Category / PG research

This part of the blog features news and information for postgraduate research students and supervisors

Anyone can drown. No one should!

Awarded & submitted bids, international, PG research, Publishing, writing

The first editorial of The Lancet Public Health [1] highlights a public health issue close to our work in Bangladesh, namely the risk of drowning, especially in young children.  “Anyone can drown. No one should” are the words of the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in its first Global status report on drowning prevention, published two weeks ago (Dec. 2024). According to  The Lancet Public Health this landmark report dissects the drowning burden globally, at the country level, and the trends since 2000, presents an overview of the key strategies to prevent drowning, and provides a benchmark for tracking prevention efforts in the future. Importantly, this report sheds light on a tragic, neglected, mostly preventable public health issue.

We are grateful to The Lancet Public Health for raising this important issue in 2025, since Bournemouth University (BU) is currently engaged in  research project in this field called ‘Sonamoni’.  This an interdisciplinary study is a collaboration with CIPRB (the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), the University of the West of England (in Bristol), the University of Southampton, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda.  Sonamoni aims to design and develop interventions to reduce the number of  young children drowning in Bangladesh.

This public health project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme. For more information, visit the NIHR website.

The interdisciplinary team at BU includes three faculties and six member of staff: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  We recently published the first paper ‘Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal related to this project [2].

 

References:

  1. Anonymous (2025) Anyone can drown. No one should. The Lancet Public Health, 10(1): e1
  2. 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.

Research Connect Seminar Recap: December Highlights

PG research

In this month’s Research Connect seminar, organized by the Department of Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation in the Business School, we had the pleasure of hearing two captivating research presentations. Dr. Dayle Child explored the topic “Too Much of a Good Thing? The Double-Edged Sword of Meaningful Work,” highlighting the benefits and challenges of meaningful work among sales employees. Meanwhile, Shuyu Wan, preparing for her major review, shared her PhD progress on how brand attributes and consumer ethnocentrism/xenocentrism shape Chinese skincare purchase decisions. 

The seminar was well-attended by colleagues and PGR’s and inspired engaging discussions on both topics. This was our final session for 2024. I’m truly grateful for the support and enthusiasm shown by colleagues in presenting, attending, and contributing to this seminar series. Their active participation has been instrumental in enriching our research culture across departments within the Business School. 

Our Research Connect seminars will resume in 2025, with the first session scheduled for January 22nd, 4–5 PM in F306 with an opportunity to continue our research discussion in Dylan’s afterwards. If you have any questions or would like to participate in the 2025 seminar series, feel free to reach out to me at sashraf@bournemouth.ac.uk.  

Wishing you a wonderful festive break and a happy New Year! See you in 2025. 

First publication FHSS postgraduate student Anjana Paudyal

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Anjana Paudyal, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), on the first publication from her PhD work.  Anjana’s PhD research focuses on human trafficking in Nepal.  Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery and it is a common crime aggravated by poverty, political instability, illiteracy, unemployment, as well as climate change. Despite being a global problem, modern slavery is understudied and poorly understood. Victims of modern slavery are exploited and can experience significant physical, psychological, or sexual, and reproductive health problems. Until recently, there has been little research, especially in low-income countries such as Nepal, around the need and opportunities for health promotion and education in this vulnerable group.

Her PhD fits in with Bournemouth University’s collaboration with the Unites States-based La Isla Network, the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Nepal Development Society.   Led by La Isla Network, we are leading the first-ever international effort to research and address trafficking among Nepalese labour migrants. The work is funded by a $4 million cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, International Programs.

Reference:

  1. Paudyal, A. R., Harvey, O., Teijlingen, E. van, Regmi, P. R., Sharma, C. (2024). Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72713

The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Thank You

conferences, PG research

Thank you to all of our presenters, poster exhibitors, session chairs and of course delegates who supported the 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference. It is always a highlight on the Doctoral College events calendar and we hope you all enjoyed the day.

We were thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm on the day, and we were delighted to see a strong turnout of PGRs and colleagues showing their support and helping to promote a positive research culture and community across BU.

