The RSA represents and supports postgraduate researchers at SOAS - community and advocacy.
No elections are currently running
What is the RSA?
The Research Students’ Association (RSA) represents postgraduate research (PGR) students across SOAS.
We are a student-led organisation affiliated with SOAS Students’ Union. We represent the interests and concerns of PGR students, raise issues with the Doctoral School and university, and campaign for positive change.
The RSA also helps build a PGR community across SOAS by supporting academic, professional and social opportunities and creating spaces for research students to connect and share experiences.
Our work is shaped by the issues and priorities raised by PGR students. If something is affecting your experience of doctoral study, we want to hear from you.
Contact the RSA
If you have a question, concern or issue you would like us to raise, please get in touch.
General RSA: rsa@soas.ac.uk
President, Sophie Joseph Murray: 734614@soas.ac.uk
Vice-President, Lina Hoshina: 734921@soas.ac.uk
You can also use our anonymous suggestion box to raise a concern, suggest an issue for the RSA to work on, or leave feedback. You can remain anonymous or ask us to contact you about your submission.
What can the RSA help with?
You can come to us with concerns about any aspect of your experience as a PGR, including:
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Fees, funding and scholarships
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Registration and re-enrolment
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Progression and upgrade
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Supervision and issues with your supervisor
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Research facilities and resources
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Research training and professional development
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Issues within your department or programme
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Doctoral School policies and processes
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Equality, diversity and inclusion
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Research ethics
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Issues affecting the wider PGR community
We can listen to your concerns, help you understand your options, raise issues with the relevant university teams, and represent collective PGR concerns through the appropriate decision-making forums.
If you are unsure who to speak to about an issue, you can contact us and we can help you identify the appropriate route for support.
Who is the RSA?
The RSA is led by an elected President and Vice-President, alongside PGR department and programme representatives from across SOAS.
President: Sophie Joseph Murray
Sophie leads the RSA and represents PGR students within the Students’ Union and university. She sits on the Students’ Union Board of Trustees and the Doctoral School Management Group. The Doctoral School Management Group develops policies relating to research students, including facilities, training and funding.
Vice-President: Lina Hoshina
Lina works alongside Sophie to represent PGR students and support the work of the RSA. She sits on Senate, SOAS’s most senior academic decision-making body, which makes and approves decisions relating to the university’s academic activities and guides academic policy.
The RSA Board also includes PGR department and programme representatives, who bring feedback and concerns from their departments and programmes to the RSA.
How can I join the RSA?
The RSA Board includes PGR department and programme representatives from across SOAS.
Elections for department and programme representatives take place at the start of the academic year. Students elected as PGR representatives become members of the RSA and can contribute to the RSA’s work throughout the year.
Being a representative is an opportunity to make sure the views and experiences of PGR students in your department or programme are heard, while also contributing to wider PGR representation across SOAS.
Keep an eye out for information from SOAS Students’ Union about elections at the start of the academic year.
Where does the RSA represent PGR students?
The RSA represents PGR students at both the Students’ Union and university level.
The President sits on the Students’ Union Board of Trustees and Doctoral School Management Group, while the Vice-President sits on Senate. The RSA also works through a range of university committees and forums covering areas such as research and knowledge exchange, teaching and learning, equality, diversity and inclusion, library provision, scholarships and research ethics.
Through these structures, the RSA brings the experiences and concerns of PGR students into university decision-making.
Get involved
The RSA is here to represent you. You do not need to be a representative to get involved.
You can contact us with an issue, suggest something for us to work on, attend RSA activities, or stand for election as a PGR department or programme representative.
If it matters to PGR students, it matters to the RSA.