Discover who won the Festival of Doctoral Research 2024 competitions!
One week ago, The Graduate School and SuperReps Group hosted our fifth Festival of Doctoral Research, centred around the theme 'Ideas that Shape Tomorrow.'
Over 140 postgraduate research students (PGRs) and staff gathered in Eldon Building and online to support the presenting PGRs and to see who would win prizes in our five exciting competitions.
Festival goers engaged in the opening session of the Festival.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, our PGRs had the opportunity to apply to showcase their research through various formats. They could choose to give a 15-minute presentation or participate in one of several competitions, including Poster, Five by Five, Elevator Pitch, Visualise Your Thesis, or the newly introduced Craft Your Thesis for 2024.
We were blown away by the number of entrants!
The festival, hosted by five of our fantastic PGRs, began with a welcome from the Director of the Graduate School, Dr Darren Van Laar. Our keynote speaker, Ed Stoddard, then joined us online from Italy to deliver an insightful talk on AI in research.
The day was then given over to the PGR entrants and they amazed us with their research either via presentations or through the competition entries which were pinned up around the Eldon Foyer.
Two postgraduate research students discussing a research poster.
A festival delegate viewing the Craft Your Thesis entries.
Voting for the Five by Five, Visualise Your Thesis, and Craft Your Thesis competitions took place on the same day, with festival delegates serving as judges. Meanwhile, the Poster and Elevator Pitch competitions were evaluated by two СÀ¶ÊÓƵ Professors, Professor Lincoln Geraghty and Professor Hom Dhakal.
During the final break of the day, delegates were invited to participate in our ‘Networking Your Thesis’ game. This activity involved engaging with three other PGRs from different faculties to learn about each other’s research. Online delegates were also able to join in through breakout rooms. Winners, in-person and online, were chosen at random. The networking session was complemented by chilled jazz and pop music performed by saxophonist Ken Wharton-Emms.
PGR students networking at the festival.
At the end of the day the delegates and competition entrants gathered in Eldon Foyer for cake and the announcing of the competition winners. Prizes were given out by the festival hosts, the two professors, Dr Darren Van Laar and Deputy-Vice Chancellor Professor Jeremy Howells.
Thank you to all of the attendees, hosts Kris Nolan, Ritah Namaganda, Omon Fagbamigbe, Sarah Small and Thanusha VManohor, presenters, competition entrants and University staff for making this event possible.
PGR student, Lusi Elkins, modelling her Craft Your Thesis entry, a hand knitted jumper designed to look like a newspaper article, as she came up to receive her second place prize!
Our five fantastic festival PGR student hosts.
From left to right: Omon Fagbamigbe, Sarah Small, Ritah Namaganda, Thanusha VManohor, Kris Nolan
Festival competition winners:
Poster Competition
- 1st Place - Omon Fagbamigbe
- 2nd Place - Jaina Hunt
Elevator Pitch Competition
- 1st Place - Alice Blythe
- 2nd Place - Eleanor Gillespie
Five by Five Competition
- 1st Place - Nancy Stimson
- 2nd Place - Tia Fletcher
Craft Your Thesis Competition
- 1st Place - Tia Fletcher
- 2nd Place (joint) - Atousa Moayedi
- 2nd Place (joint) - Lusi Elkins
Visualise Your Thesis
- 1st Place - Brooke Wain
- 2nd Place - Dwa Alkhalifa
Networking My Thesis
- In-Person prize draw winner - Rachael Odunmbaku
- Online prize draw winner 1 - Allison Gale
- Online prize draw winner 2 - Sudipta Shee