26/06/2025
Over the past three months, I’ve had the privilege of being part of the Neer Peers programme at through the Social Transformation and Advocacy Through Research (STaR) project. This initiative, funded by Research England, aims to improve access and participation for global majority communities in postgraduate research.
As part of the programme, I joined a brilliant group of fellow PGRs to deliver training for undergraduate students from global majority backgrounds. Together, we created space to share resources, our journeys, and honest conversations, helping demystify postgraduate study and build confidence in their research potential.
This was especially meaningful to me, not just as a global majority researcher but as someone finalising a PhD that explores how adults bereaved by su***de can experience posttraumatic growth. My research focused on designing and evaluating a holistic, growth-orientated programme that centred on wellbeing, embodiment and meaning-making after traumatic loss. Despite growing awareness, su***de bereavement continues to receive limited attention in both academic discourse and mental health policy, particularly when it comes to perspectives from the global majority. My own identity as a global majority researcher adds an important layer to the urgency and relevance of this work.
Representation in academia isn’t just about who gets to study. It’s about whose stories, questions and communities shape the knowledge we produce. This experience reminded me why that matters so deeply.
***deBereavement
