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School of Physics and Astronomy

Staff and student support

Our staff and students are given a wealth of valuable support to help them achieve their potential.

Staff development

Our staff are strongly supported to achieve their full potential, and we support and encourage them to take advantage of a wide range of training, covering both professional and personal development. There are clear routes of progression for academics on both Teaching and Research, and Teaching and Scholarship, career pathways and all staff are appraised yearly through our successful Performance and Development Review process.

Staff schemes

We run several schemes to promote staff development:

Brilliant Lectures

Supporting early career academics wishing to pursue lecturer roles by providing the experience of being a full-time University lecturer for 18 months along with specific leadership training.

Cardiff Futures

Supporting early career academics to develop and explore how they might contribute to shaping the future of our University, promoting collaborative working across disciplines.

Professorial Leadership Program

Supporting newly promoted or appointed professorial staff to gain and develop the understanding and skills relevant to their academic leadership roles.

Media engagement

Our School Public Engagement experts deliver an annual presentation on media engagement to support staff in this remit.

Support for Early Career Researchers

A wealth of support is provided to early career researchers (ECRs), to help them to establish themselves in their role, source funding, and develop career opportunities. This support spans:

  • mentoring
  • access to our library of grant applications
  • giving guest lectures
  • supporting the organising of modules
  • becoming involved in leadership and research strategy
  • support for fellowship applications
  • mock interviews
  • start-up funding
  • PhD studentships.

A Research Staff forum exists to share experiences, opportunities, and issues, as well as research staff standing on both the School’s Research and Equality, Diversity and Inclusions (ED&I) committees.

Staff wellbeing

The University’s Staff Wellbeing Group was formed in January 2018 to support and promote wellbeing strategy across our University. Aligned to this, the School has implemented a range of initiatives to support staff and enhance wellbeing, (e.g., informal staff meetings, meeting-free Fridays and wellbeing days, a Social Events Committee, refurbishments to break-out areas, and ergonomic improvements to office furniture).

Student development and wellbeing

As a university, we provide comprehensive support to all our students, and as a School, we build on this by providing a friendly, supportive learning environment for our students. We aim to provide a thorough grounding in the principles of physics and astronomy by challenging our students to solve practical problems and deepen their understanding of science, conveying the excitement and universal importance of the subject to society and the wider community.

Our robust University Careers service has a service dedicated to our School, providing face-to-face and online support to ensure our students can access advice, experience and employers to boost their career prospects.

We host a Postgraduate Committee, provide a Postgraduate Disability Contact, and invite all students to attend all-staff meetings and events. An online Postgraduate Research Support Module is provided for guidance on progress reviews, thesis submission, extenuating circumstances, health and safety, wellbeing, and teaching assistant duties.

Postgraduate Research students are also supported by the University’s Doctoral Academy, providing research and personal skills development, as well as a range of interdisciplinary community events and funding opportunities.