The Doctoral College is led and managed by staff with a wealth of experience in supporting doctoral researchers. We also have a Postgraduate Research Committee which represents your interests in the wider University.
Professor Chris Howls
Director of the Doctoral College
I have a diverse range of supervisory experience, having supervised doctoral researchers in Mathematics, Physics and Engineering over two decades. In 2010 I became the founding Director of one of Southampton’s largest and most complex Faculty Graduate Schools, awarding five different academic and professional doctorates across as many academic disciplines. During that time, despite my own research being in mathematical asymptotic analysis, I also ran an ESRC Doctoral Training Centre.
The Doctoral College plays a central role in the University’s Research and Education strategies. Externally, we are an integral part of Southampton’s open global research and educational outlook. The College showcases the world-class quality of our research and training to attract the best applicants, funders and employers - from the UK, EU and internationally. Internally, we lead on all doctoral policy and safeguard quality and sustainability. The College team works with colleagues from across the University to ensure that our doctoral researchers are equipped with the highest standards of training and support for success in their research and for their future careers.
Our doctoral researchers make a vital contribution to the research reputation of the University (e.g. co-authoring around a third of all papers submitted for the Research Excellence Framework 2014). I am incredibly excited and impressed by the quality, diversity and impact of our doctoral research across the University.
Email: C.J.Howls@soton.ac.uk
