What if the relationship between me and another PGR breaks down?
Postgraduate research can be an intense process and disagreements or misunderstandings between PGRs may arise occasionally.
If you are having problems with another PGR or any other student, it is advisable to try to address this as early as possible to avoid things escalating. If you feel able to, try to talk to them about the difficulties first and see if you can work them through.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, or if a conversation with the other PGR does not resolve the issue, you are advised and encouraged to speak to your mentor, your School or College PGR Lead, your Wellbeing Officer, or Guild Advice, who can work with you to find a solution.
You might also want to access the University Doctoral School’s advice on Working effectively with other PGRs.
What if the relationship between me and my supervisor breaks down?
Where difficulties between you and your supervisor arise, it is important to seek to address these as early as possible. You can do this by speaking to your supervisor in the first instance, if you feel comfortable doing so, or by approaching your School or College PGR Lead. If you would prefer to speak to someone external to your College or you are not sure whom best to approach, you can seek advice from the University Doctoral School team via our email address, doctoralschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk. You could also consider PGR Conciliation, which is a voluntary, informal, and confidential process which aims to help PGRs and supervisors mutually repair and resolve communication breakdowns, misunderstandings, or conflicts.
In addition to the above contacts, if you need support you can also get in touch with your School or College Wellbeing Officer(s) or contact Guild Advice.
What if I am experiencing harassment, bullying, or other inappropriate behaviour?
The University is committed to creating a working and learning environment free from harassment and discrimination in which all staff, students, and visitors to the University are treated with dignity and respect. We take all reports or harassment and bullying extremely seriously.
Report and Support at the University of Birmingham is an online tool through which you can report issues of domestic abuse, assault, hate crime, harassment, sexual violence/harassment, bullying and discrimination. If you provide your contact details, you will be offered a meeting with a specially trained Responder who will provide a tailored service outlining the support and reporting options available; otherwise, anonymous reporting is also an option via this service. Report and Support is also home to information about internal and external support.
What happens if I submit a formal complaint?
Submitting a report through Report + Support won’t initiate a formal complaint, but a trained Responder will meet with you to talk you through all your options, including the formal complaints process.
If you wish to submit a formal complaint, you can do so by completing a Concern Review form and submitting it to student-complaints@contacts.bham.ac.uk, following the process set out in the Code of Practice on Student Concerns and Complaints (Codes of Practice, Policies and Guidance). It is important that you complete the form in full, as it ensures that we have all the information needed to triage your complaint.
Once you have completed and submitted the form, the Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals team will assess your complaint for eligibility and, if it is a complaint that can be investigated under the University’s procedures, will appoint an Investigating Officer. The Investigating Officer will usually be from a different School from you and will not have had any prior involvement in the matters contained in your complaint. If your complaint is about another student, a member of the Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals team will act as Investigating Officer.
The Investigating Officer may invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint and they may need to ask you questions about the issues you have raised in your complaint. The Investigating Officer may also ask if you have any further evidence to support your complaint e.g. emails, photographs, or screenshots. If you are invited to attend a meeting, you may be accompanied by a “Friend”. A “Friend” is defined in University Regulations as a member of academic staff, a registered student of the University, or an Officer of the Guild of Students. The “Friend” should not also be a potential witness.
The Investigating Officer may then need to speak to other parties, including (if applicable) the individual you are complaining about. It might be necessary to share some of the documentation and/or evidence you have supplied with other parties, if deemed appropriate as part of the investigation. However, we will not share any confidential information about you such as information about reasonable adjustments or medical information.
If you have complained about a member of staff and the investigation finds that there is a possible case to answer, we may need to refer it to be considered under the Staff Disciplinary Procedure. If this is the case, we will explain this to you and your complaint will be referred to Human Resources. We will then take your complaint forward through the appropriate HR process. Once the matter is concluded, we will let you know and will explain your options under the Student Complaints procedure. You should bear in mind that in such cases we may not be able to give you specific details about the outcome of the HR process, for reasons of confidentiality and data protection. However, please be assured that we take all such complaints seriously and deal with them appropriately, and that we will make sure that you have all the information you need to understand your options and next steps.
You can also find more information on the Student Complaints and Appeals webpage.
