Research degrees can be solitary affairs and a huge change from the group-work focus of undergraduate studies, especially for social science students. In a move to address this, two history PhD students at the University set up a completely different way for research students to interact: a History Lab.

LAB members with Dr Tristram Hunt of London University prior to his talk on his new Penguin paperback on Friedrich Engels (April 2009).

The Lab is designed to provide a stimulating forum for research students to interact, share ideas and hear from leading speakers - all over a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

"The inspiration for the New History Lab came from the idea that scientists sit around in labs and chat to each other about their work. Historians don't have that," says Malcolm Noble, who is doing comparative research into how the urban governance of Edinburgh and Birmingham developed in the early-to-mid 19th century. "It can be quite lonely, especially for research students. We thought it could be better."

The History Lab’s flexible and relaxed format has been fully supported by the School of Historical Studies and has been a big success. A wide range of speakers, including the Head of Theoretical Astrophysics, have contributed to the lab, meaning that a range of views are heard by the students, more than could be gained from their individual studies alone.

The Lab has also achieved its aim of developing a community, with students from other disciplines attending. So this innovative approach to enhancing PhD studies may be extended beyond the History Lab.

• New History Lab
• School of Historical Studies

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