Catch the Gang of Four postgrads this Wed!
Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
This part of the blog features news and information for postgraduate research students and supervisors
Charlotte is a midwife and in her first year of doctoral studies in FHSS, exploring the impact that living on a low income has on women’s experiences of pregnancy, maternity care and parenting.
Charlotte recently applied to BU’s ‘destination summer school programme’ in Indonesia and her application was successful. The
programme will take place at the BINUS University in Jakarta, Indonesia in June 2018 and is designed for students from BU and BINUS University to work together on projects that address one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The SDG’s are a collection of 17 goals set by the United Nations for countries to work towards achieving. The goals are interrelated although each has its own targets and they cover a broad range of social and economic development issues. These include poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, environment and social justice. Charlotte says, ‘Collaborating with others on these projects will foster the development of my global mind-set and enhance my competence as a researcher interested in health and social sciences research’.
Charlotte applied to the programme for the opportunity to develop her knowledge of issues such as poverty and gender equality, both of which are relevant to her research topic. In order for Charlotte’s research to be impactful and authentic she believed it important to listen to and learn from others and hopes the summer school programme will assist her in achieving this. Charlotte will translate the knowledge gained from the experience into her own research and competence as an early-career researcher. Charlotte looks forward to being able to share these experiences with you all on her return.
The result was an enhanced depth of understanding of specific interpretive research methodologies as well as an unexpected support mechanism.
The group’s primary function was to support development of its understanding of methodologies and methods, but an unexpected secondary function was the reduction of a sense of isolation.
United through the fundamental overarching field of narrative research, four doctoral candidates with distinct topic areas were able to collaborate. They not only enhanced their depth of understanding of specific interpretive research methodologies, but also provided support and encouragement to each other within the potentially isolating experience of postgraduate research study.
The Doctoral College would like to present the April monthly update.
This monthly update is for PGRs and their supervisors outlining upcoming research skills and development opportunities including events, workshops and networking opportunities supported by the Doctoral College.
In this update we would like to congratulate the winners of the 10th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference and share highlights of the conference in the video below. The deadline for 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) applications has been extended, Researcher Development Programme workshops for the remainder of the academic year are available to book via myBU: Doctoral College Community and check out the Doctoral College Facebook page and Researcher Development Hub for more regular updates on all Researcher Development opportunities.
Last week I attended and presented e-poster at the RCOG (Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology) World Congress 2018 in Singapore. The main congress programme run 22 to 24 March. RCOG president Professor Lesley Regan told in her opening speech that this Congress had more than 2,800 delegates and 150 speakers from 82 countries. Prof Regan also said that the Congress focused on the need for all to work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology and to act as advocates for women’s health. Furthermore, she stressed that it is necessary to look beyond clinical aspects and provide safe, high-quality care to speak for the needs of the women, many of whom have no choice of their own.
The e-poster I presented ‘Study of rural maternity and childbirth care in a southern district of Nepal’ is part of my PhD study on maternity care in Nepal.

My e-poster
My poster was displayed on the morning of 22nd March (8:08– 8:16 AM) under the topic ‘early pregnancy and acute gynaecology’. Over the three days programme schedule, I also attended several plenary sessions, oral presentations and viewed many e-posters. Although there were many topics specific to clinical aspects of obstetrics and gynaecology, I was mostly interested in presentations related to contraception and fertility control, abortion, gender equality, reproductive and sexual health of marginalised communities, female genital mutilation, breastfeeding and so on. Overall, it was a great experience to learn about research in women’s health and maternity care and an opportunity to do networking with researchers with similar interests.
Finally, I would like to thank Santander Awards to provide me fund to cover my expenses to attend this congress and my supervisors for motivating me to apply for this conference.
Today BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth published the latest paper by a PhD student at Bournemouth University. Our congratulations go to Alice Ladur in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH), who published `Whose Shoes?’ Testing an educational board game with men of African descent living in the United Kingdom [1]. This paper is based on her PhD research and co-authored with her supervisors.
The paper addresses issues around men’s involvement in programmes or interventions aimed at the improvement of maternal health. One such innovative intervention is an educational board game which offers a unique approach to present health information where learning is reinforced through group discussions supporting peer-to-peer interactions. The authors would like to thank Gill Phillips for permission to use the Whose Shoes? board game and all participants for their participation in the PhD study.
