Tagged / BU research

Congratulations to Iain Darby on his first PhD publication

international, PG research, Publishing, writing

Congratulations to Iain Darby, Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science, on the first publication today from his Ph.D. research.  Iain produced an interesting scoping review on graduate paramedics transitionun into autonomous practice. This review is published in the International Journal of Paramedicine.
This review has explored the transition experiences of graduate paramedics and identified that professional socialization, identity formation, workplace relationships, emotional wellbeing, and the theory–practice gap all influence this period of development. The findings suggest that structured support, for example, through profession-specific preceptorship, has the potential to mitigate some of the challenges experienced during the transition to autonomous practice. While graduates have an important role in their own professional development, organizations also have a responsibility to establish appropriate support structures that facilitate confidence, competence, and wellbeing.  The review concluded that gormal support structures such as preceptorship can help graduates overcome challenges faced in their transition into autonomous practice.
Iain is supervised at BU by Dr. Ursula Rolfe, Associate Professor of Paramedic Science and Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences’ Practice Simulation Lead, as well as Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen from the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH), and in Australia by Prof. Scot Devenish, Professor of Paramedicine at Griffith University, Australia.
Well done!
Reference:
Darby, I., Rolfe, U., van Teijlingen, E., & Devenish, S. (2026) How do newly qualified paramedics experience the transition to autonomous practice, and what role do formal support structures play in this transition? A scoping review. International Journal of Paramedicine. (16): 181-197. https://doi.org/10.56068/HZTF2293

World 2026 top 2% scientists ranking: BU top entries

BU Challenges, Delicious links

In the recently produced Stanford University’s list of the World’s Top 2% Scientists, 2026 the top academic place is held by Zhong Lin Wang (Chinese Academy of Sciences).  He is described as preeminent physicist and materials scientist whose research revolutionized the fields of nanotechnology.  The website Top2PercentScientists.com is a searchable database of top-cited scientists that provides standardized information on things like citations, h-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator. (1-3)  Top2PercentScientists.com is an independent platform and is not affiliated with Stanford University or Elsevier. Anybody can search its database.  The database shows both ‘career’ and single most recent year (=2025) ranking.
The top Bournemouth University (BU) academic ranking differs careers and most recent year.  Table 1 lists the top three BU listed academics based on their research career, and Table 2 shows the top three for 2025.  In both rankings we find Prof. Buhalis is the top BU academic!
References:
  1. Ioannidis, JPA. (2026), “August 2026 data-update for “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators””, Elsevier Data Repository, V9, doi: 10.17632/btchxktzyw.9
  2. Ioannidis, JPA., Boyack, KW., Baas, J. (2020) Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators. PLoS Biology, 18(10):e3000918. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000918
  3. Ioannidis, JPA., Baas, J., Klavans, R., Boyack, KW. (2019) A standardized citation metrics author database annotated for scientific field. PLoS Biology, 12;17(8):e3000384. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000384

3C Event: Research Culture, Community & Connections – Wednesday 11 November 3-4pm

Navigating research support shouldn’t feel overwhelming. Join key representatives from RIS for an informal networking session, complete with light refreshments and casual conversation.

Great research relies on strong collaboration, which is why we’re bringing specialists directly to you. Behind every successful grant application, project, and impact case study is a dedicated team. This is your opportunity to drop in and meet:

  • Julia Taylor – Head of the Doctoral College
  • Alex Morrison – Research Grants Programme Manager
  • Kate Percival – Research Grants Manager Post-Award
  • Emma Sherriff – REF Facilitator
  • Juan Campos-Perez – Clinical Research Advisor
  • Shumana Begum – Research Governance Adviser

Enjoy the familiar, relaxed 3C atmosphere alongside accessible, expert advice. With no rigid schedules or formal presentations, you can drop in for a chat about your next project, or visit our quiet corner with arts & crafts, an inclusive space to relax, reflect, or connect at your own pace.