 

Here is some of the feedback received:

“Always an uplifting and inspiring event. I highly recommend attending in any capacity – as a guest or contributor.”

“Loved the atmosphere”

“I enjoyed it all. I gained confidence in exhibiting my poster and enjoyed networking with others.”

 

If you attended, either as a presenter or delegate, we would love to hear your feedback via this anonymous feedback form.

Your feedback will help us improve future conferences so please let us know your thoughts, or just let us know what you liked most!

Feedback collection will close soon – 11 December 2024.

 

You can see some highlights of the day on LinkedIn #BUPGRConf24 and a video here.

 

Virtual Exhibition and Postgraduate Research Showcase

Did you miss the conference? Do not worry, you can visit our Virtual Exhibition on the BU website and in February you will be able to visit the Atrium Gallery to view a selection of the conference posters.

We will be holding a celebration event on Wednesday 5 February 2025, with more information to follow so watch this space!

 

The Conference Team

The Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award

PG research

The Doctoral College team have been delighted with the large number of nominations that have come in recently for the ‘Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Awards’. We wish to extend our congratulations to all recipients who have received their award certificate.

Here are some of the wonderful nominations we have received:

“Elizabeth’s support is instrumental in advertising our suite of studentships, including the ESRC SW DTP. This is critical to supporting the recruitment of high quality PGRs and increasing our PGR numbers. Thank you :)”

“Thank you, Abier, for all of your support with organisation of the 2nd HSS PGR Conference. Your support for this event has had a positive impact on the sense of PGR community and connection that we have in HSS. Thank you.”

“Tash has supported the Doctoral College with the promotion of studentships for several years. Her quick response has been invaluable in the recruitment of high quality PGRs and in turn helping to grow the PGR numbers. I know Tash has moved on to a new role so wish her luck with that! Thank you.”

Why not make someone’s day and take five minutes and nominate a PGR, academic or professional staff member for a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award to say thanks and give recognition for their hard work?

These awards recognise the outstanding contributions to postgraduate research degrees at BU by any PGR, academic or professional staff member. They can be nominated throughout the year by any member of the postgraduate research community to anyone that they feel is exceptional, has exceeded expectations, and has had a positive impact on the postgraduate research culture at BU.

Eligibility

You can nominate anyone involved in postgraduate research at Bournemouth University to receive an award certificate. There are no award criteria, as long as the submission falls within the guidelines, whoever you’ve selected will receive a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award!

How to nominate

We’ve made it really easy for you to nominate someone for a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award – it’s just a short online nomination form!

 

The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference is approaching!

conferences, PG research

Last chance to register for the 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 2024. We are so excited to welcome you on Wednesday 27 November!

This conference is a celebration of the incredible work being carried out by our postgraduate researchers, and we are proud to provide this platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration and building connections. Whether you are presenting, exhibiting, or attending, this is a wonderful opportunity to network with fellow PGRs, colleagues from across the university and external visitors.

Registrations close at 10:00 Tuesday 26 November, so don’t miss your chance to book! Lunch will be provided.

This conference is open to external participants, please share this invite with companies and organisations you are cooperating with.

Register to attend

Poster and oral presenters do not need to register as their participation has already been confirmed. 

Click here to view the conference brochure

We look forward to meeting you on Wednesday 27 November. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate research and collaboration!

Best wishes,
The PGR Conference Team

Enrica Conrotto – Doctoral College Programme Manager
Arabella Moyse – Doctoral College Marketing & Events Coordinator
Zoe Leonard – Postgraduate Research Administrator

New weight change BU paper

PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS) PhD student Eirini-Iro Arvanitidou and two FHSS colleagues Dr. Fotini Tsofliou, and Dr. Juliet Wood who published together with Ioulia Tsatsani (Stanley Centre for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, USA) the paper ‘The effectiveness of couples’ lifestyle interventions on weight change: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials‘.

