Get Involved
Training and volunteering opportunities
Get in touch about volunteering, training and ways to support our research.
Volunteering: as part of our mission to connect research and practice we welcome people getting in touch with us who may want to volunteer to support our work. We particularly welcome interest from: Practitioners and professionals wanting to use our methods and resources in practice and / or exploring collaboration with us on research and evaluation Parents and families of autistic children, young people and adults seeking to contribute expertise and experiences to shaping and informing research and resources Students wishing to build their research experiences by volunteering as a research assistant Postdoctoral researchers continuing to develop their careers through research and knowledge exchange
Training: ACoRNS provides training and input for schools, colleges and other organisations, as well as on taught programmes within universities nationally and internationally. Examples include local authorities, specialist teams (e.g. speech and language, looked-after children), INSET days, school-based conferences and workshops, and contributions to taught programmes for social workers and trainee teachers. We are also happy to discuss options for providing training or input with your team or setting on any of the work we do, including the use of creative methods for enabling the voices of children and young people and supporting research-informed approaches within practice.
PhD opportunities - FAQs
We have included answers to the most frequently asked questions about PhD supervision below. We feel privileged to work with outstanding Doctoral students as part of our job and places to work with us are highly competitive. This information is intended to support interested Doctoral students in putting together a strong application. Before you contact us, please read carefully and consider the following points:
Are you currently accepting new Doctoral students? We are always open to conversations with potential students, though our capacity to take on new students may change throughout the year depending on several factors including other work commitments, so it is always best to check first.
Do you accept neurodivergent students or students with other access or support needs? Of course. We are proud to offer an inclusive and respectful environment that strongly supports the strengths of lived experiences. There is good support available too from the University of Southampton. Many members of our research group are neurodivergent and / or experience other chronic or disabling conditions. We encourage you to disclose any diagnoses or support needs in your application so that we can discuss these with you early on.
Do you accept neurodivergent students or students with other access or I want to study for a PhD with you specifically. What should I do? You need to be sure that your research interests align with our skills and expertise. Our ACoRNS webpages give you a good overview of what we do, how we do it and what we are interested in (see Research Themes). If your topic does not closely align with these themes then you are very unlikely to be successful with an application and we would encourage you to search for a potential supervisor who is better placed to support you. You should also look at our recent publications to see how your proposed topic can build on our existing work. We will expect you to draw on our work in your research proposal and be explicit about the connections you want to make with our ideas, methods, and approaches.
Do you have any funding available for PhD students? No, we do not hold any funding directly, but we often do support students to apply for available funding if we think their applications are strong. Funding options are highly competitive and differ depending on whether you are a UK-based, EU or international student so you should aim to find out what options may be available for you. The University of Southampton funds some specific Doctoral studentships and bursaries and so you can keep an eye out for those. You can also check with the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership (SCDTP) and the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships Programme for Interdisciplinary Resilience Studies (PIRS) for more information.
What should I work on? To apply for a PhD, you will first need to discuss your research ideas with us and, if we have capacity and think your application may have promise, we will encourage you to make an application. Please check that you meet the required entry criteria and know how you would want to fund your studies. Please note that any applications submitted to us without first contacting us are very unlikely to be successful. We will only seriously consider enquiries from potential applicants if you are clear how your work aligns with our ACoRNS core mission and interests. If you simply contact us with your CV and ask us what topic you should research, you will not be successful.
What should I include in my email to you? Please include an overview of your proposed research topic and explain why and how ACoRNS would be a good fit for you. It is also helpful to know what other expertise you may bring, both professionally and personally. It is useful if you can demonstrate that you can conduct research, so please provide an indication of this which may include any projects, papers or reports you have worked on. Please also mention that you have read these FAQs!
How do I apply? You will need to make a formal application to the University of Southampton which will include a research proposal, application form with personal statement, undergraduate and postgraduate degree transcripts, and letters of recommendation. We consider applicants applying to Education and Psychology. You will need to be clear in your application that you have discussed your topic with Professor Parsons (if applying to Education) and / or Professor Kovshoff (if applying to Psychology) and that you want us to supervise your research. We can only make a decision once we see a full application. This will be forwarded to us by the Graduate School team. We will review your application and, if we think there is promise, invite you for an interview (which can be online or in person). You will be contacted by the Graduate School team after the interview with the outcome, which will either be a conditional or unconditional offer to study or a rejection (with an explanation).
What do you expect of me if I come to ACoRN@Southampton? We have internationally recognised expertise in participatory and creative methods and approaches in neurodiversity research. Our vibrant ACoRNS research culture is supported by term-time, weekly online meetings for our students, staff, Visiting Fellows, and volunteers. We will expect you to attend these meetings and be an active participant in our inclusive, inspiring and collaborative research environment that includes opportunities for:
- Presenting research ideas, progress and findings
- Hearing and learning from invited internal and external speakers
- Taking part in ‘journal club’ discussions around a published paper or related news story
- Developing research and leadership skills including writing for publication, managing ethical dilemmas, chairing meetings, and peer / mentorship support
- Sharing triumphs as well as challenges in a supportive and collegial environment
- Contributing to taught programmes to improve your academic skills and career development
- Leading or contributing to key ACoRNS activities including promotional materials, social media and websites
We will expect you to take up these and other learning opportunities, engage with mutual peer support and be an excellent ambassador for ACoRNS within and beyond the University. This will include attending conferences and seminars to present your work, and collaboratively publishing research papers with us. In addition to weekly ACoRNS research group meetings, we will expect you attend regular individual supervision meetings which are likely to be held every 2-3 weeks (approximately).
Is it possible to join the ACoRNS research group as a visiting researcher? Yes, this is possible if your research interests and experience complement what we do in ACoRNS. We generally do not have funding to support this and so you should know how you intend to fund any in-person visit. Please get in touch with us (see below) to discuss your ideas.
Do you have any postdoctoral positions available? Sometimes we may have postdoctoral positions available. When we do, we will advertise them online. There are also opportunities to apply for externally funded postdoctoral Fellowships (see for example the SCDTP) and we welcome conversations with potential applicants.
If you'd like to discuss supervision or collaboration opportunities informally, please email Sarah Parsons or Hanna Kovshoff:
Professor Sarah Parsons: [email protected]
Professor Hanna Kovshoff: [email protected]