Meet your Candidates for the PG Elections 2026
Candidates for PGT President
Sophia Mottola - Manifesto
Owen McIlawaine- Manifesto
Clover Pyone Sansoni - Manifesto
Rayaan Amre - Manifesto
Ezra Ebner - Manifesto
Candidates for PGR President
Megan Price - Manifesto
Esther Zitterl -
“Doing a PhD is so very exciting. And it can be exceedingly, frightfully lonely. Some months, we spend more time in shrimp-esque positions at our desks than with friends and family, emerging only to hunt for an overpriced hot beverage and a sweet treat. In a world that rewards competition over connection, it's terribly easy to forget what matters.
I'm Esther, a third-year PhD student in English, and I'd love to be your PGR President. The cause closest to my heart is community. Finding your people is often sheer luck – and in a sea of undergraduates and PGTs, not everyone stumbles upon other PGRs hungry for connection. There's a ridiculous amount of untapped potential here: building on St Leonard's events at the Old Burgh School, I'd love to create spaces where historians, chemists, linguists and even the odd philosopher can share an idea, a coffee, or simply an afternoon.
Community also means having each other's backs: fair pay for PGRs who teach, clear routes when supervision gets difficult, and a PGR Rep network that's truly heard. It means recognising how different our lives look – funded or self-funded, international or home, carers, disabled researchers, part-timers, those working alongside their studies – and respecting them all. I'd like to listen and carry your voice to Senate and beyond.
Ever to Excel is an easy motto to chant, but true excellence grows best among happy, connected researchers. I'd love to help make that happen – and I'd be beyond honoured to have your vote.“