Neurodivergence, Neurodiversity, and Research Training: Rethinking Graduate Education

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Introduction

Research training is full of unwritten rules - about how to think, write, collaborate, and even how to “be” a researcher. While research on neurodiversity in higher education is growing, higher degree education has often been left out of the conversation. When the topic does appear, it is often framed as a challenge to be “overcome” rather than as a sign of innovation and strength. With increasing numbers of neurodivergent candidates alongside growing policy commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education, this special issue provides a timely response to that gap by asking: what happens when we look at graduate research education through a neurodiversity lens? 

The aim of this collection is to bring together research that foregrounds the strengths, innovations, and knowledge-making practices neurodivergent scholars bring to research communities. Contributions can include lived experiences of neurodivergent graduate researchers, supervisors, and examiners, alongside inclusive supervision, mentoring, and peer support, as well as the structural, cultural, and disciplinary conditions that shape participation. Several papers engage directly with policy and governance, epistemic justice, and disclosure practices, highlighting how institutional frameworks can enable or constrain belonging and success in graduate research programs. 

As technology is transforming how research is done, it creates new opportunities for participation. Therefore, other contributions can also include an exploration of under-examined areas such as the role of AI and assistive technologies, and the possibilities of re-imagined doctoral models that allow for greater flexibility in pacing, communication, and collaboration. These papers attend to both the opportunities and the risks of technological change, emphasising the importance of aligning tools with inclusive pedagogical and ethical principles. 

A key feature of this special issue is its attention to emotional as well as structural dimensions of graduate research work. Doctoral education is not only a technical training process but also an intensely relational and affective experience, shaped by power, identity, expectations, and uncertainty. By connecting lived experience with policy analysis and disciplinary cultures, the contributions illuminate how everyday practices of supervision, assessment, and professional socialisation can reproduce exclusion, but also how they can be redesigned to foster participation and wellbeing. 

Importantly, this collection actively encourages and centres neurodivergent authors, reflecting a commitment to participatory and inclusive research practices. By doing so, it models the kind of research culture it seeks to promote – one that understands inclusion as a driver of innovation, not an afterthought. The societal relevance of this work extends beyond academia, contributing to broader discussions about workplace inclusion and the value of diverse ways of thinking in knowledge-based professions. Together, the papers in this special issue document the current state of play while pointing toward more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable futures for graduate research training. By rethinking graduate education through a neurodiversity lens, this collection invites institutions, supervisors, and researchers to reconsider what doctoral education can be – and who it is for.

List of Topic Areas

1. Lived experiences of neurodivergent graduate researchers, supervisors, and examiners.
2. Structural, cultural, and disciplinary conditions shaping participation.
3. Inclusive supervision, mentoring, and peer/community support.
4. Policy, governance, epistemic justice, and disclosure practices.
5. Tools, technologies, and reimagined models for neurodivergent-friendly graduate education.

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sgpe 
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/sgpe 
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Closing date for abstract submission: 30/04/2026 
Email for abstract submissions: [email protected] 

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 01/03/2026 Closing date for manuscripts submission: 30/09/2026