Category / Events

From Clinical Applications to Neuro-Inspired Computation

REF Subjects, Research themes

We cordially invite you to the 4th Symposium of the BU Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre: From Clinical Applications to Neuro-Inspired Computation on Friday, the 16th of January 2026, 9:30-15:00 at the Lees Lecture Theatre (Talbot Campus, Poole House -outside).

The symposium consists of a journey from clinical case studies to new, emerging experimental and computational methodologies underpinning future translational applications. It is an opportunity for informal discussions on grant proposals and to explore shared interests with our external guests from the NHS and collaborating EU universities. The provisional schedule is:

9:30. Coffee.

9:50. Welcome Address and Keynote talk: Dr Mihalis Doumas, Queen’s University Belfast.

10.45-11:00. Coffee Break and Networking.

11:00-11:50. Session I. Clinical Neuroscience.

11.50 -12.50. Lunch and Grants Discussion.

12.50-13:45. Keynote talk: Dr Andre Rupp, University of Heidelberg.

13:45-14:00 Coffee Break and Networking.

14:00-14:50. Session II. Neuro-Inspired Computation.

14:50-15:00. Concluding Remarks and Invitation to become a member of the INRC network.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ellen Seiss, eseiss@bournemouth.ac.uk or Emili Balaguer-Ballester, eb-ballester@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Thank you very much, and we are looking forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards,

Ellen and Emili, on behalf of all of us.

Join the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Wednesday 3 December 2025

Knowledge Exchange, PG research

17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference: Register now

Register now to attend the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Join us for a day of showcasing some of the excellent research taking place across BU by our postgraduate research community. This event provides a platform for our postgraduate researchers to present their research, share insights, and engage in meaningful discussions with peers, university colleagues, and external partners.

Date & Time: Wednesday 3 December, 9am-4:30pm

Location: Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

This year, the Poster Exhibition will take place in FG04 & FG06, Fusion Building, with viewings taking place in the morning and during the lunch break. Oral presentations hosted in Share Lecture Theatre in the Fusion Building.

Whether you’re a researcher, academic, colleague, or just interested in the cutting-edge work happening at BU find out more and book your place here 

The detailed programme will be available soon.

Exciting Opportunities for Early Career Researchers

Knowledge Exchange, Training

We are delighted to share upcoming events from the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (BA ECRN) Southwest & South Wales cluster. These are fantastic opportunities for networking, skill development, and engaging with key topics relevant to ECRs in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

SWSW Connect Online Community Meeting: Research Culture and Excellence Frameworks

Date & Time: Tuesday 11 November, 12-1pm

This is a monthly online meeting for ECRs in the humanities and social sciences. It is a space to network, share knowledge, and support each other across the region. November’s session will focus on how ECR research can contribute to the research culture environment and to key UK frameworks: Research Excellence (REF), Knowledge Exchange (KEF), and Teaching Excellence (TEF).

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

Reaching Out: Forming Interdisciplinary Connections

Date: Tuesday 18 November, 10am-4pm

Location: University of Exeter

This in-person workshop is for ECRs who want to work together on research projects that cross different disciplines. The goal is to teach ECRs how to find partners, start these interdisciplinary projects, and gain better insights and funding advice from experienced researchers.

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

Development Fund Workshop: The Impact of the ‘Impact Agenda’

Date & Time: Thursday 27 November, 10:30am-5:30pm

Location: The British Academy, London

This workshop will examine the effect of the ‘impact agenda’ on the professional development and career paths of ECRs in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It will bring together ECRs, senior academics, and policy actors to develop practical recommendations for improving impact training and career progression.

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

SWSW Webinar Series

The SWSW Webinar Series brings monthly knowledge and skill-based content from engaging expert speakers.

Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation

Date & Time: Thursday 4 December, 11am-12pm

Directors of the University of Exeter’s SHArD 3D Lab will present an overview of successful Knowledge Exchange initiatives. They provide specialised training, workshops, and research solutions for the heritage and emergency services sectors. The presentation highlights insights from their experience in departmental business engagement and impact leadership.

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

Research Impact Culture: AHRC and ESRC Impact Accelerator Accounts

Date & Time: Friday 5 December, 10am-12pm

This workshop introduces Impact Accelerator Accounts (IAA): research council funds provided to universities to develop a research impact culture. The session will cover the concept of research impact, examples of IAA-supported projects, and the aims of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) IAA programmes. Participants will learn about available internal IAA support and funding to help researchers translate their work into real-world impact.

Find out more and book here

Stay Connected

We encourage all Early Career Researchers to join the BA ECRN Portal and ECRN platform for continuous updates on events, funding opportunities, and other resources relevant to your career development.

Our Researcher Development Hub is now available as your dedicated space to easily find resources and development opportunities for your research career stage.

Further CMWH contributions to 2026 ICM congress

conferences, international, Women's Academic Network

Congratulations are due to BU’s Midwifery Lecturer Laura Stedman whose abstract ‘The impact of neonatal intensive care admission at term following gestational diabetes mellitus: A neglected area’ has been accepted for presentation at the 2026 ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) in Lisbon, Portugal.  Also congratulations to BU’s Lead Midwife for Education, Dr. Juliet Wood.  She been accepted to present a workshop at the ICM Congress under the heading ‘Supporting student midwife confidence to facilitate physiologic birth: A workshop for clinical and academic faculty‘.  The latter workshop is a proper international collaboration as the team also includes colleagues from Northern Ireland, the USA, Poland and Australia.

The ICM works with midwives and midwives’ associations globally to ensure that women and gender diverse people have access to a midwife’s care before, during and after childbirth. We advocate for midwives to practise the full scope of our profession, providing education, sexual and reproductive health services and newborn care.

Congratulations to both!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

BU to contribute to international midwifery workshop in 2026

Awarded & submitted bids, international, Women's Academic Network

This week Dr. Laura Iannuzzi, who is Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health, was informed by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) that the proposed workshop ‘Rest or arrest? A workshop to advance knowledge and skills to support women, families and teams when dealing with a slowing or pausing of labour’ has been accepted for the ICM conference in 2026.  This workshop in Portugal will be run in collaboration with Laura’s international colleagues Prof. Marina Weckend and Ms. Anna Maria Rossetti.  

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Researcher Development Opportunities for ECRs

Training

We are excited to introduce the new Researcher Development and Culture Team within the Doctoral College at BU

Our team – Enrica Conrotto, Beverley Allen, and Zoe Leonard support BU researchers at all career stages. We will work together to shape and deliver initiatives that strengthen researcher development and promote a positive research culture across BU.

As we are currently developing a more structured programme of support, specifically for Early Career Researchers, we are pleased to offer you immediate access to 10 core online workshops from the Researcher Development Programme

You can register for the following online workshops via Eventbrite, where you will also find an overview of each session.

Research data management: An introduction – Friday 10 October, 12-1pm

Ethics: Values, standards, and BU process Q&A – Monday 3 November, 12-1pm

Ethics: Clinical research governance – Monday 3 November, 2-3pm

Presentation skills for researchers – Friday 7 November, 10am-1pm

NVivo: Day 1 – Setting up your qualitative database – Thursday 13 November, 9am-5pm

NVivo: Day 2 – Analysing your data – Friday 14 November, 9am-5pm

Publishing your research: Mastering journal paper writing (SSH) – Wednesday 19 November, 2-4pm

Publishing your research: Mastering journal paper writing (STEM) – Thursday 27 November, 10am-12pm

Academic writing: Reduce anxiety – Friday 5 December, 10am-1pm

Integrating GenAI in our Research: A practical guide – Monday 17 November, 10am-12pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional opportunities are available via the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network is an inclusive, researcher-led membership body accessible to all UK-based early career researchers working in the humanities and social sciences.

Finding your Voice – Stream 2 Advancement – Wednesday 8 October, 10:30am-4:30pm

Early Career Researcher Network Welcome Session and Development Fund Drop In – Thursday 9 October, 11am-12:30pm

Mastering CV and Cover Letters for International Scholars in the UK – Friday 10 October, 10am-12pm

Being Strategic & Prioritising Your Time – Stream 2 Advancement – Wednesday 15 October, 9:30am-12:30pm

Empirical Research – Coding and Analysing interview data with Dr James Lovelock – Wednesday 15 October, 3-4:30pm

Curating Conversations: Setbacks, support and success – Thursday 16 October, 10am-4pm

Compass 1: Reframing Research Identity – Thursday 16 October, register to access

Finding your Voice – Stream 2 Advancement – Thursday 16 October, 10am-4pm

Compass 2: Pathways Beyond Academia -Thursday 6 November, register to access

Conference: Company Law and Sustainability – Friday 7 November, register to access

Compass 3: Strategic Action Planning – Thursday 27 November, register to access

Other useful resources for ECRs are available on the Elsevier Research Academy. The Elsevier Researcher Academy is a free e-learning platform designed to unlock the potential of early and mid-career researchers.