We’re here to help you succeed, so come by and see how we can support your journey!

Wednesday 11 November, 3-4pm

Room 217, BGB, Lansdowne Campus

Find out more and register here

ECR Opportunities: New Development Programme, Researcher Grants & Upcoming Events

Catch up on the latest Researcher Development opportunities, funding calls, and events available for Early Career Researchers across BU

Whether you are looking to boost your research skills, fund a community initiative, or connect with key teams across BU, here is everything you need to know:

Launch of the Early Career Researcher Development Programme

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our updated Researcher Development Programme for 2026–27, specifically tailored for ECRs.

Here is how you can get involved:

Research Culture & Community Grant – Applications Now Open

Following the success of previous funding rounds, a new round of grant funding is now open for BU Early Career Researchers. These grants provide the resources you need to innovate, collaborate, and lead initiatives that strengthen our research environment.

Available Funding Streams:

Stream 1: Researcher Development (Grants up to £500)

Supports skills focused workshops, guest speaker sessions, methods training, or writing groups

Stream 2: Research Culture and Community (Grants up to £300)

Supports community building, cultural, social, or wellbeing-enhancing activities

Key Details & Deadlines:

  • Inclusivity & Accountability: Activities must be open to the ECR community. Organisers are responsible for delivery and evaluation (one lead activity per cycle)
  • Delivery Deadline: All activities must be delivered and invoiced by 31 July 2027
  • Application Deadline: Monday 16 November, 4pm Apply here

Looking for inspiration? Take a look below to see some of the fantastic projects and events funded during the last round:

Upcoming Event:  Meet the RIS Team (3C Event)

Join us for the next 3C event to meet the Research & Innovation Services (RIS) team, ask questions, and discover how RIS can support your research journey.

Wednesday 11 November, 3-4pm

BGB, Lansdowne Campus

Open to all BU researchers

Find out more and register here

Stay Connected: Join the ECR Network 

Don’t miss out on targeted opportunities, specialised resources, and funding alerts designed specifically for Early Career Researchers.

To join the network, simply email your contact details to researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

If you have any questions about any of these items, feel free to reach out to the team at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Accelerate your research impact: book an Impact Surgery

REF 2029 impact case studies

Need some advice on developing, evidencing or scaling the impact of your research?

An Impact Surgery is a focused 30-minute online session delivered by the REF Team providing practical, tailored support for academic colleagues working towards REF2029
and developing the impact of their research more broadly.

The session is an opportunity to meet with and discuss how you can accelerate your research impact with the support of the REF Facilitator, and access expert advice on your
individual needs.

What do you cover?

Depending on where you are with your research, topics could include:
• Developing your impact pathway and identifying potential beneficiaries through
stakeholder analysis approaches
• Thinking through engagement opportunities that could lead to real change
beyond the university
• Identifying and strengthening impact evidence
• Understanding and articulating reach and significance of research impact
• Developing or strengthening an Impact Case Study
• Exploring potential impact types and outcomes
• Planning an Impact Evaluation
• Preparing research and impact activity for REF2029
• Discussing challenges, opportunities or next steps for your research impact

What should I bring?

Please send by email in advance a completed BU Impact Planner. Planners can be submitted to Emma Sherriff, REF Facilitator [at] researchengagementandimpact@bournemouth.ac.uk

You should also bring a notebook, laptop or tablet for notetaking purposes during your appointment. We will send you useful links to further reading and resources following the session.

Who is this for?

The Impact Surgery is open to academic colleagues at all career stages who would like advice or support with research impact and/or REF2029.

Whether you are just beginning to think about impact or are developing an established Impact Case Study, the session can be tailored to your needs.

Sessions will take place online via Microsoft Teams from 13:30pm to 17:00pm on a Wednesday afternoons during term time (for all research staff), a limited number of
surgeries are ringfenced to REF Impact Case Study Writers only on Friday mornings. A Teams link will be provided following registration.

