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Postgraduate Research Summer Social – 2 weeks to go!

PG research

2 weeks to go till the Postgraduate Research Summer Social. We’re so excited to welcome you to the Branksome Dene Room for an afternoon of patio games, delicious food and sunshine by the beach! 

We’ve booked this stunning location for the exclusive use of PGRs and Supervisors for the afternoon to unwind and reconnect up with your fellow researchers and academics.

The Doctoral College PGR events at Branksome Dene Room are always a hit so we hope you can join us!

We are pleased to offer a Greek style lunch menu including a pita with your choice of filling (chicken souvlaki, vegetarian or vegan) served with chips, a salad bar, teas, coffees and soft drinks! You are also welcome to bring your own refreshments to enjoy.

Register here

Ticket: £5

Please note there are limited spaces available, so please book as soon as possible if you would like to attend. 

If you have any questions, please do get in touch: pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

LinkedIn: Doctoral College – Bournemouth University

X: @BUDocCollege | #BUDoctoralCollege

RKEDF June Digest – development opportunities

Training


Book now for RKEDF training in June 2025 

Click on the titles to find further details and book your place 

RKEDF: Principal Investigation – Post Award for RKE 

Wednesday 4th June 13:00-14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus 

This session is aimed at any researcher who is, who plans to be, a Principal Investigator for an externally funded research or knowledge exchange project. By the end of the session, attendees will have a strong foundation of what to expect when being responsible for their awarded projects. Topics covered include:   

  • What is post award? • Roles and responsibilities • Systems
  • Key policies • Starting your awarded project • Making changes to your project and reporting • Hints and tips

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact 

Wednesday 11th June 09:00-13:30 – online 

Are you preparing an impact case study for REF 2029? Do you need expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches decision makers? If so, this online workshop is perfect for you.  Carys Davis, a public affairs and policy consultant from The Other Place Public Affairs Ltd., will lead this workshop. RDS’s Impact Team will be present to offer support and guidance.  Gain valuable insights and practical tips to effectively engage with policy makers and highlight your research. 

This workshop is primarily aimed at researchers working on impact case studies for REF 2029, who will be given priority for registration. If you’re unsure whether this is suitable for you, please consult your UOA impact champion.  This workshop will be held online via Zoom. The link will be sent out closer to the date. 

BRIAN drop in surgery 

Tuesday 17th June 13:00-15:00 – in person, BG-315, Lansdowne Campus 

This is an in person, 2 hour drop in surgery for questions or issues relating to BRIAN.  No question is a stupid question so pop in and ask.  No booking required. 

RSA: Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Your Career 

Thursday 19th June – 10:00 – 14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus 

This in-person event will take place over lunch and is dedicated to providing support, inspiration, and encouraging meaningful connections among research staff across all faculties.  There will be expert advice on getting started and securing funding, along with practical tips from peers who will share case study examples of successful grants and lessons learned. By the end of the session, you’ll have valuable tools to navigate funding opportunities and plan your next steps—whether in academia or beyond. It is also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and be part of a supportive research community.  Open to all BU research staff, no matter where you are in your research journey. 

Getting your REF impact case study off the ground 

Thursday 26th June – 09:30 – 12:30, in person, Tabot Campus 

This practical workshop gives you the opportunity to plan your impact case study. Starting this process early can help to gain much-needed clarity, both about your impact project(s) and about expectations for the final product for REF2029. In this workshop, Bella Reichard will guide you through creating (1) a narrative arc for your impact case study, and (2) an action plan to progress and evidence your impacts.   

This workshop is for anyone who is considering preparing an impact case study for submission to REF2029. You may have submitted drafts to internal REF mock exercises in 2023 or 2024. You may be new to the process, in which case please let your relevant BU Impact Champion know that you’re interested in preparing a case study.  This workshop is not limited to a single person per potential case study. If several academics are collaborating on a project it can be very useful to attend together. 

Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit 

Do you want to refresh your researcher skills? Have a look at the Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit (on demand online modules).  Further information on how to access Epigeum courses can be found here.
 

