Postgraduate Research Festival 2024
University Graduate School Postgraduate Research Festival 2024
Read on to look back on our 2024 Festival, including announcing our UGS Awards winners, and ways to rewatch our key events.
The University Graduate School’s 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 18-19 June 2024, featuring annual events like the Research Poster Competition, academic keynotes, and UGS Discussions, plus a host of new workshops and exhibitions of PGT and PGR work.
In 2024, our Festival theme was Collaboration and Connection, exploring the ways in which postgraduate research can be a collaboration with external organisations, cultural institutions, communities, in interdisciplinary projects, in open research, and as colleagues and co-authors.
Over the two-day festival, we welcomed an audience of postgraduate researchers, postgraduate taught students, University academics and staff members, undergraduates interested in postgraduate study, and members of the public. Attendees could explore postgraduate work through the PGT Gallery display, Enquiring Minds exhibition, PGR Research Almanac, and the Research Poster Competition, listen to talks by distinguished academics, and network with our University community. Workshops by BEAR, Careers Network, Library Services and the Public and Cultural Engagement team also got our postgraduates thinking about their own research projects, possible collaborations, and new ambitions. As our attendees put it, the best things about the Research Festival were ‘the selection of multi-disciplinary research on display’, ‘connecting with people’, and the chance ‘to speak to many different people, especially those outside of my College’.
There are plenty of ways to catch up with 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 PGT Gallery exhibition here. Both competitions 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! We were thrilled to be joined by distinguished academics who have found success and innovation through collaboration. On Day One, we were joined by Professor Rachel O’Reilly, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Polymer Chemistry, Professor Alice Roberts, anatomist, broadcaster and Professor of Public Engagement in Science. On Day Two, you can hear from best-selling author and journalist Professor Ruth Gilligan on her collaborations with literacy trusts and charities.
You can also watch ‘Research Perspectives’, in which current early career researchers and postgraduate researchers talk about the impact of collaboration on their research, featuring projects that worked with charities, multidisciplinary academics, arts organisations, and local councils. ‘Research Perspectives’ is 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
- First Place Overall (£400): Natalia Carter
- College Award (£150): Robert Rayner
- Inclusive Research Design Award (£100): Jasmine Kular-Whittingham
- PG Community Champion Award
- PGR Community Champion (£100): Jasmine Kular-Whittingham
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
- Professor Lisa Bortolotti
College of Social Sciences
- Research Poster Competition
- College Award (£150): Iris Hong-Bich Truong
- Research in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award (£100): Unaysah Mogra
- The PGT Gallery
- Judges’ Runner-Up (£75): Aiyesha Swarnn
- People’s Choice Winner (£150): John Orimbo
- Three Minute Thesis
- Judges’ Winner (£500): Eileen Masters
- People’s Choice Winner (£250): Nabilla Che Roslan
- Enquiring Minds Exhibition
- Overall Winner (£400): Claire Bracegirdle
- PG Community Champion Award
- PGT Community Champion (£100): Aiyesha Swarnn
- 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): Phatharaphong Yensri
- Collaborative Research Award (£100): Charity Nankunda
- Research into Sustainability Award (£100): Yuqi Zhang
- Three Minute Thesis
- Judges’ Runner-Up (£250): Kanaeshvarr Devanand
- Judges’ Runner-Up (£250): Natalie Williams
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
- Professor Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
- Research Poster Competition
- Third Place Overall (£200): Archie Belfield
- College Award (£150): Shilpa Purushotham
- People’s Choice Award (£150): Kritika Singh
- 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): Princess Jemima Nambo
- College Award (£150): Emily Alcock
- The PGT Gallery
- Judges’ Winner (£150): Varun Kataria
- People’s Choice Runner-Up (£75): Salma Youhan
- Michael K. O’Rourke Best Publication Award (£250)
- Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision
Congratulations to all of our winners, and thank you to everyone who attended the Festival.
Keep an eye on our Postgraduate Research Festival page for details of next year’s event!
