Postgraduate Research Festival 2023
University Graduate School Postgraduate Research Festival 2023
Read on to find out more about our 2023 Festival, including information about our keynote speakers, award winners, and how you can join us in looking back at our two-day celebration of postgraduate research!
Our Postgraduate Research Festival is the largest celebration of postgraduate research at the University of Birmingham, giving postgraduates from a range of disciplines the chance to share their work with the wider University and beyond. The Research Festival took place on the 27 and 28 of June and featured two keynote speakers, our annual Research Poster Competition and Images of Research exhibition, short talks by Postgraduate Researchers, a discussion about AI, and an Awards Ceremony.
Over the two-day festival, we welcomed not only Postgraduate Researchers to our events, but University academics and staff members, Postgraduate Taught students, Undergraduates interested in postgraduate study, and members of the public. As one attendee puts it, the best thing about the Research Festival was the ‘opportunity to hear about a range of fantastic research going on across the university!’
There are plenty of ways relive the Research Festival if you missed any of our events or wanted to take a look back at some of your favourites. You can view all of the finalists for our Research Poster Competition here, and browse our Images of Research exhibition here. Both events encourage our postgraduate community to think creatively about their work and engage with a wider audience, transforming the complexities of their research into a single image or a compelling poster.
You can catch up on the talks from our Keynote Speakers too! On Day 1, we were joined by Professor Celia Greenway and Dr Synda Obaji, and on Day 2 we were joined by Professor Janet Lord. Both talks centred around their respective career journeys and were full of plenty of hints, tips, and fascinating insights! You can also watch our two ‘PGR Talks’ sessions too, in which current PhD students talk about the impact of their research or on the skills they have developed over the course of their studies. The PGR talks are available to watch here.
The Research Festival concluded with our UGS Awards Ceremony. Here, we announced the winners of our Research Poster Competition, Images of Research, and 3 Minute Thesis People’s Choice Award, as well as the winners of the Michael O’Rourke Best Publication Award and Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision.
Congratulations to all of our winners from each of the five Colleges! We are delighted to share them with you below:
College of Arts and Law
- Research Poster Competition
- College Award (£150): Rebecca Humphreys-Lamford
- Images of Research
- Judges’ Runner-Up (£75): Clem Atkins
- 3 Minute Thesis
- Judges’ Runner-Up (£250): Katrina Jan
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
College of Social Sciences
- Research Poster Competition
- College Award (£150): Hanna Head
- Images of Research
- Judges’ Winner (£150): Sharon Smith
- 3 Minute Thesis
- People’s Choice Winner (£250): Manning Luo
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
- Research Poster Competition
- College Award (£150): David Sedlak
- Research into Sustainability Award (£100): Ben Sanders
- Images of Research
- Judges’ Runner-Up (£75): Yiwen Sun
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
- Research Poster Competition
- First Place Overall (£400): Kerys Meredew
- Third Place Overall (£200): Emma Sutton
- College Award (£150): Elizabeth Baillie
- Research in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award (£100): Pakinam Hassan
- Inclusive Research Design Award (£100): Katie Jeynes-Cupper
- Images of Research
- People’s Choice Winner (£150): Laila Nahari
- People’s Choice Runner-Up (£75): Piyali Bhattacharya
- 3 Minute Thesis
- Judges’ Winner (£500): Sarah Rockowitz
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
- Research Poster Competition
- Second Place Overall (£300): Fernanda Escobar
- College Award (£150): Heather Wood
- People’s Choice Award (£150): Samira Osman
- Images of Research
- People’s Choice Runner-Up (£75): Ian Batanda
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision