Postdoc Society
Queen's University Postdoc Society
The Postdoc Society is led by and made up of postdocs and research staff from all Faculties at Queen's. It was established in October 2022 to support Postdocs and Research Staff during their time at Queen's.
The society will play a crucial role in organising events and initiatives that promote networking between researchers across the institution and within their own Faculties, including social events, research-related events (seminars and symposia), specific interests groups etc. The society will also advocate for postdocs through their links with the PDC and other committees.
As a group, the society will also engage with students, as well as promoting the profiles of postdocs and their research to the public.
THE POSTDOC SOCIETY WELCOMES ALL POSTDOCS AND RESEARCH STAFF AT QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST.
Events and initiatives organised by the society are open to all research staff university-wide (Postdocs, fellows, research assistants, KTP etc.).
AIMS
As a society we aim to:
- Facilitate networking between Postdocs and Research Staff across the University
- Engage in outreach activities involving students at Queen's
- Promote and celebrate the importance of Postdocs and Research Staff in the University and to the public
CONTACT US
Get in touch with the Postdoc Society
If you have any ideas or queries for the Postdoc Society please feel free to contact us via email at PostdocSociety@qub.ac.uk.
Want to get involved?
If you would like to be involved in the Postdoc Society please contact us via email – we would love to hear from you!
EVENTS AND INITIATIVES
Date: 29/09/2023
Time: 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Location: The Whitla Hall, Queen's University Belfast
Category: Conference / Symposium
Date: 9/10/2023
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Location: The Canada Room & Council Chamber (Lanyon Building)
Category: Social, Workshop / Seminar / Course
Past Events
Date: 28/07/2023
Time: 1:00PM - 4:00PM
Location: The ice cream van will be parked between The Graduate School and the adjacent Quadrangle.
Category: General / Other
Date: 18/05/2023
Time: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Location: Old Staff Common Room, Lanyon Building (Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN)
Category: Training / Learning & Development, Workshop / Seminar / Course
Date: 2/05/2023
Time: 10:00AM - 11:30AM
Location: Old Staff Common Room (Lanyon Building)
Category: Social, Workshop / Seminar / Course
Date: 30/03/2023
Time: 7:00PM - 11:00PM
Location: The Parlour Bar
Category: Social
Date: 31/01/2023
Time: 10:30AM - 1:00PM
Location: Canada Room and Council Chamber, Lanyon Building
Category: Social
MEET THE SOCIETY - WHO ARE WE?
The Postdoc Society is led by and made up of postdocs and research staff from across Queen's University Belfast.
Co-chairs are Dr Danielle Logan, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences and Dr Alex Lucas, School of Arts, English and Languages. The Secretary for the group is Dr Duncan Wells, School of Biological Sciences. All three Faculties (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Engineering and Physical Sciences and Medicine, Health and Life Sciences) are represented by postdocs within the society.
Find out more about who we are below. (More profiles coming soon!)
Dr Danielle Logan, Co-Chair of the Postdoc Society
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
From being a student at Queen’s University from 2011 to 2020, and now a member of staff, Danielle can truly say Queen’s University is a brilliant place to be! Danielle’s research interests are health and nutrition and thus she is currently working as a Postdoc at the Centre for Public Health on various nutrition related projects.
Danielle decided to join the Postdoc Society as she thought it would be a brilliant opportunity to network with other Postdocs from different Faculties. Danielle is very excited to Co-chair the Postdoc Society, and looks forward to networking, supporting, and representing Postdocs at Queen’s University.
Dr Alex Lucas, Co-Chair of the Postdoc Society
School of Arts, English and Languages
Alex is a former Product Designer who has a passion for accessibility and intuitive user experience design; this interest led him into accessible music technology research.
Alex joined the Postdoc Society to connect with fellow researchers at Queen's. He hopes to use the society as a way to develop a critical understanding of the Universities' wider social, environmental and cultural impact.
Dr Duncan Wells, Secretary of the Postdoc Society
School of Biological Sciences
Duncan is a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Biological Sciences with a focus on human and animal diseases caused by parasitic worms. His PhD was an investigation into the nervous system of an economically significant parasite and how this might be exploited for new control strategies.
Duncan looks forward to providing organisation for the Postdoc Society as the Secretary. Beyond that, Duncan is excited at the prospect of engaging with postdocs across the University.
Dr Karim Ahmadi Dastgerdi
School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Karim is a post-doctoral research fellow in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He graduated in aerospace engineering in the field of flight control and dynamics.
Karim's research interests are Path-planning algorithms, non-linear control, and robust/adaptive control. Karim is happy to share his experience with anyone who is interested in a postdoc career.
Dr Raheleh Amirkhah
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
Raheleh has been postdoc at Queen’s University from July 2019 and works as a bioinformatician and cancer researcher in the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research (PGJCCR).
Raheleh joined the Postdoc Society to contribute by helping with and participating in different activities. She believes that being involved in Postdoc Society activities can be extremely rewarding in different ways such as networking and developing many soft skills.
Dr Iraklis Argyriou
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Iraklis has a keen interest in seeing society becoming a more sustainable place. His postdoctoral research at Queen's University Belfast relates to the development of carbon free local bus transportation systems.
