Meet the Team • City, University of London

The Doctoral College team and contacts in our six schools are here to help you and answer any queries you may have.

Professor Chris Hull

Assistant Vice-President (City Doctoral College)

Professor Chris Hull has been at City for over 30 years and is currently Assistant Vice-President and Head of City Doctoral College.

He has spent his academic life at City involved in eyes and vision within the Department of Optometry and Visual Science where he holds a chair in optics of vision.

His research largely involves how the eye interacts with the optical image in health and disease and focuses primarily on problems at the front of the eye including corneal disease, corneal and cataract surgery.

Chris has also taught widely across the optometry programme and has a track record of PhD supervision and mentorship of colleagues. His previous roles have included head of department, Associate Dean for Research and Enterprise and Deputy Dean.

Outside City, Chris is a Fellow of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers. Beyond work, Chris can be found walking the family’s yellow Labrador, playing cricket for Pinner CC and tinkling the ivories!

doctoralcollege@city.ac.uk

Marcus Cerny

Head of Doctoral College Operations

Marcus oversees the activities of the Doctoral College and works with colleagues and services across the University in developing and implementing support for Doctoral Researchers.

Marcus also engages with colleagues from across UK Higher Education in relation to researcher support for PGR at institutional and sector level.

Marcus joined City from LSE where he was Deputy Director of the PhD Academy. Prior to this he was involved in the establishment of the SOAS Doctoral School and has worked across central services and academic departments at SOAS, UCL, Imperial College, and Roehampton.

marcus.cerny@city.ac.uk

Mariah Loukou

Deputy Head of Doctoral College Operations (Quality)

Mariah has over a decade of experience in higher education specialising in policy, governance and quality matters.

As the Deputy Head of the Doctoral College, she oversees the quality of research degrees, the student journey from registration to award, and the smooth operation of the Research Manager system.

She has previously supported Senate and led research and enterprise policies, including Intellectual Property, Spin-out Companies, Conflict of Interest, Data Management and Research Centres policies.

Mariah also holds a Master’s degree in Intelligence and International Security from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.

She is currently completing her PhD in Military & Strategic Studies and has published peer-reviewed articles with the Marine Corps University and the Journal for Military & Strategic Studies.

Dr Beth Guilding

Doctoral Researcher Training and Developing Coordinator

Beth completed her PhD in English at Goldsmiths in 2017. Throughout this and since she has developed a keen interest in student skills development and career opportunities both within and outside of higher education.

Beth has worked, and continues to occasionally work as a lecturer, a public speaker, a writer, and is a member of the International Network of Comparative Humanities, overseen by Princeton University and the University of Notre Dame.

Beth is highly experienced in helping students to increase their skill sets through finding work and extra-curricular experiences related to their studies, as well as running and coordinating skills development programmes and initiatives.

Beth’s role in the City Doctoral College brings together her experiences as both an academic and a member of university professional services, providing a strong platform upon which to assist our Doctoral Researchers to develop their research and skills interests through the Doctoral Researcher Development Programme.

Sayeda Begum

Doctoral College Officer

As the Doctoral College Officer, Sayeda manages the Doctoral College mailbox and ensures appropriate response and triaging of communications.

She works closely with Course Officers and Academic Colleagues on the record keeping and reporting for PhD student registrations on Research Manager as well as ensuring that Research Manager is running smoothly.

Sayeda completed her BA (Hons) in Politics from Queen Mary University of London in 2018. Sayeda joined City from the University of the West of Scotland where she worked closely with PGR’s and the Doctoral College as an Administrator.

She has previously worked at the University Foundation Programme for David Game College where she developed her administrative skills within the education sector. Outside of City, Sayeda works as a freelance illustrator.

City Careers

The City Careers team is available to City Doctoral Researchers who wish to improve their employability by:

Preparing or reviewing academic CVs and related job application documents
Preparing or reviewing non-academic CVs, cover letters, personal statements, etc
Career choice and planning, including the pros and cons of academic and non-academic careers, moving into a career outside academia/positioning yourself for transitioning out of academia - possible career pathways, making choices, describing transferable skills, etc
Interview skills.

If you wish to make an appointment please follow the appropriate link:

20 minute CV appointments
40 minute careers guidance appointments
Or contact our Lead Careers Consultant for Doctoral Researchers Emma Collins
In addition, find more information if you are interested in understanding psychometric testing, and what that entails.
If as part of the recruitment process, you need to take assessments, we have resources to explain the types of assessments.
The Careers Hub has a large variety of resources to support you in the above.

School Contacts

For more information about the application process for your School of Interest, or a specific query relating to your research degree, please use the contact details below: