Postgraduate Research Festival celebrates LJMU doctoral work

LJMU’s annual Postgraduate Research Festival brought 170 delegates together at the Student Life Building for a programme of talks, workshops and competitions. 

The 2024 festival theme imagined the doctoral journey as a ‘Wild Ride’, a cinematic adventure beset with obstacles to navigate. PGRs were asked to consider if their PhD was a film, which one would it be? Workshops explored the highs and lows of working in academia, the meanings of academic success and failure, how to enjoy the writing process and a survival guide for fieldwork.  

The keynote talk on ‘Academic Burnout: signs, symptoms and sympathy’ was delivered by neuroimmunology researcher Dr Yvonne Couch from the University of Oxford. 

At the heart of this event was the chance to share research and exchange ideas with peers from different disciplines and faculties.  

Over 50 PGRs presented posters while 14 presenters took part in a closely fought Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Professor Keith George who helped to judge the 3MT, closed the event by announcing the winners. 3MT winner Jessa Mae Canas from Engineering now goes through to the quarter finals of the UK 3MT competition in July, with her presentation on ‘Computational wear analysis of shoulder replacements’. 

Poster winners for the early-stage PGR category were Zoe Torsney (Education) and Emily Williams (Engineering). Mid and later-stage winners were Connie Pike (Justice Studies) and Zoe Bell (Sport and Exercise Sciences). 

For a full list of winners, runners-up, and People’s Choice awards, see the PGR Festival website. 

The organisation of the event was led by a team of dedicated PGR Festival Assistants – Remi Adetayo, Ingrid Boedker, Jamil Khazri, Elliot Mbeta, Irina Stadniciuc and Naomi Walsh - in collaboration with the Doctoral Academy.  The event also raised £450 for The Whitechapel Centre, thanks to a charity raffle organised by the planning team. 

Professor Julie Sheldon, Dean of LJMU’s Doctoral Academy said “This year’s PGR festival really was exceptional. The Organising Committee are to be congratulated for bringing together first-rate presenters and giving attendees a range of inspiring experiences. It is always terrific to see our PGRs sharing their research in such a collegiate and supportive environment.”