Where Doctoral Work Gets Done
Welcome to the home of empathetic doctoral training and support.
Structured writing sessions, expert guidance, and the infrastructure that takes you from overwhelmed to submitted – faster.
Where Doctoral Work Gets Done
Welcome to the home of empathetic doctoral training and support.
Structured writing sessions, expert guidance, and the infrastructure that takes you from overwhelmed to submitted – faster.
You’re Doing Something Extraordinary.
But That Doesn’t Mean You Should Be Struggling.
You’ve got this lingering feeling that you’re not cut out for the PhD, and you feel like a fraud. Everyone assumes you’re able to work out what goes where, and what to do next. But you’re carrying the weight of this thesis alone. The questions pile up. The silence between meetings gets longer. And nobody seems to notice.
You know that you need to plan, structure or write your thesis. But sitting down every day, alone, staring at the same document — it’s paralysing. It’s not that you can’t do the work. It’s that doing it in isolation makes every step feel impossible.
Everyone around you thinks you’re fine. Your family doesn’t understand why it’s taking so long. Your friends stopped asking. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re not sure you’re good enough to finish this.
Hundreds of PhD Students Working Together Every Day
What is The PhD People?
A PhD is one of the hardest things you can do, and most students do it without the support they need. Your supervisor is busy. Your department is stretched. Your friends don’t understand why you’ve been writing the same chapter for six months.
The PhD People exists to fill that gap. We’re an online doctoral support community founded in 2017 by Dr. Max Lempriere, and we’ve worked with thousands of PhD students from universities in over 40 countries. Everything we offer, from daily writing sessions to one-to-one coaching, is built around the real experience of doing a PhD. Because we’ve done it, and we know what it takes.
The PhD Common Room
Many PhD students work alone. They sit with a blank page, a growing to-do list, and nobody around who gets it. The Common Room changes that.
Every week you get twice-daily writing sessions, expert led skills workshops, office hours where you can bring any question, and a private community of 120+ doctoral researchers from universities around the world. Once a month, there’s a full-day writing retreat. You’ll write more, feel less stuck, and stop wondering if you’re the only one finding this hard. You’re not.
There’s no contract and no commitment beyond the month you’re in. Stay as long as it’s useful. Leave when you’re done.
Monday Focus Session
Try it once. Four hours of structured co-working with other PhD students, every Monday at 9am. You’ll write more in one session than you have in the last two weeks alone. No commitment. Just show up and write.
Live Skills Courses
Expert-led live courses designed around the real challenges of doing a PhD. Each one tackles a specific problem — taught live by academics who know the terrain. Not pre-recorded. Not passive.
Mock Viva
Your viva is the last thing standing between you and the title. It should not be the first time someone asks you hard questions
about your thesis. A mock viva with Professor Jeremy Wellington puts you in the chair before the real thing.
PhD Thesis Bootcamps
Write a full chapter in four days. 15,000+ words. Intensive structure, daily deadlines, and a cohort of PhD students pushing through it together. Runs quarterly.
Thesis Editing & Proofreading
A second pair of eyes before you submit. We check your thesis for clarity, consistency, grammar, and formatting so you can submit
with confidence. Used by thousands of PhD students across every discipline.
One to One Supervision
Sometimes you need someone in your corner. Book a session with Professor Jane Creaton to work through a specific chapter, talk through your structure, or get unstuck. One conversation can save you weeks.
Most People Start With A Monday Focus Session
Step 1: Book a Monday Focus Session
£14. Four hours. See what it feels like to work and writing alongside people who get it. Book your seat here.
Step 2: Experience the Structure
You’ll write more in one morning than you have in weeks. That’s not motivation. That’s what happens when you’re not doing it alone in a supportive space.
Step 3: Join the Common Room
Half of Monday Focus Session attendees join the Common Room within two weeks. When you’re ready, it’s here.
Together, We’re The PhD People
We exist to make the PhD journey less isolating and more supported — with structure, care, and calm at every step.
I started this because I saw how many doctoral students were looking to top up, supplement or replace the support they were getting from their own institutions and supervisors. And I saw how few options they had to do so.
Our team is made up of experienced supervisors, academics, coaches, and editors — all united by one mission: to help you feel more confident, more connected, and more equipped to finish strong.
— Dr. Max Lemprière, PhD, Founder (est. 2017). Over 120 active members across 40+ universities worldwide.