Links for further RKE information and support are below: 

RKE SharePoint page: RKE – Home 

RKEDF SharePoint for development opportunities: Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework RKEDF – Home 

RKEDF Brightspace: Homepage – Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework  

Please help us in avoiding any waste of resources; make sure you can attend or cancel your booking prior to the session. For any further information, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk   

RSA: Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Your Career

Join the BU Research Staff Association (RSA) for the 2025 Away Day on Thursday 19th June, Talbot Campus 10:00 – 14:30

This in-person event will take place over lunch and is dedicated to providing support, inspiration, and encouraging meaningful connections among research staff across all faculties.

There will be expert advice on getting started and securing funding, along with practical tips from peers who will share case study examples of successful grants and lessons learned. By the end of the session, you’ll have valuable tools to navigate funding opportunities and plan your next steps—whether in academia or beyond. It is also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and be part of a supportive research community.

Open to all BU ‘research only’ staff, no matter where you are in your research journey.

For further information on this event please contact Pooja Shah shahp@bournemouth.ac.uk or Gladys Yinusa, yinusagg@bournemouth.ac.uk

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

Research process seminar. 3rd June on Zoom. Thinking about epistemology – where do we start as researchers and how to make that word more exciting than it sounds?

You are warmly welcomed to this week’s research process seminar.

Thinking about epistemology – where do we start as researchers and how to make that word more exciting than it sounds?

When we approach research, do we have an overarching structure of objectives that keeps us on topic and helps us to keep our work focused and efficient ? Instinctively, we know what we are trying to do, but so often there will be forks or bumps in the road, and some wider structural architecture is useful to help us negotiate those. We have a number of traditional choices as researchers, and while these are well suited to some types of research, they are lacking for some others. So this talk suggests a pragmatic option for media research, and one that adds value and the dimension of explanation for our work.

About the speaker:

Professor Richard Thomas is the Head of the School of Culture and Communication at Swansea University. In this role, he oversees the operations of the subject areas of English Literature, Applied Linguistics, Modern Languages, Welsh, History, Classics and Media. His research concerns the quantifying and qualifying of the trends and patterns in the coverage of economics, business, finance, politics and conflict by a range of news outlets ranging from TV and radio to online blogging and social media. He is the co-author of “Reporting Elections: Rethinking the Logic of Campaign Coverage” and has published many other journal articles and book chapters. He was the CO-Investigator in a joint Cardiff University/Swansea University project examining Alternative Political Online News. He has also been engaged in other research commissioned by and working with, media regulators. He is the Global Chair of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree Advisory Board, working with journalists from across the world.

Tuesday 3rd June at 2pm

Please register in advance here: https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/AjyvCtXkS2q5XClHiqBMOQ

And if you cannot make it but want the recording then please register.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/82472410837?pwd=Q2jFktKc9a80cka4ytnQ5QQEA8fzaz.1

Meeting ID: 824 7241 0837
Passcode: 8a7?!k5R

New systematic review published by PhD student

PG research, Publishing

PhD student Barbara Pope, supervised by Dr Leslie Gelling, Dr Chantel Cox and Dr Sharon Holland, has published a new systematic review in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. This review seeks to explore current evidence on the experiences of spouses when their partner with dementia moves into a care home. Analysis of the eight research studies included in this review identified three broad themes: (a) loss of a shared life, (b) visiting their partner in a care home and (c) grief, depression and ‘unable to move on’. The full paper can be viewed HERE. For more information about the review, please contact Barbara (bpope@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Enterprise and Innovation sessions for BU researchers

PG research

We are pleased to announce that Matt Desmier [Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Manager] will deliver two insightful sessions on Enterprise and Innovation. While these sessions have been specially arranged for the PGR community, all BU researchers are warmly invited to attend.

Communicating with Business and Personal Branding – REGISTER HERE

Tuesday 10 June 9.30-11.30 (Create LT, Fusion Building)

Whether you are planning an academic career, or a career in industry, you will be interacting with businesses and third sector organisations regularly. To do this successfully, it is vitally important to be able to communicate effectively and to build a personal brand. This session will teach you the crucial steps you need to communicate successfully with business: how to understand what their motivations are and align yours with theirs; recognise how you can add value; and know what language to use and when.

