Representatives from 20 universities across the Midlands and Yorkshire came together in late January for the official launch of AI.RDN+, a major new initiative focused on understanding how artificial intelligence is reshaping the doctoral research environment.
Hosted at Aston University, the event convened supervisors, doctoral researchers, graduate school leaders and national sector partners for a day of lively discussion exploring the opportunities and challenges created by emerging AI tools.
Sector leaders spark vital conversations
The conference was opened by Professor Aleks Subic, Vice‑Chancellor of Aston University, and Dr Helen Turner, Director of Midlands Innovation. Thought‑provoking keynote talks followed from Clare Viney (CEO, Careers Research and Advisory Centre/Vitae) and Dr Owen Gower (Chief Executive, UKCGE) each setting out key questions for the sector as AI becomes increasingly embedded in research and educational practice. Their contributions sparked energetic table discussions on future supervisory models, research integrity, and the ongoing need to strengthen AI literacy across academic communities.
A panel discussion chaired by Helen Turner brought together Professor Tony Dodd (Aston University), Professor Richard Thomas (University of Leicester) and Professor David Amigoni (Keele University) to share institutional perspectives on policy and practice. The project was introduced by Professor Anikó Ekárt (Aston University) and Dr Hosam Al Samarraie (University of Leeds), who outlined the purpose and ambition of AI.RDN+ and the gaps in understanding the project seeks to address.
Exploring the big questions AI raises for doctoral education
Throughout the day, participants grappled with some of the most pressing issues facing doctoral education, including:
- The evolving role of doctoral supervisors when researchers increasingly turn to AI tools for support during gaps in availability.
- Research integrity, ethics and transparency, including how to attribute AI assistance appropriately and ensure ethical use becomes embedded practice.
- The need for sustained AI literacy development, not only for doctoral researchers but also supervisors, graduate school teams and senior academic leaders.
Doctoral researchers played a central role in the event, sharing openly how they are, and are not, using AI tools in their research, highlighting both the opportunities and concerns these technologies present.
A timely initiative for a sector in reflection
Reflecting on the launch, Helen Turner, Executive Director of Midlands Innovation, said:
“The discussions today underline just how clearly the sector needs initiatives like AI.RDN+. Doctoral education is evolving rapidly, and universities must work together to build shared understanding, shared language and shared solutions. The enthusiasm from across the region shows a real appetite to lead this nationally.”
The timely nature of the initiative was also emphasised by Professor Phil Mizen, Professor of Sociology at Aston University and Director of AI.RDN+:
“Doctoral researchers and supervisors are already navigating AI every day, often without clear frameworks or guidance. AI.RDN+ gives us a vital opportunity to listen, learn and build evidence that will help shape confident, ethical and future ready doctoral training.”
Strong engagement signals a shared commitment
With many unanswered questions still emerging, the event demonstrated the clear need for coordinated action across the sector. The engagement from universities across the Midlands and Yorkshire highlighted a shared recognition that the research community must collectively understand how AI is transforming doctoral practice.
AI.RDN+ will soon begin the next phase of its work, inviting partners to contribute to focus groups, interviews and in-depth case studies to build a robust evidence base on how supervisors, researchers and graduate schools are adapting to AI.
AI.RDN+ represents a significant step toward ensuring the Midlands and its partners remain at the forefront of shaping responsible, innovative and researcher centred AI adoption. As the project progresses, further updates and opportunities to participate will be shared across the network.
