This event provided a platform for PhD students to showcase their research. First year students presented a poster, while second and third years gave short talks. The week began with the Understanding Health and Disease theme, and an excellent diversity of talks and topics ranging from molecular biology through to whole animal systems. This was followed by the Sustaining Ecosystems and Biodiversity research theme presentations on the Wednesday, during which the presentations revealed the grand challenges and important research being addressed within this area. The week ended with the Agri-Food Systems and Human Nutrition theme during which we heard about the research informing future farming and new developments in nutrition for human health.

In a celebration of student success, the event also had awards for the best presentation across each year for each of the three research themes. This involved a peer voting system whereby students judged who should receive an award. Congratulations to all those who received an award.

Agri-Food Systems and Human Nutrition:

• Year One Poster Presentation – Kieran Robertson
• Year Two Presentation – Emmet Campbell
• Year Three Presentation – Alysha Thompson

Sustaining Ecosystems and Biodiversity:

• Year One Poster Presentation – Ellen Dolan/Darragh Melaugh/Helena Scullion
• Year Two Presentation – Rebecca Cummins
• Year Three Presentation – George Brown

Understanding Health and Disease:

• Year One Poster Presentation – Nicole Glendinning
• Year Two Presentation – Fintan McMahon
• Year Three Presentation – Sian Cairns

Related to presentations, congratulations also go to PhD student Emily Legge who won the university three minute thesis competition and will now represent the university at the national level competition.

 

The event ended with an engaging and topical panel discussion on ‘Conference Chronicles: Navigating presentations and sharing experiences’. The panel, made up of academics from a range of career stages within the school, shared their advice and experiences of preparing for and attending and presenting at conferences. This topic sparked great discussion with the PhD student audience. This provided the ideal way to end the symposium as one of its key aims was to provide a supportive stepping stone platform for students to gain presentation experience that will be an asset when presenting at future academic conferences. 

 

Thanks to all those PhD students who participated, as well as all those involved in organising the event, including the Deputy research theme leads, Dr Simon Cameron, Dr Julianne Megaw and Dr Katerina Theodoridou and the PGR team, Sorina Radulescu, Peter Millar, and Claire Henry, with support from our school manager, Siobhan Fitzsimons.