MDX lands in the Top Ten in national Postgraduate Research Experience Survey

Director of Postgraduate Research Studies Dr Nico Pizzolato “incredibly proud” of acknowledgement of MDX’s “vibrant, diverse and innovative postgraduate research community… MDX is increasingly recognised as a place where postgraduate researchers feel they can belong and thrive”.

MDX ranks eighth overall in this year’s UK higher education sector-wide Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, co-ordinated by Advance HE, which assesses postgraduate researchers’ experiences of supervision, progress and assessment, research community, wellbeing and other factors.

The survey showed an increase in postgraduate researchers’ satisfaction to 87%, from 86% in last year’s survey and 70% in 2019. Out of 53 participating universities, MDX came sixth for Progression (6.3% above the global benchmark), sixth for Research Culture and sixth for Professional Development. MDX achieved above or on a par with the sector as a whole, University Alliance mission group members and London institutions for all themes except Supervision and Resources. With these results, MDX consolidates its strong showing overall in last year’s rankings, but there has also been a substantial improvement in research culture, often identified by postgraduate researchers as a key factor enabling them to achieve their goals.

Responding to MDX’s performance in the survey, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellors Professor Christine Broughan and Professor Anne Boddington said: 

“MDX’s results reflect the commitment of colleagues involved in the delivery of postgraduate research programmes.  We are very encouraged to see these ongoing improvements which are evidence of the University’s increasingly strong reputation for postgraduate research excellence”

Director of Postgraduate Research Studies Dr Nico Pizzolato said: “I am incredibly proud that MDX’s vibrant, diverse and innovative postgraduate research community has once again been recognised in the Postgraduate Research Survey. 

“Over the past few years, colleagues across a range of roles and services have worked tirelessly and imaginatively to foster an interdisciplinary community, breaking down silos between disciplines, departments and domains.

“In turbulent times for the sector, there are challenges ahead and much work to be done, but it is rewarding for the whole PGR community that MDX is increasingly recognised as a place where postgraduate researchers feel they can belong and thrive”.

More information about research degrees at Middlesex.