Alice PhD is focused on Uganda and this particular paper reports a qualitative study with men from Uganda who live in the UK on their views of an educational board game. This pilot study explored perceptions on whether a board game was relevant as a health promotional tool in maternal health prior to implementation in Uganda.
Reference:
Congratulations to Daisy Wiggins in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) on the publication of her paper ‘The effect of a birthplace decision support tool on women’s decision-making and information gathering behaviours during pregnancy: mybirthplace study protocol’. The paper is published in the Open Access journal Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics and can be accessed by clicking here! The paper is co-authored by CMMPH’s Prof. Vanora Hundley, Dr. Carol Wilkins, as well asProf. Carol Bond (University of Wolverhampton) and the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Gill Walton.
Congratulations to all!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Reference:
Wiggins D, Hundley VA, Wilkins C, Bond C, Walton G. The effect of a birthplace decision support tool on women’s decision-making and information gathering behaviours during pregnancy: mybirthplace study protocol. J Innov Health Inform.2018;25(1):001–006.
Congratulations to Mrs. Preeti Mahato on the acceptance of her paper ‘Qualitative evaluation of mental health training of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in rural Nepal’ by Nurse Education Today, an academic journal published by Elsevier. Preeti is currently registered as PhD student in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH). The paper is co-authored by CMMPH’s Catherine Angell and Edwin van Teijlingen as well as BU Visiting Faculty Padam Simkhada and Jillian Ireland. The paper is a result of the evaluation part of the ‘Mental Health Training for Community-based Maternity Providers in Nepal’ project and written on behalf of this THET team.
Our THET project in Nepal is a collaboration between the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH), Tribhuvan University (Nepal’s oldest university) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). The project receives funding from DFID, and is managed through THET and supported locally in Nepal by a charity Green Tara Nepal.
| THET team:
Edwin van Teijlingen, Padam Simkhada, Shyam K Maharjan Preeti Mahato, Bhimsen Devkota, Padmadharini Fanning, Jillian Ireland, Bibha Simkhada, Lokendra Sherchan, Ram Chandra Silwal, Shyam K Maharjan, Ram K Maharjan, Catherine Angell, Flora Douglas.
|
Call for submission of a further 18 matched funded Postgraduate Research Projects for the 2018 BU PhD Studentship Competition closes at 5pm on Monday 26 March 2018.
Academic staff are invited to submit proposals for matched funded studentship projects which, if successful, will be advertised to recruit PhD candidates for a September 2018 start.
Full details can be found on the Doctoral College Staff Intranet where the following information can be found:
Submission Deadline:
Applications should be submitted on the Studentship Proposal Form to the Doctoral College via email to phdstudentshipcompetition@bournemouth.ac.uk no later than 5pm on Monday 26 March 2018.
The Doctoral College will manage the recruitment process along the following timetable:
| Date | Action |
| February 2018 | Launch PhD Studentships Internal Competition – development of proposals |
| 26 March 2018 | Closing date for submission of proposals |
| w/c 2 April 2018 | Faculty panel meetings to rank projects |
| w/c 16 April 2018 | Central panel meeting to allocate funding |
| 14 May 2018 | Launch PhD Studentships External Competition – recruitment of candidates |
| 30 June 2018 | Closing date for External Competition |
| September 2018 | Successful Candidates start |
Join us for this showcase exhibition and explore the latest postgraduate research emerging from BU. An exhibition of postgraduate researchers’ posters and photographs will be on display at the Atrium Gallery, Poole House, Talbot Campus, from 12 – 16 March 2018, 10am-4pm.
Free to attend, all welcome.
Join us for this showcase exhibition and explore the latest postgraduate research emerging from BU.
This year the Doctoral College hosted its 10th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference. The popular event provides a valuable platform for postgraduate researchers from across different years and disciplines to present posters and photographs explaining their research projects in a clear, concise and creative way to a public audience.
Further information about the conference and details of this year’s winners is available on 10th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference webpage.
An exhibition of postgraduate researchers’ posters and photographs will be on display at the Atrium Gallery, Poole House, Talbot Campus, from 12 – 16 March 2018, 10am-4pm. Free to attend, all welcome.
If you have any questions, please contact pgconference@bournemouth.ac.uk
On Wednesday 7 March 2018 the Doctoral College hosted the 10th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference which was a huge success with lots of positive feedback from students and staff alike. We are happy to announce the category winners below. Well done to everyone who took part!