Finally, we are pleased to invite you to our 3C event, taking place on Talbot Campus, Wednesday 12 November 3-4pm

These regular social events provide an informal forum to connect with fellow researchers, exchange ideas, and develop new collaborations over refreshments. All members of the BU research community are invited to attend and contribute.

Find out more and register here

Please keep a look out for further announcements regarding the Early Career Researcher Network.

Should you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to discuss your development needs, please contact the team: researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Events to celebrate National Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025

PG research

National Postdoc Appreciation Week is just around the corner, taking place 15-19 September 2025

UK National Postdoc Appreciation Week (UKNPAW) is an annual nationwide event celebrating the vital contributions postdocs make to research and academic life.

This year, from Monday 15 September to Friday 19 September 2025, events will take place to connect and support researchers. To celebrate, you can attend a special online flagship event: “From surviving to thriving: planning your future” designed to help you take control of your career path. Join to explore self-leadership and hear from those who have successfully navigated their own professional journeys.

The event will feature a screening of “Postdoc: The Musical,” an entertaining musical celebrating the lives and achievements of postdocs. Following the film, Dr Chris Russell will deliver a masterclass on resilience and self-leadership in an uncertain world. The event will conclude with a discussion featuring a diverse panel of academics who will share their career journeys and offer tips on navigating professional uncertainties.

Event Details:

  • Date: Monday 15 September 2025
  • Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
  • Register here

For more information and to catch up on past events, visit the UKNPAW website

Free event on Solutions to Inequalities in Dementia Diagnosis and Care

Dr Catherine Talbot is hosting the upcoming EquaDem Quarterly Network Event on the afternoon of 3rd September at Bournemouth Gateway Building. This free, in-person event brings together researchers, students, health and social care professionals, third-sector workers, and people with lived experience to explore how we can collectively reduce inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care.

The event will feature short presentations from Dr Gladys Yinusa, who will discuss how nutritional care can be tailored to support people with dementia and carers; Sue Warr from PramaLife, who will highlight the charity’s work delivering dementia awareness training and running local support groups; and, a public advisor researcher from the EquaDem Network, who will provide an update on their ongoing work.
Attendees will also take part in networking activities designed to spark discussion about solutions to address dementia inequalities.
Register your attendance for free here: Equadem Quarterly Network Event Bournemouth Tickets, Wednesday 3 September 2025 at 12:30 PM | Eventbrite

AI and Academic Identities: Navigating the Future

The RKEDF is excited to announce this ECRN seed funded event:

AI and Academic Identities: Navigating the Future
📅 Thursday, 18th July 2025
🕚 11:00 AM – 3:15 PM
📍 FG06, Fusion Building, Bournemouth University

This interdisciplinary workshop explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping academic identity, challenging traditional roles in research, teaching, authorship, and professional development. Join us to reflect on what it means to be an academic in the age of AI and how to navigate these shifts with clarity and confidence.

Workshop aims:

  • Examine how AI is influencing the academic profession and the nature of scholarly work
  • Share cross-disciplinary perspectives and with me or Samreen experiences
  • Encourage open dialogue around ethical, practical, and professional implications
  • Consider how universities can support identity development in a tech-driven landscape

Click here for more information and to register your place.

(Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis)

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with mconsonirubio@bournemouth.ac.uk  or sashraf@bournemouth.ac.uk

PramaLife to present at the at Community Voices Webinar Wednesday 9 July, 12-1pm

We’re excited to welcome Sue Warr, Manager at PramaLife, to our July Community Voices Webinar. Sue will be sharing insights into the impactful work PramaLife is doing to empower independent lives for older people across Dorset.

For over 40 years, PramaLife has been providing care services throughout Dorset. Their vision is a world where no one is unfairly disadvantaged or excluded due to age or infirmity and where everyone can enjoy life as they age. Learn more about their mission at prama.org.uk.
Community voices is a collaboration between BU PIER partnership and Centre for Seldom Heard Voices to provide a platform and a voice to local community activists.
Please do join us for this webinar
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 358 121 945 336
Passcode: h6uD9oU3

Successful BU RSA away day!