I want to make a formal complaint about my supervisor, but I am worried that it will impact on me academically. Should I wait until I finish my studies before complaining?
We recognise how difficult it can be to raise a complaint about your supervisor, but we would always encourage you to raise your concerns as soon as they arise. That way, we can identify opportunities for support and explore any potential remedies quickly before the issues escalate, to minimise the impact on you. In addition, it can be difficult to investigate concerns retrospectively, when key records or individuals may no longer be available and witnesses may have a limited memory of the events in question.
You should rest assured that concerns can be raised safely and that no student will be placed at a disadvantage for raising a complaint. Formal complaints are investigated by independent members of staff who have had no previous dealings with the issues being investigated, normally someone outside of your School. If you have information that indicates that the Investigating Officer appointed might have a conflict of interest in dealing with your complaint, you should raise this with the Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals team as soon as possible and this will be taken into consideration and an alternative Investigating Officer appointed if possible, necessary, and appropriate. Please note that Investigating Officers will always be appointed from within the University of Birmingham and it will not be possible to appoint an external individual to investigate your concern. In implementing our procedures, the University follows sector advice from the Office for the Independent Adjudicator, which encompasses how to avoid Bias and the perception of bias.
As far as possible, complaints are handled confidentially, meaning that information is shared only with those who need it for the purposes of investigating or responding to the complaint, or putting in place any necessary remedy or support.
Can I complain anonymously?
It is possible to report concerns anonymously through Report and Support, although please note that this limits the action that can be taken as a result of your report. Information provided within anonymous reports will be used as statistical data to understand what is happening and to inform proactive prevention work.
If you submit a named report through Report + Support, this will be treated confidentially, meaning that the Report and Support team will not share information with any other parties without your consent, unless there is a risk of danger to yourself or others, including a concern for your immediate safety, or the information is required by law, or by a court of law.
It will not normally be possible to conduct a formal investigation into anonymous concerns, or to withhold your identity from the person you are complaining about. In order to investigate your concern, the University would need to disclose your name and a summary of the complaint to the individual you have complained about (the responding party) so that they can respond to the allegations made against them. However, prior to sharing any information with the responding party, the Investigating Officer will speak with you about the timing and extent of any information to be shared and will ensure that you are happy to proceed with the complaint on that basis. No information will be shared with a responding party upon receipt of a formal complaint, without first discussing the concern and next steps with you.
I am employed by the University as well as being a PGR student and I have a complaint. Should I submit a staff grievance or a student complaint?
Normally, if your concern relates to a matter relating to your research or your studies, you can use the student complaint procedure; if you wish to complain about a matter experienced during or as part of your employment, this would be dealt with as an employment matter.
In either instance, where possible and appropriate we recommend that you first attempt to resolve the issue locally and informally, by speaking to someone within your School or College, as set out within this page. This might be your supervisor or your line manager, in the first instance.
If you submit a formal complaint or grievance, using either the student or staff procedure, the relevant team will consider your submission and may determine that it is better handled under another procedure. In this case, you will be informed of this decision and signposted to how to proceed with raising your concern or, with your permission, your details will be passed on to the relevant team to process your complaint.
What should I do if I have an issue with my funding?
You should speak to your School or College PGR Lead in the first instance if you have any queries or concerns about your funding arrangements.
If you are concerned that your funding will be impacted while your complaint is ongoing or has been impacted by the circumstances that you wish to complain about, then you should also flag this to Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals when submitting your formal complaint. This will allow the team to explore with the relevant teams whether there are any ways to mitigate the impact on you while an investigation takes place.
I am an international student, whom should I speak to?
You can use any of the sources of support listed on this page: however, if you have any questions or concerns that relate to your visa, you can contact the International Student Team. For advice on holiday arrangements, fieldwork away from the University, or writing up your thesis overseas, see Authorised absence and impact on Student Visa for international postgraduate research students (PGR).
If you are concerned that your visa will be impacted while your complaint is ongoing or has been impacted by the circumstances that you wish to complain about, then you should also flag this to Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals when submitting your formal complaint. This will allow the team to explore with the relevant teams whether there are any ways to mitigate the impact on you while an investigation takes place.