Iro is a PhD student and this systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions targeting couples on weight loss, compared to interventions focused on individuals or standard care. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at couples lead to greater weight loss, though the results should be interpreted with caution due to the wide heterogeneity among the studies. The authors conclude that further research is needed with evidence-based study designs, targeting younger participants, and incorporating intervention of longer duration, and longer follow-up periods.

Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Reference:
  1. Arvanitidou, E. I., Tsofliou, F., Wood, J., & Tsatsani, I. (2024). The effectiveness of couples’ lifestyle interventions on weight change: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Nutrition and health, 2601060241291123. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060241291123

One week to go! | The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference

PG research

One week to go till the 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 2024!

The conference commences with our poster exhibition followed by a Welcome from Professor Alison Honour, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer. We look forward to hearing the Keynote ‘Research integrity in the age of AI’ from Professor Mary Davis, introduced by Professor Sarah Bate, Interim Associate Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Knowledge Exchange.

Click here to view the conference brochure

The programme of the day will be as follows:

This conference is a celebration of the incredible work being carried out by our postgraduate researchers, and we are proud to provide this platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration and building connections. Whether you are presenting, exhibiting, or attending, this is a wonderful opportunity to network with fellow PGRs, colleagues from across the university and external visitors.

Poster and oral presenters do not need to register as their participation has already been confirmed. 

This conference is open to external participants, please share this invite with companies and organisations you are cooperating with.

Register to attend

We look forward to meeting you on Wednesday 27 November. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate research and collaboration!

Best wishes,
The PGR Conference Team

Enrica Conrotto – Doctoral College Programme Manager
Arabella Moyse – Doctoral College Marketing & Events Coordinator
Zoe Leonard – Postgraduate Research Administrator

 

MSI (BUBS) Hosts Third Seminar in Monthly Research Connect Series

PG research

MSI (Department of Marketing, Strategy and Innovation) in the Business school, recently held the third seminar in its monthly Research Connect series, which provides a valuable platform for academics and PGR’s to share their research.

This month’s seminar featured two speakers. Prof. Jeff Bray presented on the EU-funded research project, FoodMAPP including several sub-projects and papers, with two articles currently under review. Our second presenter, Dr. Hande Turkoglu, who recently passed her PhD viva, shared insights on her PhD thesis titled , Behind the silence: Sexual harassment in hospitality workplaces of and her PhD journey.

The session was well-attended by PGRs and academics, concluding with a productive discussion on these topics and offering meaningful networking opportunities for all attendees. Following the seminar, we headed to Dylan’s for informal networking and continued conversations.

The final Research Connect seminar of 2024 will take place on December 11, from 4-5 p.m. in F108, with sessions continuing in 2025. We encourage you to join us, and if you’re interested in presenting your research at the upcoming sessions, please get in touch with me at sashraf@bournemouth.ac.uk.

See you 🙂

 

 

Applications are now open for 2025 ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships!

Funding opportunities, PG research

The ESRC invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships (PDF) to be based at the SWDTP institutions of University of Bath, University of Bristol, University of Exeter, Plymouth University, University of West of England, Bath Spa University, Bournemouth University and Plymouth Marjon University.

Fellowships are aimed at providing a development opportunity for social science researchers in the immediate postdoctoral stage of their career, to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.

At Bournemouth University, we run a dual stage application process. Candidates must be aligned to one of the pathways to which BU belong. For BU, this means that we would be able to support applicants in one of three pathways:

In the first instance we ask potential candidates to complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) and an Equal Opportunities form. The deadline for submitting the EOI & Equal Opportunities forms is January 31 2025. Both forms are available from the pathway leads.

Prior to submission of your EOI it is a good idea to have identified a mentor who will support you to develop your application. If you are uncertain on how to identify a mentor, then please contact one of the pathway leads listed above.

Following review of all EOI received, we will nominate successful applicants and support the development of a full application to the ESRC (via the SWDTP). The full application is due on 25 May, 2025. Only nominated applicants are able to complete this second stage.

For further information, please take a look at the SWDTP web pages dedicated to the postdoctoral fellowships award. Note that this includes important Eligibility criteria.