Please book one appointment per topic/research project where possible, to make the best use of the 30-minute session. You are welcome to book multiple sessions to support you during your research.

Come with a question, an idea or a challenge — and leave with practical next steps for your impact journey.

Book now

SONAMONI contributions to Safety Conference 2026 in South Africa

PG research

In the first week of September colleagues working on our SONAMONI project presented preliminary results at the Safety Conference 2026 in Cape Town, the Republic of South Africa.   In total, six abstracts from the Sonamoni Project had been accepted.  The first paper presented by BU PhD student Md. Shafkat Hossain was highlighted in a previous BU Research Blog (see here!).

Our Bangladesh-based collaborators, CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh) presented papers with the following sunmmaries:

  • Understanding mothers’ caregiving routines is essential to develop appropriate interventions; however, traditional local practice restricts opportunities for women to participate in the HCD process. Therefore, a study was conducted to explore ways to overcome these restrictions to ensure gender representation during the development and implementation of drowning prevention interventions in rural Bangladesh.
  • The objective of the second abstract was to explore community perceptions and their prioritization of the proposed drowning prevention solutions.
  • The objective of the third abstract was to explore the use of different visual tools that assisted the researchers, designers, and the community to develop more acceptable and sustainable drowning prevention interventions in rural Bangladesh.
  • The objective of the fourth study was to identify the association between household income, caregiving investment, child supervision, childcare-related expenses, and exposure to drowning risk among children under 2 years in Bangladesh.

The presenters’ names were: Notan Chandra Dutta, Research Manager; Shibat Mirza Rowshan, HCD Specialist; Mahbub Hasan, Research Officer (Health Economics).

Furthermore, our collaborator Dr. Becky Sindall, Senior International Advocacy Manager at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Poole contributed to a session on ‘Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Policy’.

SONAMONI is jointly coordinated by Bournemouth University (BU) and CIPRB), working with the University of the West of England, Bristol, the University of Southampton, Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda, and the RNLI. We are working to reduce drownings among newly-mobile children, generally those under two years old. This £1.6m project has been made possible thanks to a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through their Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Science

 

Three CMWH presentations at Berlin conference

international, PG research, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Two Ph.D. students and one member of staff from Bournemouth University’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)  presented their work at the 25th International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference held in mid-September 2026 in Berlin.  Ph.D. student and CMWH midwifery lecturer Kate Burgess presented her poster ‘Sustaining Maternity Care: Intrapartum Leadership, Teamwork and Workforce Wellbeing’.  This poster shared her on-going literature review on how leadership and teamwork influence midwives’ courage and capacity to provide personalised care during labour. 

Whilst Joanne Rack presented work from her clinical doctorate ‘Beyond the Risk Label: Communication, Autonomy and Care for Women of Advanced Maternal Age’.   Joanne’s Ph.D. research (the ParentAge Study) started from an important observation: births to women aged 40+ are at record levels in the UK, these women consistently experience increased morbidity and yet report limited risk discussions, unmet information needs, and anxiety-provoking encounters with maternity services. This, combined with the last three MBRRACE reports, that have repeatedly identified this as a discrete and growing population at increased risk of poorer mortality outcomes.

Furthermore, CMWH academic Dr. Dominique Mylod presented ‘The Early Labour App as a Digital Solution: Ten Lessons Learned’ based on midwifery research conducted with Prof. Vanora Hundley.  The Early Labour App is in development as an innovative digital tool which combines evidence-based strategies to support families in preparing for early phase labour. It includes a dedicated website, an educational video to promote birth ball use and a Slow and Deep Breathing visual graphic. The project has been underpinned by co-creation since its inception, involving women, birth partners and midwives, with the recognition that current service users are the first digital natives. This collaboration has validated the app concept and informed the content, structure and design of the app.

 

Well done!