Iraklis has joined the Postdoc Society with a view to interacting with diverse researchers from QUB for networking, learning, and sharing.
Dr Sarah Baxter
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
Sarah completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate research degree at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast. Sarah’s research interests are in use and effects of medications at the population level. She is currently working within the cancer epidemiology research group in the Centre for Public Health.
Sarah joined the Postdoc Society to network with fellow researchers at Queen's and to gain insight into the broader University environment.
Dr Stella Omokhefe Bruce
School of Biological Sciences
Originally from Nigeria, Stella is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences, with the focus on Synergistic antimicrobial activity of medicinal plants against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Bacteria. Her specialty is Phytopharmacology in the Department of Pharmacognosy and Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Stella decided to join the Postdoc Society in order to collaborate and network with other postdocs from different facilities, and for the opportunity to develop professional and academic skills.
Dr Bakul Budhiraja
School of Natural and Built Environment
Bakul is a post-doctoral research fellow at the School of Natural and Built Environment (Environmental Change and Resilience). Bakul‘s research interests are urban climate, geospatial science and climate equity.
Bakul is currently working on Nature Based solutions for renaturing urban spaces to address air pollution and urban climate issues. Bakul joined the postdoc society to build new connections and engage with the vibrant research community at QUB.
Dr Lisa Douglas
School of Pharmacy
Lisa originally trained as a Pharmacist before returning to Queen's to undertake her PhD studies and is currently working as a research fellow in the School of Pharmacy. Her research focusses on investigating novel therapeutic strategies for chronic airways diseases including cystic fibrosis and COPD.
As a member of the Postdoc Society, Lisa is excited to connect with other researchers and hopes to contribute to the society making a positive impact on research life at QUB.
Dr Omololu Fagunwa
School of Pharmacy
Omololu is a microbial scientist by training and is currently a research fellow within the Pharmaceutical Microbiology Group chaired by Professor Gilmore in the School of Pharmacy. His research at QUB explores the use of microneedles as a novel drug delivery system to bypass microbe’s perturbation and hence prevent antibiotic resistance.
Omololu joined the Postdoc Society to network with other researchers and to support the society in achieving its aims and vision. He is happy to share experiences and insights with anyone who may be considering research either at PhD or Postdoc levels.
Dr Elias Gerstmayr
School of Mathematics and Physics
Elias is a postdoc in the School of Maths and Physics at Queen's researching laser-matter interactions. Having moved multiple times during his studies and again as a postdoc he came to appreciate how important clubs and societies are to build a social network, and how they contribute to the overall experience and wellbeing of new joiners and long-term members alike.
This encouraged Elias to join the postdoc society to help create a vibrant and inclusive environment for researchers at Queen’s.
Dr Minchen Liu
School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work
Min is a former doctoral student from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, who then transitioned into working at Queen's as a Research Fellow since 2021. She has worked on a variety of interdisciplinary research projects such as Cancer Caring Coping, Language Provision in UK's Further Education, Language Trends Wales 2022, and ARK's Public Attitudes.
Min is happy to share her experience with anyone who is interested in a postdoc career.
Dr Emma Loudon
School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work (SSESW)
Emma is a postdoctoral research fellow in SSESW currently working in the Queen's Communities and Place initiative. Her PhD was a social phenomenological study on the experience of families living with parental mental illness.
Emma's key research interests include mental illness and well-being and innovative methodologies for participatory research with children, young people, families, and communities.
Dr Sudhir Malla
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
Sudhir (also known around as ‘Sid’) has been a Queen’s student since 2017 before completing his studies with a doctoral degree in 2022. Now, Sid works at the Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Dunne Lab.
By joining the Postdoc Society, Sudhir hopes to network with the wider community (both fellow postdocs and research/technical staff) from different disciplines. He is also keen to give back to the community on what he has learned during his time within Queen’s, and he is eager to learn and expand his horizons from other members.
Dr Ben McAteer
School of Natural and Built Environment
Ben is a postdoc researcher in the School of Natural and Built Environment. Having developed an interest in learning more about how spaces and places are created, Ben began a PhD in Planning at QUB in 2017. His current research examines the role of communities in conserving the maritime environment.
Ben joined the Postdoc society to engage with researchers beyond his discipline and to better understand different approaches to creating impact through research.
Dr Yara Naser
School of Pharmacy
Yara is a Pharmacist by education and training and has always been passionate about research. She joined the School of Pharmacy at Queen's in 2019 as a PhD student and graduated in May 2022. She started her postdoc just before her viva, working on microneedles to overcome the challenges of conventional drug delivery methods.
Yara joined the Postdoc Society to connect with fellow researchers at QUB. She aspires to use the society as a platform to get involved in the university's broader social, environmental, and cultural aspects.
Dr Prabhath Piyasena
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
Prabhath is a postdoctoral research fellow in Global Eye Health in the Centre for Public Health. He worked as a clinical ophthalmologist and a national level health policy reviewer and completed a Master’s and a Doctorate in Public Health Ophthalmology.
Prabhath aims to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment in Low and Middle-Income Countries, aligning with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prabhath joined the Postdoc Society to improve multidisciplinary networking among the early career researchers at QUB.