Please also note that you can register for an online information event hosted by the SWDTP. This takes place at 2-3 pm on Wednesday 20 November 2024. Register here. (A recording will be available from 25 November).

 

Next week! 3C Event – PGR Culture, Community & Cake

PG research

All PGRs and Supervisors are warmly invited to attend next week’s Doctoral College 3C event! 

The 3C events are a perfect opportunity to catch up and network with the PGR community in a social setting. Don’t miss out on the chance to make new connections whilst enjoying some coffee and cake!

Following feedback from the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), we will be hosting this 3C event on the Lansdowne Campus.

Join us Wednesday 13 November 10:00-11:00 in room BG-302.

Let’s foster collaboration, support and networking!

Book now

Congratulations to Dr. Karim Khaled and colleagues

international, PG research

Congratulations to Dr Karim Khaled on the recent publication of the article ‘The Association between Psychological Stress and Dietary Quality and Patterns among Women of Childbearing Age in Lebanon‘.
The paper focuses on psychological stress linked to poorer dietary quality can lead to serious diseases. The objective of this study was to examine the association between psychological stress and dietary quality/patterns among childbearing-aged women in Lebanon. Female participants (n = 249) participated in an online survey-questionnaire which included the previously adapted European Prospective into Cancer and Nutrition food frequency questionnaire and stress, depression, anxiety, physical activity, adiposity, and socio-demographic questions.
The a-priori dietary quality was assessed through the Mediterranean Diet (MD) index. The a-posteriori latent dietary-patterns (DPs) were derived through factor analysis. Regression analysis was performed to investigate the predictors of the DPs. Participants mainly had a medium MD adherence (61%). No association was found between stress and MD adherence. Factor analysis revealed four DPs: “potatoes, vegetables, legumes, soups and sauces, and non-alcoholic beverages” (DP1), “cereals, fats and oils, milk and dairy products, and sugars and snacks” (DP2), “alcoholic beverages, fish and seafood, eggs, and meats and meat products” (DP3), and “fruits and nuts and seeds” (DP4). Regression analysis indicated that DP1 was positively associated with monthly income (p = 0.02) and negatively with mother’s educational level (p = 0.03). DP2 was negatively associated with father’s employment status (p = 0.01) and marital status (p = 0.008). DP3 was negatively associated with higher father’s educational level (p = 0.018), but positively with BMI (p < 0.001). DP4 was positively linked with BMI (p = 0.01).
Further studies are needed to investigate the association between psychological stress and dietary quality/patterns among Lebanese childbearing aged women.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Reference:
  1. Khaled, K., Hundley, V., Bassil, M., Bazzi, M., Tsofliou, F. (2024) The Association between Psychological Stress and Dietary Quality and Patterns among Women of Childbearing Age in Lebanon. Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 8(9): 8-20.

 

 

New National Teaching Fellow at BU utilising Team-based Learning to improve care of patients with chronic pain

Awarded & submitted bids, PG research

Dr Jonny Branney, Principal Academic in Nursing & Clinical Sciences, Department of Nursing Science, was delighted to represent Bournemouth University at the UK Teaching Excellence Award Ceremony 2024 in Edinburgh 3rd October 2024, where he received a National Teaching Fellowship!

Writing on the screen says Jonny Branney, Bournemouth University. Honestly!

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) recognises, rewards and celebrates individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession. Jonny’s particular impact on education centres around his implementation of Team-based Learning (TBL) in the nursing curriculum at BU and beyond. He has supported colleagues at BU to adopt TBL including Dee Hughes who recently became a certified TBL Practitioner for his work introducing TBL to the MA Scriptwriting programme. TBL has become embedded in the nursing curriculum and been embraced by the team who deliver Applied Healthcare Sciences 2 (too many to name hear, you know who you are!), and in the paramedic science programme, led by Adam Bancroft. Jonny has also delivered workshops nationally and internationally to support other educators to adopt TBL, including in the US, Netherlands and Australia.

Jonny was proud to attend the awarded ceremony at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, with his mum who is a retired teacher!