Prof.Edwin van Teijlingen

 

New interdisciplinary paper on Nepal

international, open access, PG research, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Pramod Regmi on yesterday’s publication of ‘Strengthening evidence on migrant workers’ health in Nepal’ in the international scientific journal Discover Public Health [1].  Co-authors on this paper include Bournemouth University’s (BU) Ph.D. student Anjana Paudyal and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen (in CMWH), former BU member of staff Dr. Nirmal Aryal, and BU’s Visiting Faculty Prof.Padam Simkhada (based at the University of Chester) as well as our North American collaborator in the ENSURE project, Dr. Heath Prince.

Further congratulations are due to Dr. Regmi who was also accepted as by the UKGCE as recognised research supervisor!

Labour migration is a vital economic driver for Nepal, yet it poses significant health risks to migrant workers, with many suffering from chronic illnesses and high mortality rates abroad. This paper emphasizes the need for a systematic approach to utilize existing health data from pre-departure screenings and returnee assessments, advocating for an integrated electronic health database to inform targeted health interventions and improve the overall well-being of Nepalese migrant workers.

 

Reference:

  1. Regmi, P., Pant, P.R., Faller, E.M., Paudyal, A.R., Aryal, N., Paudyal, P., Simkhada, P., Prince, H.J., van Teijlingen, E. (2026) Strengthening evidence on migrant workers’ health in Nepal. Discover Public Health 23, 1495. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-026-02877-z

National Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026: The Changing Landscape of Postdoc Careers

The 21-25 September marks National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) across the UK

UK National Postdoc Appreciation Week is an annual nationwide event celebrating the vital contributions postdocs and early-career researchers make to research and university life.

To kick off the week, staff and researchers across Bournemouth University are invited to attend this year’s free UK Flagship Online Event. With the research environment constantly evolving, the 2026 theme focuses on “The Changing Landscape of Postdoc Careers.”

What to Expect

Creative Academic Reflection: Explore and understand your academic journey through guided, creative language play and poetry.

Skills Workshop: Practical activities designed to help you map out and navigate your future career exploration.

Funder Panel & Live Q&A: An honest discussion featuring representatives from major funding bodies, including UKRI and the British Academy, covering the current realities and future changes in academic funding.

Event Details

Monday 21 September, 10am-12pm

Online

Register for the Flagship Event

For full details on nationwide activities and updates throughout the week, visit the official UKNPAW Website.

NIHR Insight South West Central Conference 2026 at Bournemouth University

conferences

Today Bournemouth University (BU)  is hosting the annual NIHR-funded Insight South West Central Conference.  The event bring together current students, prospective students and past students on the Insight programme from both BU and the Bristol-based UWE (University of the West of England).

The NIHR INSIGHT: Inspiring Students into Research Programme funds a wide range of engagement activities and research masters training opportunities for students and recent graduates within registered healthcare, social work and public health professions. It takes place across 12 regions in England and the NIHR INSIGHT programme for South West Central is one of these regional programmes. It is a partnership between the UWE Bristol and BUy who together have 6,000 pre-registration and 4,000 post registration students across more than 15 health and care professions.

The opening two key note speakers were BU’s Professor of Social Care Lee-Ann Fenge and Helen Lewis-White, Deputy Director of Research and Innovation at North Bristol NHS Trust and a Health and Care Research Director (NMAHP) for the NIHR Southwest Central Research Delivery Network.  The conference includes invited speakers, research speed-dating sessions as well as students’ presentations (both oral and posters).

BU PhD student presented at World Safety Conference in South Africa

conferences, international, PG research, student research

PhD student Mr. Md. Shafkat Hussain was invited to present at the World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety in South Africa at the beginning of September.  Shafkat based in the Faculty of Health, Environemnt & Medical Science (HEMS) is conducting hs PhD on the use of human-centred design in drowing prevention interventions and programmes aimed at children under the age of two, which is part of our NIHR-funded Sonamoni project.

