Tagged / Postgraduate Research

PhD Viva Success!

PG research, student research, Women's Academic Network

Congratulations to Dr. Assemgul Kozhabek on getting her Doctorate. She successfully passed her PhD Viva defense with the thesis entitled:

Complex Urban Road Networks: Static Structures and Dynamic Processes

The examiners commended her on her solid theoretical knowledge. Her PhD was match-funded by BCP and involved collaboration with University of Cambridge.

Over her PhD journey, besides publications, she has also been active; participating and presenting in different events (e.g., Alan Turing Institute Data Study Group, Dorset COP 2024), won multiple awards (including twice OpenBright awards and two consecutive BCS GreenIT competitions) and awarded Scholarship for Events on Complex Systems from the Young Researchers of the Complex Systems Society (yrC-SS).

Supervisors: Dr Wei Koong Chai and Prof. Vasilis Katos.

Congratulations!

 

3MT Competition – Applications open

PG research

The Doctoral College is excited to host the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition at BU for the very first time! Originally developed by the University of Queensland in 2008, 3MT® is an internationally renowned research communication challenge. It challenges doctoral researchers to condense their thesis into a compelling three-minute presentation, communicating its originality and significance to a non-specialist audience.

On Wednesday 26 March we will have four parallel sessions, one for each Faculty, to select the 2 finalists to advance to the final round, which will take place in the afternoon. The winner will take part in the national competition run by Vitae.

More information about the history of 3MT® can be found on the Vitae and 3MT® websites.

Eligibility

Active PhD and Professional Doctorate Research candidates who have successfully passed their Probationary Review (including candidates whose thesis is under submission/examination) by the date of their presentation (26 March 2025) are eligible to participate. Graduates are not eligible.
Please Note: MRes/MPhil students and students on interruption are NOT ELIGIBLE to enter the 3MT Competition.

Competition Rules

Make sure you read the international 3MT® rules before applying.

In order to allow all our P/T and remote PGRs to take part, if unable to attend in-person a pre-recorded video will be accepted, in line with the 3MT® rules.

Prizes

  • 1st prize: £150 voucher
  • 2nd prize: £100 voucher
  • 3rd prize: £50 voucher
  • People’s Choice winner: £50 voucher

Key dates

  • Applications open 15 January 2025
  • Applications close 28 February 2025 (midnight)
  • 3MT Competition: 26 March (10:00-12:00: First round and 13:00-14:30: Final round – timing TBC)

Why should I take part?

  • Develop your presentation and public speaking skills.
  • Networking opportunities.
  • Raise your own researcher profile.
  • Prizes to be won.
  • The winner will represent Bournemouth University at the National Vitae 3MT competition.

Apply here

Further information available on Brightspace.

Registration to attend will open in March.

 

Best wishes,

The RDP Team

Doctoral College PGR Research Culture and Community Grant – Apply Now!

PG research

The Doctoral College is delighted to launch the second round of funding for the PGR Research Culture and Community Grant (RCCG).

This grant is intended to support PGR-led activity across researcher development, research culture and research community building initiatives. It can be used to fund a social event, training activity, analysis workshop, digital skills session, writing session or other activity to enhance the PGR experience. In addition to community building, the purpose of the grant is to enable PGRs to gain transferable skills and experience in planning, organising, promoting and implementing such activities.

A successful event that took place during the first round of funding, was “Culture on a Plate”, organised by Bohan Liu from BUBS. Read on to learn about Bohan’s experience and how this event has had a positive impact on the PGR community:

On 11th December 2024, Bournemouth University’s PGR community came together for the much-anticipated “Culture on a Plate” event, a celebration of cultural diversity through food.

The event brought together over 40 attendees from various departments, showcasing a vibrant array of home-cooked dishes that reflected traditions from around the world. Each dish carried a unique story, sparking meaningful conversations and creating a deeper appreciation for the cultural richness within our community. The enthusiasm of participants was heartwarming, with many praising the event and suggesting it become a regular tradition at BU. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the 21 contributors who shared their culinary creations and the individuals who kindly provided recipes for everyone to try at home. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to connect through shared meals and cultural stories.

For me, organising this event was an incredibly enriching experience. It helped me develop essential skills in event management, cross-cultural communication, and community building. It was both challenging and rewarding to see the joy and sense of belonging it brought to our PGR community.

