There is increasing concern regarding doctoral researchers’ well-being, as levels of stress and anxiety have risen markedly across doctoral education systems (Levecque et al., 2017; Pervez et al., 2020; Woolston, 2019). Structural pressures associated with publish-or-perish academic cultures (Alvarez et al., 2014), particularly under conditions of economic and political instability, further exacerbate these challenges and constitute key factors contributing to heightened stress and anxiety among doctoral researchers (Müller, 2014; Pereira, 2016). In addition to systemic performance pressures, doctoral researchers often face isolation, precarity, and uneven supervisory support, which collectively intensify emotional and academic strain (Becerra et al., 2021). Responding to these structural conditions, peer groups increasingly emerge as informal yet significant sites of support alongside formal doctoral training structures (Flores-Scott, & Nerad, 2012; McAlpine & Amundsen, 2011; Nokkala et al., 2022). Rather than treating well-being as an individual responsibility, this perspective foregrounds collective, relational, and contextual dimensions of doctoral experiences, aligning with broader debates on inclusive doctoral education and diversified academic trajectories (Doody et al., 2017; Wibisono et al., 2024). Against this backdrop, this study examines how and under what conditions peer-led communities function as relational infrastructures within contemporary doctoral systems. The study employs a qualitative phenomenological methodology based on in-depth interviews with a total of 24 researchers participating in three peer-led groups: (1) a study-oriented peer group from Turkey, (2) an informal social support “tea” group from Scotland, and (3) a peer-support group including international doctoral students from Azerbaijan. The analysis focuses on participants’ lived experiences of peer support, meaning-making processes, and perceived impacts on their academic, emotional, and relational trajectories. Preliminary findings indicate that peer-led groups provide critical spaces for epistemic safety, mutual recognition, and vulnerability, particularly for researchers navigating uncertainty, marginalisation, or transnational academic contexts. These groups function as stabilising structures that compensate for gaps in formal doctoral provision, offering emotional containment, practical knowledge exchange, and collective sense-making. Beyond academic support, participants emphasise the importance of being recognised as ‘human,’ noting that peer spaces allow for the sharing of personal life experiences alongside research-related concerns, thereby humanising the doctoral experience. The study concludes that peer-led relational ecosystems should be understood not as supplementary or informal add-ons, but as integral components of inclusive doctoral systems. Recognising and supporting such collective structures has implications for rethinking researcher well-being policies, and the future sustainability of doctoral training.

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