Calling all psychology postgraduates

The Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group (PsyPAG) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing opportunities, representation and support to all psychology postgraduates based in the UK. Funded by the Research Board of the British Psychological Society, PsyPAG is run on a voluntary basis by postgraduates for postgraduates. All postgraduate psychology students assume automatic membership if they are enrolled on a relevant course. This year marks our 30th anniversary and we are keen to continue supporting postgraduates through a variety of ways. Here we have provided a brief outline of how PsyPAG can benefit you during your studies, and how you can get involved.

PsyPAG Representatives: Our representatives sit across all BPS Divisions, Sections and Branches to ensure the postgraduate voice is heard across the Society. We regularly host stands at BPS Conferences, including December's Psychology4Graduates event in London (2 December). Our Core Committee manages the work of PsyPAG, comprising of our Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Communications Officer and Information Officer. Please check our website for current vacancies and contact details for all of our reps www.psypag.co.uk.

New for 2015: PsyPAG book – A Guide for Psychology Postgraduates: Surviving Postgraduate Study. This month we release our first book to celebrate our 30th anniversary year. This is available free of charge via hard copies sent to UK postgraduate psychology departments and via our website. It provides guidance on research skills, as well as social and practical support. It contains both newly commissioned articles and recent Quarterly articles from current postgraduates and distinguished alumni.

PsyPAG Quarterly: Our peer-reviewed journal is circulated free to psychology departments in the UK, as well as via our website. Articles range from original research and expert interviews to top tips and reviews. We always welcome new submissions! We have recently completed an archive of our past issues over the last 30 years which will be released shortly. If you would like to submit an article or find out more information, please contact the PsyPAG Quarterly team at [email protected] or @PsyPAGQuarterly (Twitter).

Bursaries: PsyPAG awards a number of bursaries to help psychology postgraduates attend conferences and other events, both at home and abroad. These can help fund domestic (up to £100) and international conferences (up to £300), travel (up to £50), workshop and training (up to £100) and study visits (up to £200). We also offer Research Grant Bursaries of up to £300 that can help support postgraduates with their research. We have three rounds of bursaries each year, with deadlines in February, June and October. All bursaries involve a full application process and assessment by an awarding team.

Awards: We offer three annual awards offering cash prizes and other benefits. Our Rising Researcher Award is for outstanding PhD research, our Masters Awards for an outstanding master's project and our DART-P Teaching Award. These are all highly competitive and would make a great addition to your CV. 

PsyPAG Annual Conference: We hold an annual conference each July, hosted by an institution of a committee member. Our 2015 conference at University of Glasgow, celebrating our 30th anniversary, was our biggest yet with over 200 delegates. We run a yearly bursary scheme for this event. 

Workshops: We offer funds for students to organise workshop events suitable for postgraduate students. Past funded workshops include MatLab, Motivational Speaking and Teaching Skills amongst many others. We have three rounds each year, with deadlines in February, June and October. 

JISC mailing list: This  e-mail list is a great resource  to recruit participants, ask for statistical advice, find out about training opportunities plus job and studentship advertisements. The list offers a supportive platform for postgraduates across the UK. Subscribe at: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=psych-postgrads 

Please spread the word about PsyPAG and the support we offer. If you have any questions about PsyPAG, please contact Chair Emma Norris at [email protected], visit our website or our social media channels @PsyPAG (Twitter) and PsyPAG (Facebook).