I am deeply grateful to the BU Doctoral College for their support and funding, without which this event would not have been possible. Many thanks go to Enrica Conrotto and the staff from the Doctoral College, whose efforts were instrumental in bringing this event to life. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Professor Dimitrios, whose guidance and encouragement played a crucial role in shaping the success of this event.

This joyful gathering, held just before the Christmas holiday and New Year, was more than just a celebration of food. It was a spark of passion for inclusivity and connection, one that I hope will continue to grow and inspire the BU community into the coming year.

This experience has been immensely fulfilling and has reaffirmed the importance of fostering a collaborative PGR community. I hope this forum marks the beginning of more initiatives aimed at empowering BU researchers to achieve academic excellence and make meaningful contributions to their fields.

Bohan Liu (BUBS)

We hope this event has inspired you and perhaps has given you some ideas to submit an application for this second round of funding.

If you would like to apply, full details can be found on the Doctoral College Brightspace, including the application form.

  • Applications opened Monday 13 January 2025
  • Applications close Monday 24 February 2025

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting your application, please contact:

pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

 

Doctoral College PGR Research Culture and Community Grant – Applications Open

PG research

The Doctoral College is delighted to offer a second round of funding for the PGR Research Culture and Community Grant (RCCG). This grant is intended to support PGR-led activity across researcher development, research culture and research community building initiatives.

This grant can be used to fund a social event, training activity, analysis workshop, digital skills session, writing session or other activity to enhance the PGR journey experience. In addition to community building, the purpose of the grant is to enable PGRs to gain transferable skills and experience in planning, organising, promoting and implementing such activities.

Several events supported by the first round of funding took place in December 2024, including ‘Building Your Research Toward High-Quality Manuscripts’ forum, organised by Shadeepa Karunarathne and Aashish John from the Faculty of Science and Technology.

We are pleased to share Shadeepa’s experience and thoughts following on from the successful running of his RCCG funded event:

As I near the final stages of my PhD journey at Bournemouth University, I felt inspired to give back to the community that has supported me over the years. Recognizing the challenges many postgraduate researchers (PGRs) face in producing high-quality manuscripts, I initiated a forum titled “Building Your Research Toward High-Quality Manuscripts – Guidance from the Highest Ranked BU Scientists.” This event aimed to bridge the gaps in collaboration and offer practical guidance to help PGRs elevate their research output.

The forum brought together some of BU’s top-performing academics to share insights on critical aspects of academic publishing, including structuring manuscripts, conducting effective literature reviews, addressing facility limitations, and navigating the peer-review process. I am immensely grateful to Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Dr Hari Pandey, Prof. Jian Zhang, and Prof. Matthew Bennett, who generously shared their expertise as resource people, making the sessions incredibly insightful and impactful. Their guidance offered participants actionable strategies to refine their research and produce manuscripts worthy of high-ranking journals.

Organizing this forum was a first for me, and I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of Aashish John, my co-organizer, whose collaboration was instrumental. My sincere thanks also go to Enrica Conrotto and the Doctoral College for their guidance on planning and execution, as well as the PGR Community and Culture Grant for funding the initiative.

The response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, with a full house of 40 participants and glowing feedback highlighting its relevance and practicality. Many attendees emphasized how beneficial it was and expressed a desire for more such sessions in the future.

Shadeepa Karunarathne (FST)

If you would like to apply for the new round of funding, full details can be found on the Doctoral College Brightspace, including the application form.

  • Applications opened Monday 13 January 2025
  • Applications close Monday 24 February 2025

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting your application please contact:

pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

The Doctoral College

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

Register to attend | The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference

The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 2024 will take place on Wednesday 27 November, and registrations are open!

We are excited to share with you that the full conference brochure is now available.

The programme of the day will be as follows:
09:00 – 10:00 Poster Exhibition| FG06 & FG07
10:00 Opening Remarks | Dr Fiona Knight & Dr Julia Taylor, Heads of the Doctoral College | Share LT
10:05 – 10:15 Welcome from the Vice-Chancellor | Professor Alison Honour | Share LT
10:15 – 11:15 Session 1 Oral Presentations | Share LT
11:15 – 11:30 Comfort break
11:30 – 12:30 Session 2 Oral Presentations | Share LT
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Break & Poster Viewings | FG06 & FG07
13:30 – 13:35 Welcome from the Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Exchange | Professor Sarah Bate | Share LT
13:35 – 14:15 Keynote speaker | Professor Mary Davis (Oxford Brookes University) | Research integrity in the age of AI | Share LT
14:15 – 15:15 Session 3 Oral Presentations | Share LT
15:15 – 15:25 Comfort break
15:25 – 16:25 Session 4 Oral Presentations | Share LT
16:30 Closing Remarks

Conference brochure

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

 

SUNRISE for sustainability research event – Wednesday 23rd October

Join us on Wednesday for the SUNRISE event, the final and largest event of a series of interactive hybrid events designed to celebrate sustainability research.