Oral Presentations:
1st Prize Mark Stevens (Advancing a social identity approach to understanding physical activity: preliminary evidence from parkrun, Faculty of Management)
2nd Prize Stephen Allard (The intimate masses: poetry and emerging new concepts of ‘Netiquette’ in online environments, Faculty of Media and Communication)
3rd Prize Louise Oliver (Child-parent-violence and abuse: lifting the veil of secrecy, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Poster Presentations:
1st Prize Giulia Levi (Between silence and agitation – coping strategies and third-party interventions in divided societies: a comparison between post-conflict Bosnia and post-referendum UK, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
2nd Prize Amal Musa Almoualed (Saudi women journalists – an exploration of their roles and practices in an age of social media, Faculty of Media and Communication)
3rd Prize Ejike T. Ezeh (Shared decision-making: web-based information tool to support treatment choices of people with advanced pancreatic cancer, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Photography:
Winner Nurist S. Ulfa (The paradox of Muslim girl’s freedom of experimentation in girl games: when the digital virtual consumption practices and the religious norms are predominantly discordant, Faculty of Media and Communication)
We would also like to say a special thank you to the following people for their invaluable contribution to the day.
Opening Remarks
Professor John Fletcher, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation (Office of the Vice-Chancellor)
Keynote Address
Professor Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis & Disaster Management (Faculty of Management)
Guest Speakers – Deputy Deans for Research & Professional Practice
Professor Vanora Hundley (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Professor Michael Silk (Faculty of Management)
Professor Iain MacRury (Faculty of Media and Communication)
Professor Tiantian Zhang (Faculty of Science and Technology)
PGR Chairs
Clare Gordon (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Sara Glithro (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Ella Onyinye Ejime (Faculty of Management)
Duncan Ki-Aries (Faculty of Science and Technology)
Judging Panel – Oral Presentations
Professor Alison McConnell (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Dr Sue Way (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Dr Vanessa Heaslip (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Professor Adam Blake (Faculty of Management)
Dr Daniel Lock (Faculty of Management)
Dr Einar Thorsen (Faculty of Media and Communication)
Professor Marcin Budka (Faculty of Science and Technology)
Judging Panel – Poster and Photography Exhibition
Jane Healy (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences)
Professor George Filis (Faculty of Management)
Professor Candida Yates (Faculty of Media and Communication)
Dr Christos Gatzidis (Faculty of Science and Technology)
The Doctoral C
ollege would like to present the March monthly update.
This monthly update is for PGRs and their supervisors to outline upcoming research skills and development opportunities including events, workshops and networking opportunities supported by the Doctoral College. In this update we would like to promote the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) event, R.E.D talks, the Researcher Development Programme for 2017-18, and the 10th Annual Postgraduate Conference.
We are very happy to announce that 10th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference is taking place today. The conference will see PGR students, academics and other colleges from across BU come together to celebrate the diverse and exciting research being undertaken. More information about the day will be sent over the next week.
Don’t forget to check out the Doctoral College Facebook page.
Connected Nation Pioneers is an exciting partnership between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and key stakeholders. They have come together to recognise exceptional UK doctoral students whose research contributes towards the development of a Connected Nation.
The competition is open to all UK doctoral students in the final two years of their doctorial training. Applicants need not be funded by the EPSRC to participate. This competition is being sponsored by DSTL, Facebook, BT, Samsung, Huawei, Thales, Amazon and NVIDIA.
This competition celebrates the transformative and pioneering research of UK-based doctoral students in contributing to up to two of the following category topics:
Applicants will be assessed per category by a panel of industrial sponsors in three stages:
All applicants reaching the third stage of the competition will receive media and presentation training and will have an excellent opportunity to network with representatives from both academia and industry. Each of the four category winners will receive a prize of £2,000 and a NVIDIA graphics card at a VIP Awards Ceremony Dinner, to be held at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. The category winners will also compete in an elevator pitch contest as part of the Awards Ceremony to select an overall winner, who will receive a further £1,000.
Before applying for the 2018 Connected Nation Pioneers competition, please read the call document for full information regarding eligibility and assessment criteria. Please forward questions or comments to PioneersCompetition@epsrc.ac.uk.
The Expression of Interest form should be completed and submitted by the closing date of 16:00 on Thursday 26 April 2018. This can be found here. Key dates are also on the link.
You must contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer for your Faculty in advance of applying. Their name will need to be given on the expression of interest and we will need to record the application on BU’s database for research and innovation.
