able to access the University's Financial Assistance Fund, alongside financial advice and support. Wellbeing and disability support: PGRs can access the University's wider counselling, wellbeing and disability services, as well as PGR-specific routes through their School and Graduate School. Work and payment: undertaking a PhD involves research, training and professional development that is not in itself employment. However, where PGRs undertake paid work for the University, such as teaching, separate employment arrangements and University policies apply. PGRs who are unsure where to go can start with their supervisor, School DPGRS or Graduate School, who can help identify the appropriate route