The SUNRISE project is a collaborative initiative between BU and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), funded by The British Council. The project aims to enhance UK-Malaysian Higher Education cooperation by fostering innovation, research collaboration and sustainable mobility.

The event will run from 8:30-11am on Wednesday 23rd October in F104 and on Zoom, with a light breakfast provided for those joining in person.

The main focus of the event is around enhancing research capacity. We will begin by celebrating the sustainability projects of BU PGR and USM, as they present their innovative work.

In addition, attendees will participate in discussion panels, sharing what inspires them about sustainability, reflecting on their experiences, and exploring potential opportunities to connect and collaborate with fellow students and colleagues.

We welcome those doing sustainability-focused research and anyone else who is passionate about sustainability: faculty members, students of all levels, alumni, and individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds.

The session will culminate with the launch of the SUNRISE Sustainability Champion Award introduced by the BU Sustainability team to recognise and celebrate students’ contributions to sustainability within their BU experience.

Please complete the registration form or scan the QR code below to reserve your place at the event.

The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Call for abstracts

PG research

The Doctoral College is hosting the 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference in November and the call for abstracts is now open. 

The conference is a great opportunity to showcase and promote your research, whether you have just started, or you are approaching the end of your journey at BU.

Attending the conference offers a fantastic chance to engage and network with the postgraduate research community and find out more about the exciting and fascinating research that is happening across BU.

Postgraduate researchers (PGRs) are invited to submit their abstracts to present their research via oral or poster presentation:

Application Form and Guidance.

Closing date for submissions: Monday 21 October 09:00.

Registration to attend will open in November. The event will be open to all BU members and external participants.

Event details

Date of conference: Wednesday 27 November (all day)

Location: Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

View posters from last year’s Postgraduate Research Conference.

For any queries, please email pgconference@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Upcoming 3C Event – PGR Culture, Community & Cheeseburgers

PG research

Don’t miss out on your chance to book onto our upcoming 3C event!

We hope you have had a restful summer. To welcome you back to the new academic year, the Doctoral College are inviting all PGRs, Supervisors and RDP facilitators to this 3C event!

For this special welcome back 3C event, we are swapping out the usual cake for cheeseburgers! Reconnect with your PGR community whilst enjoying a cheeseburger in the Talbot Campus courtyard, opposite Weymouth House.

Let’s foster collaboration, support and networking!

Click here for further information and to register. 

 

Postgraduate Research Summer Social – 1 WEEK TO GO

PG research

1 WEEK TO GO until to The Doctoral College Postgraduate Research Summer Social! Hosted at the delightful Branksome Dene Room, situated in a stunning location that overlooks the beach with amazing views of the sea to Old Harry Rocks.

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

The Doctoral College PGR events at Branksome Dene Room are always a huge success so we hope you can make it.

We are pleased to offer a BBQ style lunch menu including sausages and burgers (vegetarian/vegan options available), a salad bar, teas, coffees and mocktails! You are also welcome to bring your own refreshments to enjoy.

Don’t miss out, book your ticket now!

Ticket: £5

If you have any questions, please do get in touch:

Arabella Moyse [Doctoral College Marketing & Events Coordinator] –

DoctoralCollege@bournemouth.ac.uk

Twitter: @BUDocCollege | #BUDoctoralCollege

Postgraduate Research Summer Social – TICKETS ON SALE

PG research

Tickets are now on sale! The Doctoral College is hosting the Summer Social for the Postgraduate Research community at the delightful Branksome Dene Room. Situated in a stunning location that overlooks the beach, with amazing views of the sea to Old Harry Rocks.

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

The Doctoral College PGR events at Branksome Dene Room are always a huge success so we hope you can make it.

We are pleased to offer a BBQ style lunch menu including sausages and burgers (vegetarian/vegan options available), a salad bar, teas, coffees and mocktails! You are also welcome to bring your own refreshments to enjoy.

Booking and event details can be found here.

