PhD at an "unknown" uni

[phd123]

How much does the ranking/standing of a university matter at PhD level? I've spotted a project that I'm really interested in but it's at a low-ranked uni that's not really known for my (STEM) subject. They seem to have recruited lecturers in this area only in the last year or so (and the subject is not taught at undergrad level as a degree, only as a part of other courses). I'm also applying for projects at more established universities but the actual projects excite me less. I'm just worried that a PhD from a less well-known uni would reduce my chances of getting a postdoc position afterwards.

[parietal]

Hmm, hard to say

Pros of Unknown Uni - what should matter is your supervisor & the papers you produce, not the name of the uni. Better to be a big-fish in a small pond etc And if your supervisor is good & has a good network that you can tap into, you should be OK. if the uni has recently started recruiting in this area, maybe they want to support it & grow the field?

Cons - a big name uni probably has more networking opportunities & connections. Also probably better admin to support research & phds - if Unknown Uni is dominated by teaching, it may not have good admin in place for researchers.

[titchy]

Who's the funder? Small charity - might be a one-off stroke of luck they landed it. Or Rc?

[poetryandwine]

Agree with a PP that it is hard to say. A good example is the field of cybersecurity: everyone recognises its importance, loads of doctoral projects in the area, and the fact that there are relatively few UG degrees Ifobviously doesn’t diminish it.

Obviously there are less well grounded examples also and that is where you might run into trouble. You will likely be tapping into your doctoral supervisor’s networks for your first postdoctoral placement (if all goes well) so it might be a good idea to read the CVs of the relevant lecturers to get a sense of the possibilities. Do they participate on multi-centre grants? Have collaborators who seem able to hire post docs of your nationality? Etc

If the new lecturers are not research focussed, the project is less likely to be of interest to others in the field and finding the employment you may be hoping for will likely be more difficult. If the new hires are prime catches this could be a great opportunity.

[bigkidsdidit]

Hmm. I would be very cautious. Depends on what type of STEM. A lot of science depends on teams, on large pieces of expensive equipment, on a critical mass of good people. If you would be the only person working on something in a department it will be hard.

Agree look at the new recruits. Are they researchers or teacher lecturers who may just have got a PhD?

[phd123]

Thanks for all your very helful replies. It does seem like the uni is trying to expand in this general area. I came across a more recent job advert looking for another lecturer in the broad area which seemed research focused and described the uni's plans to grow its expertise in both teaching and research.

The two new recruits who would be supervising the project (along with a longer-serving lecturer from another school) have quite different profiles. One has a more practical, industry-based focus that I typically associate with this uni. They have done research but their most recent post before this I would imagine to have been largely teaching. The other seems to have a much more research-focused background, including a previous lecturing post at a uni well-known for it's research in my area of interest. I can't tell whether either has previously completed succesful PhD supervisions, although the supervisor from the other school definitely has.

In terms of funding, it's competition funded. The school is actually advertising a huge number of projects, most of them in areas that I traditionally associate with this uni but a few related to the topic that I am interested in. I have no idea how many of these will eventually get funded.

I'm less concerned about the equipment side of things, the only thing I would potentially need is computing related and this is one of the uni's areas of strength.

[LaChanticleer]

Hmmm, in the humanities, I wouldn't recommend this. The best candidates tend to go to the research-intensive universities. And I've noticed the quality difference at conferences and in selecting & interviewing people (although I'm sure there's confirmation bias in there ...)

It may be different in STEMM, but check out the supervisors' research networks, would be my very strong advice.

If it's a competition-funded PhD (UKRI or charity funding), then would you be a shortlisted contender at a research-intensive university?

[goingpearshaped]

I would also look at the PhD community, that matters a lot! One smaller uni really had no PhD community which students found hard. My current uni has a great one with doctoral level support all round (courses, peer support, a real community).

[Tonsiltrouble]

Chem Eng at Southampton?