The SONAMONI Project is a large interdisciplinary research project co-ordinated by Bournemouth University (BU) and CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh) to help reduce drowning in young children (under the age of two) in rural Bangladesh.  The SONAMONI project is a collaboration between BU, CIPRB, the University of the West of England, the University of Southampton, the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) and Design Without Borders (Uganda).

This £1.6m project has been made possible thanks to a UK grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme. This exciting four-year project will run until February 2027.

3C Event: ECR Network Café – Wednesday 16 September 2-3pm

Join Us for Culture, Community & Cake: Launching BU’s Early Career Researcher Network

Kick off the new academic year by connecting with your research community. As part of BU’s Research Culture, Community and Cake (3C) initiative, we are excited to host a special ECR Network Café.

Whether you are brand new to BU, or looking to expand your existing circle, this session offers a relaxed space to meet fellow early career researchers, exchange ideas, and find common ground. Alongside coffee and cake, we will also be officially launching BU’s new ECR Development Programme, designed specifically to help you build the skills, networks, and support systems needed to thrive in your research journey.

Event Details 

Wednesday 16 September, 2-3pm

F305, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

Come along to enjoy a slice of cake, help shape a supportive ECR network, and take advantage of the professional development opportunities available to you this year.

Find out more and register here

BU geography student’s undergraduate dissertation published in international journal

student research

Grassroots opposition to second homes, seen on the streets of Cornwall.

Research that began as an undergraduate dissertation at Bournemouth University has been published in Geographical Review, journal of the American Geographical Society. The paper, “Second Homes and the (Re)production of Cornish Nationalism,” is co-authored by Conan Millen, a recent graduate of BU’s BSc (hons) Geography, and Dr Marin Cvitanović, Principal Academic in Human Geography in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

The study looks at how attitudes toward second homes and tourism connect to identity in Cornwall, one of the poorest regions in Western Europe despite its high concentration of second-home ownership. Drawing on an online survey of 504 Cornwall residents, the paper identifies four distinct clusters of opinion on housing, tourism and belonging, and asks how these relate to age, income and ethnic identity.

A few findings stand out. Younger, lower-income and Cornish-identifying respondents were significantly more likely to oppose second homes and short-term holiday lets, particularly over concerns about affordability and community cohesion. Older and more affluent respondents identifying as British or English took a more positive view of tourism’s economic benefits. Age had the strongest statistical effect of any factor measured, more so than ethnicity or income, suggesting that generational experience of housing insecurity plays a central role in shaping these attitudes. Opposition to second homes was also somewhat higher in postcodes with higher average house prices.

The paper places these findings within wider debates on housing and identity. It draws a link between the rise of “generation rent” across the UK and Europe and the emergence of place-based, often exclusionary responses to housing pressure, sometimes described in the literature as forms of “housing nationalism.” In Cornwall’s case, the study argues that expressions of Cornish identity in relation to housing are shaped as much by material economic exclusion as by cultural or ethnic distinctiveness.

Since graduating, Conan Millen has been working as part of the wider public health team at Cornwall Council, where he is involved in analysing and processing data to inform projects and monitor the health and wellbeing of people living and growing up in Cornwall.

BU’s BSc (Hons) Geography is accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). In the most recent National Student Survey, 94% of students agreed that teaching staff were good at explaining things, and 94% agreed that teaching staff had supported their learning well.

References:

Millen, C., & Cvitanović, M. (2026). Second Homes and the (Re)production of Cornish Nationalism. Geographical Review, 116(1), 39–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2025.2578855

Why some commons survive and others don’t

conferences

BU’s research presented at the Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference

Dr Marin Cvitanović, Principal Academic in Human Geography at BU’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, presented research on commons at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, held at the Society and Imperial College London from 1 to 4 September 2026.