On Thursday 19th June, Bournemouth University hosted a Research Staff Association (RSA) away day dedicated to supporting research staff across faculties. The event, themed Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Careers, brought together a small but engaged group of around 10 research staff members from across the university. While modest in size, the group dynamic created a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that encouraged open discussion, shared experiences, and deep reflection.

The away day was organised by RSA Rep Dr. Gladys Yinusa (FHSS), with support from RSA Reps Dr. Pooja Shah (FHSS) and Dr. Michael Adjeisah. The agenda focused on practical tools and insights to support early- and mid-career researchers in navigating the complexities of academic funding and career development.

We kicked off the day with a hands-on workshop delivered by BU’s Research Development and Support (RDS) team. This session, Getting Started with Grant Applications, demystified the process of identifying funding opportunities, understanding funder expectations, and developing strong proposals. The RDS team’s practical advice was especially useful for those of us who are still finding our footing in the world of grant writing, and the interactive format gave everyone the chance to ask questions relevant to their own projects.

The second session featured a case study presentation by Dr Michelle Heward from FST. Michelle shared her personal journey navigating funding applications, reflecting on both challenges and successes. Her talk, Experience with Funding Applications: Lessons Learned and Building on Small Pots of Funds, offered a candid look at the realities of funding in academia. She highlighted how starting small—such as with pilot grants or internal funding—can build the credibility and track record needed to apply for larger awards. Michelle’s honesty and encouragement were appreciated by all, and her story resonated with many of the early-career researchers in the room.

Beyond the sessions, the away day sparked rich conversations about the broader research culture at BU. A recurring theme was the sense of isolation often experienced by research staff—working on fixed-term contracts, across departments, and sometimes with limited opportunities to connect with peers. We discussed the need for more visible and accessible research communities within the university and brainstormed ways to build a greater sense of belonging.

There was also discussion around the design of future training opportunities—both inclusive of and separate from the doctoral college—to ensure relevance and usefulness for all research career stages. Participants expressed interest in more tailored sessions that reflect the diverse needs and experiences of researchers across faculties.

The away day was a valuable reminder of the importance of coming together as a research community. It gave us space to share knowledge, learn from each other, and feel seen in roles that are often overlooked. We’re looking forward to building on the momentum from this event to strengthen networks, advocate for researcher needs, and continue creating opportunities for meaningful connection and career development.

Dr Pooja Shah,

Postdoctoral researcher

TANGERINE Project (nuTritional heAlth aNd aGeing in oldER ethnIc miNoritiEs)

World Drowning Prevention Day at BU

international, PG research, Publishing, writing

Next month on July 25th  Bournemouth University will join in with the world-wide celebrations of World Drowning Prevention Day 2025.  The first achievement to highlight is Dr. Jill Nash interesting piece recently published in The Conversation, in which she highlights Five ways to keep teenagers safe by the water [1]. It is also worthwhile to read last year’s contribution to World Drowning Prevention Day by Jill on the dangers of being near water and the role emotions play in making safer decisions [2].

The second major piece of research related to drowning prevention at Bournemouth University is the Sonamoni Project. The Sonamoni Project is working with communities in rural Bangladesh utilizing human-centered design (HCD) techniques.  The research project is identifying solutions to reduce the number of drowning deaths in newly mobile children (6-24 months), developing prototype, and assessing the acceptability and usability of potential  interventions. Sonamoni is coordinated by Bournemouth University in collaboration with the University of the West of England (Bristol), the University of Southampton, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Design Without Border (DWB) in Uganda and Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB). The interdisciplinary team at Bournemouth University covers three faculties and six academics: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.

This international project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme, also includes a BU-based PhD student, Mr. Md. Shafkat Hossein.  He recently published the first article related to drowning prevention in Nepal [3].

References:

  1. Nash, J. (2025) Five ways to keep teenagers safe by the water, The Conversation June 20th.
  2. Nash, J. (2024) Why so many people drown at the water’s edge The Conversation July 25th.
  3. Hossain, M. S., Pant, P. R., van Teijlingen, E., Sedain, B., & Rahman, A. (2024). Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 11(4): 83–87.