Support for research students during the cost-of-living crisis
With the cost-of-living crisis ever present, times are especially challenging for students. It is why we have just approved uplifts in funding for 18 PhD students, which will help protect the future of sight loss research.
As PhD students do not receive salaries, they do not get pay rises or any pay for overtime.
They are assigned stipends which cover their living costs for outgoings such as rent, food and bills. They work long hours which makes it challenging to get another job to supplement their income. These factors combine to make cost-of-living increases even harder for them.
Beth Jebson, a Fight for Sight funded PhD student at UCL, says:
“The cost of living crisis is something I’ve found quite tricky, especially being based in central London. It does worry me that I still have another two years of being a student when it’s already a real struggle now.”
We cannot allow the cost-of-living crisis to derail us from our mission to stop sight loss by funding the highest-quality early research. Thanks to the commitment of supporters like you, it need not.
We can continue encouraging new and highly motivated graduates to take up and pursue careers in eye research, as well as retaining current talent – and work towards achieving our goals.
In line with many other funders, we are uplifting the stipends of all our funded PhD students who were active as of 1 October 2022.
All new students will also get these increased rates.
Professor Alison Hardcastle, who supervises an active student, says:
“This is welcome news – a huge thank you for recognising the need.”