Alongside this, it’s vitally important to build credibility and relationships with business, to be visible in the spaces where they are. Predominately this means – but is by no way limited to – having an active presence on LinkedIn. Whilst the algorithm that powers this platform remains a closely guarded secret, this session will show you tried and tested ways to ensure it works in your favour and to create your personal brand.

Developing a Business Idea and Pitching – REGISTER HERE

Wednesday 11 June 9.30-11.30 (Create LT, Fusion Building)

The goal of the most of your interactions with industry will be to get them to do something for you. Whether that’s engage with your research, fund your new product idea, buy some of your consultancy or drop by to speak to your students.  Each ‘ask’ is a pitch and this needs careful crafting to get a positive response. Understanding how and when to pitch is a skill in and of itself. Thankfully it’s not as scary as it sounds. This session will give you the skills you need to pitch successfully.

To enable you to develop a business idea we’ll deliver training based on the two recognised frameworks: the Business Model Canvas and the Innovation Canvas. Both frameworks have been designed to enable individuals and teams to describe their ideas, identify areas that need more development, and understand what value will be delivered and to whom.

 

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

Supervisory Lunchbite | ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership

PG research

ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) Information Session

Are you involved in social science research?

Would you like to supervise of PhD student?

Are you interested in collaborating with the other universities, sharing best practice, resources and academic knowledge?

Would you like to find more?

 

We are pleased to announce a ‘lunchbite’ session oriented toward academic colleagues who are interested in future calls for the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP).

This session is designed to provide more information about the SWDTP, the pathways which Bournemouth University belong to, the timelines for 2026 cohort applications, and aid supervisors with supporting potential applicants.

The SWDTP offers funding for research in eighteen different disciplinary and interdisciplinary pathways, spanning across the social sciences. BU is linked to 3 of those pathways:

To find out more, please join us at the following session:

  • Monday 2 June 2025 | 12-00 – 13:00 | Talbot Campus: Room F306

Register here

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call

Funding opportunities

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call is now open for applications. The submission deadline is 10 September 2025.

Documents and further information are available on the EU Portal.

For your convenience, here are links to specific documents:

I would like to remind you that the internal deadline for submission of ItB forms for this call is 7 July 2025 and we expect all proposals to be ready for submission at least two days before the call deadline. We strongly recommend that you submit an ItB as soon as you have decided to apply for this year’s call. Please note that any ItB forms submitted after 7 July will not be accepted.

If you have any questions related to EU funding, please feel free to contact me, Research Facilitator International Ainar Blaudums. For general pre-award or non-EU queries, kindly email the Pre-award Enquiries mailbox or get in touch with my colleagues who support applications to UK funders.

 

Free Research Event – Wednesday 11th June – A Celebration of ‘Novel Food’ Related Research

BU Research Centre CSSRC is celebrating its interdisciplinary and intersectoral research around ‘Novel Foods’ on Wednesday 11th June 2025, 3.15-5.00pm in DG06.

The Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption (CSSRC) invites you to attend its research event on Wednesday 11th June 2025 to celebrate its interdisciplinary and intersectoral research around ‘novel foods’. After a welcome refreshment this interesting, interactive and informative event will comprise of two topical presentation sessions, each led by a member of CSSRC, as outlined below. Opportunity for discussions and networking over drinks and nibbles after the talks will round off the event.

Session 1: Timing, Fatigue, and the Message: Advertising Strategies for Insect-Based Foods

Dr Guljira Manimont will present this session, introducing her research on advertising and consumer perceptions of insect-based foods. These foods are often described as the future of sustainable eating. They are packed with nutrients, environmentally friendly, and a strong alternative to traditional protein. But despite these benefits, most consumers in Western markets still say… no thanks! From an advertising perspective, this presents both a valuable opportunity and a significant challenge: how can we communicate their benefits in ways that effectively encourage consumer engagement? Her recent work investigates not only the content of advertising messages—such as health, social, or environmental benefits—but also the importance of message timing and cognitive depletion on consumer receptiveness on messages. Dr Manimont will share findings from two experimental studies in Australia and the USA, showing how message framing interacts with mental state and timing to influence responses to edible insects.