Commons are resources, such as pastures, forests and water, that are shared and managed collectively by a community, rather than owned privately or by the state. The presentation, “Pathways to de-marginalising commons in Croatia,” was co-authored with Dr Lana Slavuj Borčić of the University of Zagreb. It used Croatia as a case study to ask a question that is relevant well beyond one country: why do some shared-resource systems survive generations of political, economic and demographic change, while others quietly fall out of use? Cvitanović and Slavuj Borčić argue that commons can become marginalised in several ways at once. This includes geographical marginalisation in depopulating rural regions, institutional marginalisation through long periods of legal ambiguity, and economic marginalisation through exclusion from subsidies and leasing markets. A further, generational, form of marginalisation can also occur, where legal recognition arrives only after the community that once sustained a commons has already aged out of it.

To understand how some commons manage to persist despite these pressures, the researchers compared cases where common pastures had fallen out of use, with a case where a commons continued to function. The comparison points to a broader pattern. Legal recognition on its own rarely saves a commons. What tends to matter is whether governance support, funding routes and recognition of a resource’s wider ecological value arrive while a community of users still exists to make use of them. Even then, moving away from marginalisation looks more like an ongoing process than a finished achievement.

This work is linked to Dr Cvitanović’s involvement in Resilient Rules, an ERC-funded Horizon Europe project led by the University of Zaragoza, which studies the diversity and resilience of rules that communities worldwide use to govern shared natural resources. Dr Cvitanović contributes to the project’s global field research team, covering Croatia.

The RGS-IBG Annual International Conference is one of the world’s largest gatherings of geographers, bringing together more than 2,000 researchers each year. The 2026 conference theme, “Geographies of inequalities: towards just places,” was chaired by Professor Peter Hopkins of Newcastle University.

Joint NHS -BU article published on Midwifery & Public Health

Today Discover Public Health published a new joint paper written by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD) and Bournemouth University staff.  This latest paper ‘The evolving relationship between public health and midwifery in the United Kingdom’ [1] appeared in the open access journal Discover Public Health. The authors are: Beth Fletcher, Public Health Lead Maternity Services at UHD, Jillian Ireland, bank midwife and former Professional Midwifery Advocate at UHD as well as Visiting Faculty in BU’s Faculty of Health, Environment & Health Sciences, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, co-director of BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health.

The authors had originally submitted the paper under the title ‘UK Midwifery and Public Health: Perfect partners or unhappy bedfellows?’ but one of the reviewers (and the editor) thought the more neutral ”The evolving relationship between public health and midwifery in the United Kingdom’ was better suited.

There is a cautionary tale as the authors were under the impression, at the time of submission, that Discover Public Health was still a journal in which one could publish without paying a so-called APC (article Processing Charge).  It turned out that this was no longer the case, and although Bournemouth University has a deal with Springer, the publisher of Discover Public Health, this is only to the value of 15% of the APC.  Since publising in the journal is expensive at £ 1,790.00 per article Bournemouth University had large additional amount.

References:

  1.  Fletcher, B., Ireland, J., van Teijlingen, E. (2026) ‘The evolving relationship between public health and midwifery in the United Kingdom, Discover Public Health, 23;1330. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12982-026-02740-1

 

 

UKCGE Recognised Research Supervision Programme: Applications Close 19 October

The current submission window open for academic staff to seek national recognition for their doctoral supervision closes at 9am on Monday 19 October.

Whether you are just starting out in supervision or already experienced, you can apply for national recognition of your doctoral supervision through the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE).

Levels of Recognition

  • Recognised Supervisor (Full Award): For those who have supported doctoral candidates through to final examination and completion.
  • Recognised Associate Supervisor: For those who have not yet supervised candidates to completion and/or who contribute to supervision in an informal capacity.

Why Apply

UK universities are increasingly prioritising supervisor development to enhance research culture and doctoral support. The Research Supervisor Recognition Programme (RSRP) encourages supervisors at all levels to engage in structured self-reflection, using the Good Supervisory Practice Framework to identify strengths and target areas for growth.

Key Benefits

  • Structured Self-Reflection: Evaluate your methods and decision-making
  • Benchmarked Excellence: Map your practice against national standards
  • Professional Growth: Identify clear pathways for improvement, whether applying for Full or Associate awards
  • BU already has over 30 recognised research supervisors, and you could be next

How to Apply

Write a reflective account of your supervisory practice aligned with the Good Supervisory Practice Framework.