Ticket: £5

If you have any questions, please do get in touch:

Arabella Moyse [Doctoral College Marketing & Events Coordinator]

DoctoralCollege@bournemouth.ac.uk

Twitter: @BUDocCollege | #BUDoctoralCollege

Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2024 – Closing today

PG research

Still time to have your say

Final call for PGRs to complete this year’s Advance HE Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) which closes today!

Don’t miss the chance to tell us about your experience at Bournemouth University by taking part in the Advance HE Postgraduate Research Experience Survey which closes on Thursday 16 May 2024 at 23:59. We are keen to make sure our PGRs have the best possible experience while studying at Bournemouth University. To do this, we need to know what you think works well and what as a university we could do better.

So far 44% of PGRs at BU have taken part in the survey. A huge THANK YOU to those who have submitted feedback, we are really grateful for your responses!

If you have not completed the survey, please complete this by accessing the unique link that has been emailed to you from the Doctoral College. This has been sent to both your student and staff email.  

Once you have completed the survey:

  • Prize draw – upon completing the survey, you will automatically be entered into a free prize draw. Four winners will be able to claim a £50 shopping voucher. Terms and conditions apply.
  • BU Chartwells voucher – you are entitled to claim a voucher worth £3.20 to use at any BU Chartwells outlet. Please come to the Doctoral College (DLG08, Talbot Campus) to collect your voucher. If you are unable to find your screenshot showing you have completed the survey, do to worry, just come to the office and we will get your voucher to you.

In addition, we will be making a £1 donation for every survey completed to the student mental health wellbeing charity, Student Minds.

The survey is anonymous and will only take around 15 minutes.

Please take part this year and share your experience of being a student with us. If you have any difficulties or questions about the survey, please email PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

1 WEEK REMAINING- Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2024

PG research

1 week to go till the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey closes! 

We need to know what you think works well and what as a university we could do better.

So far 32% of PGRs at BU have taken part in the survey. A huge THANK YOU to those who have submitted feedback.

If you have not completed the survey, please complete this by accessing the unique link that has been emailed to you from the Doctoral College. This has been sent to both your student and staff email.  

Once you have completed the survey:

  • Prize draw – upon completing the survey, you will automatically be entered into a free prize draw. Four winners will be able to claim a £50 shopping voucher. Terms and conditions apply.
  • BU Chartwells voucher – you are entitled to claim a voucher worth £3.20 to use at any BU Chartwells outlet. Please come to the Doctoral College (DLG08, Talbot Campus) to collect your voucher. If you are unable to find your screenshot showing you have completed the survey, do to worry, just come to the office and we will get your voucher to you.

In addition, we will be making a £1 donation for every survey completed to the student mental health wellbeing charity, Student Minds.

The survey closes on Thursday 16 May. It is anonymous and will only take around 15 minutes.

While the survey is open, we send out multiple emails containing your unique link to submit your feedback. Since the survey is anonymous, we will not know who has completed it and who has not. For this reason, these emails automatically go out to everyone, regardless of whether you have completed the survey or not. If you have completed the survey, please disregard future emails you receive for this year’s PRES.

Please take part this year and share your experience of being a student with us. If you have any difficulties or questions about the survey, please email PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

Studying for M.Res. in CMWH

international, PG research, Student Engagement, student research

Now accepting research students in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

A Master’s by Research (M.Res.) is a great introduction to the research process, enabling the student to explore a specific area under the supervision of experienced researchers. It contains little or no formal taught component. This type of study gives you the chance to explore a research topic over a shorter time than a more in-depth Ph.D.  M.Res. students can undertake a one year full-time or two years part-time Master’s degree.  For more details see here.

CMWH is currently accepting MRes (and PhD) applications in the following areas:

Early / latent phase labour (Prof. Vanora Hundley)

Infant feeding (Asso. Prof. Catherine Angell)

Pain management, pain education, musculoskeletal and pelvic pain,  pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, women’s health (Prof. Carol Clark)

Women’s health in a changing global climate (Dr. Becky Neall)

Drowning prevention in  low-and-middle-income countries (Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen)

Cardiometabolic health during pre-conception and pregnancy (Dr. Sumanto Haldar)

Exercise and pregnancy (Dr. Malika Felton)

Chronic musculoskeletal pain, lifestyle factors, human metabolism, and the use of data science in the pain field (Dr. Omer Elma)

Women’s alcohol consumption and nutritional status (Dr. Chloe Casey)

Nutrition in women’s health (including LGBT+ populations) (Dr. Sarah Hillier)