Session 2: Farm Under Water

Dr Anastasia Vayona will present this session and introduce her work around seaweed as a food. This talk will discuss her recent outreach collaboration with Avonwood Primary School during the ESRC Festival of Social Science, aimed at raising awareness of edible seaweed as a nutritious and sustainable food source. She engaged pupils in understanding its ecological importance through interactive activities, including the concept of underwater farming—integrating seaweed, fish, and shellfish to promote environmental health and food security. Pupils also had the chance to taste seaweed-based treats, creating a tangible link between marine science and everyday life. She will discuss the educational, environmental, and gastronomic dimensions of this initiative.

Provisional Timetable:

3.15-3.30pm – Welcome refreshments

3.30-4.30pm – Presentation sessions

4.30-5.00pm – Discussion, networking and refreshments

This is a free event, but you must register to attend via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-celebration-of-novel-food-related-research-tickets-1372631601069?aff=oddtdtcreator

About CSSRC

The Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption (CSSRC) aims to promote and advance the understanding of sustainable consumption and socially responsible consumption through developing and delivering internationally renowned research. It provides a hub to explore and address topics that are currently globally relevant, through utilising a strong interdisciplinary focus. Webpage: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/centre-sustainable-socially-responsible-consumption

EU Project FoodMAPP secondment to Gent University

Awarded & submitted bids, innovation, international, Knowledge Exchange

The EU Project FoodMAPP won by BU as coordinator has reached an exciting mid-point, with prototype solutions providing localised food supply transparency entering the stakeholder testing phase.

As a Staff Exchange (MSCA SE) project, the BU team led by Jeff Bray undertake 30 day secondments with our interdisciplinary industry and academic partners across Europe.

Jeff has today returned from a period of secondment to the Department of Agricultural Economics at Gent University (Belgium) to collaborate with Prof Hans De Steur and his research team. The secondment provided a rich opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange and discussion around Food Security Challenges and potential solutions across and beyond Europe. Future proposals, including the next Staff Exchange project, were scoped and progressed to continue successful and productive interdisciplinary research visits in the future.

Two new midwifery papers from CMWH

The latest issue of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest features two papers from CMWH members.

Laura SLaura Stedman reports on the global variance in screening approaches and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). She explores the impact of these differences on policy recommendations and practice. Without a universally accepted screening criterion, the variance in approaches makes accurately calculating the prevalence of GDM difficult. Untreated GDM results in women being more likely to experience pre-eclampsia, caesarean birth or stillbirth, while babies are more likely to be born prematurely, macrosomic or large for gestational age.

Also in this issue, Maryam Malekian, a MRes student in CMWH, has had her scoping review protocol published. Maryam has recently completed the review looking at knowledge and attitudes of nulliparous women regarding breastfeeding. She presented this work at the Maternal, Parental and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) Conference in April and has submitted the findings for publication.

 

Congratulations to both authors.

References:

Stedman L, Angell C, Hundley VA. Gestational diabetes mellitus: evaluating the implications of applying international research into national policy and practice. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June 2025, pp 141–147.

Malekian M, Hundley V, Irving M. A scoping review protocol of factors influencing breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among non-pregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June 2025, pp 179-182.

Policy engagement for impact sessions – last chance to book!

Knowledge Exchange, Training

We have a few places available for our policy engagement training sessions, which are now open to any researchers interested in learning how to get their research in front of decision makers.

DATES & TIMES

Friday 30th May, 9.30am-1pm, F306, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact BOOK HERE

Wednesday 11th June, 9.30am-1pm, online via Zoom
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact (same content) BOOK HERE

KEY DETAILS

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Facilitated by BU’s policy consultant Carys Davis, this provides expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches and informs decision makers. Topics covered:

  • The purpose of influencing, the role of evidence and what it means for you 
  • Writing elevator pitches and key messages 
  • Principles of communicating with policy and decision makers 
  • Effective policy writing 
  • Understanding the policymaking landscape.