Submit your Application using the Relevant Form

Recognised Supervisor Reflective Account Form

Recognised Associate Supervisor Reflective Account Form

References and Documentation

To authenticate your account, you must provide the following:

For the Full Award: A reference from a former doctoral candidate AND a reference from a colleague (e.g., a co-supervisor).

For the Associate Award: A reference from a colleague AND a Supervision Observation report.

Personal Reference Form

Supervision Observation Form (Associate award only)

Your application will be peer-reviewed by a two-person panel. Whatever the outcome, you will receive detailed feedback.

UKCGE | Frequently Asked Questions

To complete your application, please ensure we receive a formal approval email sent directly from your Associate Dean Research, Innovation and Enterprise to researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk. This confirmation is required before your application can move to the final review stage.

For more information, to register your interest, or to discuss your application, please email Julia Taylor (Doctoral College) at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Please note: The Doctoral College will cover the cost of applications submitted by BU supervisors.

Application Deadlines

BU Window Closes: 9am, Monday 19 October

UKCGE Window Closes: Friday 23 October

Expected Outcome: January 2027

Complete applications should be submitted to Julia Taylor (Doctoral College) at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk by the above deadlines.

Supporting Workshop

Supervisory Lunchbite | UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor Award 

This session provides an introduction to the UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework and the two levels of recognition:

Recognised Supervisor (Full Award)

Recognised Associate Supervisor

Staff attending this session will be able to:

  • Understand the application process for UKCGE recognition (including deadlines and timescales)
  • Apply the UKCGE Best Practice Framework to their own supervisory experience
  • Appreciate the wide-ranging, highly complex and demanding set of roles that modern research supervisors undertake to perform the role effectively

Wednesday 16 September, 12-1pm

Online

Find out more and register here

Dr. Paul Whittington attends Technology and the SEND Reforms Roundtable in the House of Commons

Dr. Paul Whittington was invited to attend the Technology and SEND Reforms Roundtable at the House of Commons on Wednesday 8th July. The event was organised by Policy Connect through the All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology with the focus on the role of technology in SEND support and SEND teacher training incorporating technology and responsible AI. The session was held in a committee room within the Palace of Westminster and included a panel of experts from CENMAC, University of East London, LEP Academy Trust, TechEdology and Nasen, chaired by Peter Swallow MP.

The Roundtable discussed the recent work undertaken by the Department for Education since the 2019 Education Technology Strategy. This included assessments for assistive technology and meeting digital standards by using AI and teacher training. The Government has committed £200m to provide this training including funding assistive technology lending libraries in local authorities throughout the UK. This is an important area of research for pupils with SEND as suitable assistive technology can reduce barriers and enable more individual needs to be met. The event was also an opportunity for Dr. Paul Whittington to promote the EduAbility research conducted by the Department of Computing and Engineering, involving Professor Huseyin Dogan.

The EduAbility application provides assistive technology recommendations and training for pupils with disabilities as well as teachers, support staff and parents/carers. It is therefore closely related to the SEND Reforms. Following the development of the Android application in 2025, funding was awarded from the department’s Quality Research Fund for the iOS development of EduAbility. Since March 2026, the application has been converted to the Flutter platform that allows EduAbilty to be maintained for both Android and iOS simultaneously using a shared codebase format.

Now that the application is compatible for both Android and iOS, we will be publishing EduAbility on Apple Store and Google Play Store in Autumn 2026. This will initially be as a free application, with future potential to be a paid application to support ongoing development and maintenance. Policy Connect have expressed interest in EduAbility to promote the application through their networks, including the Schools within the EdTech Demonstrator Programme. It is anticipated that Dr. Paul Whittington will attend future events organised by Policy Connect within the domain of education and assistive technology.