He is now utilising TBL not only in teaching but in his research and professional practice. He and team (Ryan Muldoon, Lecturer in Adult Nursing; Joe Barry, NHS Somerset) earlier this year received a TBLC Research Grant for ‘A qualitative usability testing study of TBL pain science classes for patients with chronic back pain.’ Patient interviews have been transcribed and we eagerly await the final results – preliminary results suggest this approach was popular with patients however, and the team hope to progress to the next stage and seek funding for a feasibility trial.

Thank you to everyone who has provided support on the journey to this award

While the National Teaching Fellowship is an individual award, this would not have been possible without significant support from many colleagues. Jonny would particularly like to thank all his nursing colleagues who have  embraced TBL (notably Monica Arias, now at Univerisidad de Nevarra, Spain, the unit lead who gave permission for him to first experiment with TBL back in 2015!), all the colleagues named above, and all other fantastic colleagues (Angela Warren from PIER, Heads of Department including Kathy Curtis, Professor Steve Ersser and Professor Sue Green) who helped make this happen. Key influences and amazing colleagues from the TBLC (to many to name all!) include Professor Simon Tweddell and Dr Gemma Quinn of the University of Bradford – both National Teaching Fellows themselves. Key mentors at BU were Professor Debbie Holley NTF and Dr Holly Henderson NTF- the application would not have been successful without their guidance, expertise and encouragement! (grateful thanks also to Professor Mel Hughes, NTF). Finally, Jonny would also like to acknowledge the unending support, love and patience from his wife, Debbie and two children. Behind every success is an element of sacrifice – patience truly is a virtue! Jonny apologies in advance if he has neglected to name anyone he should have!!

We now have five National Teaching Fellows at BU including our new Vice Chancellor and CEO, Professor Alison Honour! Who will be next colleague at BU to be rewarded for their outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession? Could it be you…?

 

 

Impact of virtual reality on the well-being and travel experiences of people affected by dementia

BU Challenges, Fusion, Fusion themes, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, REF Subjects, Student Engagement

I am undertaking a research placement as part of my studies on the MSc Foundations of Clinical Psychology. In my role as a research assistant, I have been working on a project that aimed to introduce the idea of travelling using Virtual Reality headsets for people with dementia and their caregivers/ family members. Virtual reality (VR) technology presents a promising means of bridging geographical divides and empowering individuals with dementia to participate in their communities in ways that were not possible prior to diagnosis. Additionally, research has demonstrated the value of virtual reality in helping people with dementia remember their past, revisit their hometown, or most treasured vacation spots. The purpose of this project is to evaluate how virtual reality can support people with dementia with travel and explore the impact on their wellbeing.

This is a collaborative pilot research study involving BU staff from the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) (Dr. Michelle Heward, Dr. Catherine Talbot, Dr. Michele Board, Dr Aisling Flynn, Lyndsey Bradley) and the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR) (Dr. Daisy Fan, Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis) alongside colleagues from PramaLife (Sue Warr and Jo Keats) and is funded with QR funding from the Department of Psychology. We collected data on campus, and I was able to support this and had an opportunity to engage with the participants. The participants were asked to come to 2 sessions. The first session consisted of a session in the Blended Learning Interactive Simulation Suite, also known as the BLISS room. In this room, the participants and their caregivers were given the chance to play interactive VR games of their choice on the walls or visit different parts of the UK, such as London and Oxford. The second session consisted of using the VR headsets, where the participants were able to use the headsets themselves, which allows them to virtually experience other parts of the world, by looking around and having access to a 360 view, of a location of their choosing, whether that be somewhere they had never been to or reminisce about places they have been.

Given this immense opportunity to relive and reminisce about their previous experiences around the world, and their respective homes, the reception was overall a positive one. The participants left feeling positive about having virtually visited places from their past and having engaged with places they have never been to or would like to go to in the future. They provided some useful insights and feedback to inform future research in this area. We now move towards analysing and publishing the data.

Roshin Sibu

For more information about this project please email Michelle mheward@bournemouth.ac.uk