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Blog

Welcome to the Thomas J. Graduate School Blog, which will be regularly updated with thoughts, opinions and experiences from Graduate School students, staff and community assistants, covering everything from academia to student wellbeing. If you have an idea for a blog you'd like to share, contact: andrew.maguire@qub.ac.uk

Supporting Mental Health as an International Postgraduate: A Compassionate Guide
By Sijie Mou | 9 May, 2025

Community assistant Sijie Mou shares what she has learned about wellbeing here at Queen's. She gently empahsises that it's okay to ask for help, and points you in the right direction.

Campus to Coastline: A PhD Student’s Adventures in Belfast and Beyond
Tianyang Sun on the joys of discovering NI. | 2 April, 2025

Since moving to Belfast, Tianyang Sun has discovered the joys of exploring Belfast and Northern Ireland's landscapes, hidden gems, and vibrant food scene.

Paris, Thirty Years On: Impacts That Last
By Professor Colin McCoy |

This month, Colin McCoy, Dean of the Graduate School, reflects on a transformative chapter in his life: moving to Paris for a postdoc with Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Lehn at the Collège de France.

The Thomas J Moran Graduate School

At a ceremony during the Agreement 25 conference in April 2023, The Graduate School at Queen’s University Belfast was officially renamed The Thomas J Moran Graduate School.

1-2-1 Consultations at the TJM Graduate School
by Dr Abbie Edgar | 22 May, 2024

The postgraduate journey can be both exciting and overwhelming, and at the Thomas J. Moran Graduate School, we understand the importance of tailored support to ensure the holistic development of all our postgraduate students.

The Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival and Me
By Tianpeng Yao |

Tianpeng Yao is a PhD candidate in Film Studies at Queen's University Belfast, focusing his research on the audio-visual representation of Eastern philosophical symbols. He founded the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival (1-2 May 2024 at the QFT).

Chinese New Year
1 February, 2024

The Thomas J. Moran Graduate School plays host to many cultural celebrations, given its diverse postgraduate community, like Dwali and Chinese New Year. This gives postgraduate students an opportunity to share their culture with their peers.

Christmas at QUB as an International Student

Hear from a few members of the international postgraduate community about how they make the most of the festive season.

Gulnahar Begum: Advice from a Community Assistant

Gulnahar Begum describes her role as a Graduate School Community Assistant and gives an insight into what the Thomas J. Moran Graduate School has to offer to students.

Life as a Graduate Intern
Megan Kelly shares her experiences |

Megan Kelly has experienced the Thomas J. Moran Graduate School as a student, a Community Assistant and a Graduate Intern. She shares her experiences.

Welcome Week at The Graduate School

Md Salah Uddin explains the benefits he’s enjoyed during previous Welcome Weeks, both from his perspective as a student and a Graduate School Community Assistant.

Gradstonbury 2023

We can't wait for our very first Gradstonbury on August 10th at the Wee Bar in the SU and are delighted to be able to announce our first three performers.

PGLI: LGBTQ+ Art Events

Today, as we celebrate the Belfast Pride Parade, we're looking at how, the recently created LGBTQ+ Postgraduate Group at Queen's, have availed of the PGLI programme throughout the last year, and how other students can do the same.

Practice Makes Perfect Viva

Much of the life cycle of a PhD is occupied with deep research, but at the end of the journey there lies the ‘Viva voce’ - an oral exam where the PhD student discusses and defends their thesis to an independent, internal and external examiner.

What I learned at The Graduate School

Caitlin Trainor will soon leave her role as a Community Assistant, as she moves on to a career in Law. As she prepares to leave, she shares a few thoughts on what she's learned in her time here.

"An Environmental Awakening"
How a Part-time Gardening course led to a PhD |

Harry McGuigan talks to The Graduate School about his journey with Queen's, his PhD, and his new career.

Impact Celebration

A proud group of participants from The Fostering Network’s Step Up Step Down programme celebrated their achievements at Queen’s University Belfast on Monday 12th June, after completing the The Impact Programme delivered by The Graduate School.

Postgrad Pen Pals: Ann and David Part Two

Welcome to Postgraduate Pen Pals, a blog series which pairs together two PGR students and invites them to have a conversation via MS Teams Chat Box about their studies, their research, and their postgraduate experience.

Postgrad Pen Pals: Ann and David Part One

Welcome to Postgraduate Pen Pals, a blog series which pairs together two PGR students and invites them to have a conversation via MS Teams Chat Box about their studies, their research, and their postgraduate experience.

Postgrad Pen Pals
with Janine and Wanqi | 3 June, 2023

Welcome to Postgraduate Pen Pals, a blog series which pairs together two PGR students and invites them to have a conversation via MS Teams Chat Box about their studies, their research, and their postgraduate experience.

Taking control of my research story with the Three Minute Thesis Competition
18 May, 2023

Research and Culture is on the horizon, and as always one of the main aspects of this years celebration is the three minute thesis competition. In our latest blog, recent PhD Graduate, Megan Kelly describes her 3MT experience.

How to prepare fieldwork outside the UK for international students
4 May, 2023

For international PhD students needing to collect data from interviews for linguistic research, preparing for fieldwork outside the UK can be complicated and time-consuming. Here, Graduate School Community Assistant, Sijie Mou shares her experience.

How I spent my Easter break
17 April, 2023

As a student, it can be easy to get caught up in the demands of academic work and extracurricular activities. With so many responsibilities to juggle, it can feel like there's no time to take a break and look after your own wellbeing.

Why it's important to have a student community
20 March, 2023

Every story written by PhD students can be colourful, messy, or a mixture or the two. As an international student, I came to QUB full of passion and expectations. Of course, as every story goes, I have encountered various challenges...

A brief history of LGBTQ+ communities at QUB
3 March, 2023

As LGBTQ+ History Month comes to a close, Kerry Campbell, one of the founders of PLUS (an LGBTQ+ group for postgraduates at QUB) provides a brief snapshot of LGBTQ+ history and initiatives and communities at Queen’s.

10 annoying questions you'll be asked as a postgrad
27 February, 2023

Every postgraduate has experienced conversations where friends or family ask annoying questions about their degree. They usually go something like this...

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