Blog posts

DoID Postdoc & Fellows Symposium 2025: science, fun and career development

by Maria Papangeli, Research Associate, Department of Infectious Disease

The first Postdoc and Fellows Symposium took place on Friday 14th of November 2025 at the White city campus. The initiative was organised by the postdoctoral representatives (David Carreno, Claire Dunican, Hannah Klim, Maria Papangeli, Katia Ribeiro de Jesus, Magdalena Szczesna) and champion (Alex McCarthy) of the Department of Infectious Disease (DoID), and it aimed to bring together postdocs and fellows from the 6 sections. It was a hugely successful event with great turnout that led to networking, showcasing of cutting-edge research, enjoying lunch with great views from the 12th floor of the Uren building and bringing out the competitive side of the participants with a team building quiz.

Student seminar series at the Abdus Salam Centre for Theoretical Physics

By Jaeha Park & Elias Van den Driessche, Department of Physics

The student seminar series is designed to give PhD students at the Abdus Salam Centre for Theoretical Physics an opportunity to present their ongoing research. As opposed to other seminars organised in the group, student seminars are organised in an accessible and informal setting. This gives an opportunity for PhD students and early-career postdocs to gain valuable experience in scientific communication, but also for MSc students and early-year PhD students to be exposed to the range of topics explored within the group.

The goal of the student seminars is far beyond individual talks.

The launch of the Imperial Women’s PhD Network

The Imperial Women’s PhD Network successfully launched with our networking event that welcomed women doctoral students from a range of different departments and campuses. This event provided a valuable opportunity for students to connect, share ideas, and learn more about the network’s aims and upcoming initiatives. The diversity of attendees reflected the network’s commitment to building a cross-disciplinary community.

Following the launch, the network was also represented at Imperial Lates: Lights, Colour, Action, where our committee member Shana Winston (PhD student, Department of Physics), with assistance from her colleague Xunuo Jiang (PhD student, Department of Physics) and committee member Lisa Coiffard (PhD student, Department of Computing), presented an exhibit titled “Women of Light.”

Doctoral Student Welcome Event 2025

On Wednesday 15 October, the Early Career Researcher Institute hosted a Doctoral Student Welcome Event on the South Kensington Campus!

This 2-hour event included:
  • A welcome from the Early Career Researcher Institute, Provost Professor Peter Haynes, and Imperial Union President Nico Henry.
  • A presentation on the programme of support offered by the Early Career Researcher Institute
  • A Q&A panel discussion with current doctoral students
  • Tea, coffee, cakes and an opportunity to network with other doctoral students
  • Support Services stands

It was fantastic to see so many of Imperial’s new doctoral students at this event and at the Doctoral Student Welcome event held at the White City Campus.

ECRI Awards and Celebration 2025

The Early Career Researcher Institute is delighted to share the highlights from this year’s ECRI Awards and Celebration, held on Tuesday 16 September 2025 at Eastside!

This event, held during Postdoc Appreciation Week, celebrated the outstanding contributions of Imperial’s postdocs and fellows, recognising their vital role in fostering a positive and supportive research environment. The celebration included a lunch, the ECRI Awards ceremony and an opportunity to network with colleagues from across Imperial.

Award Winners

Creating a Positive Research Environment Award

  • Zhenzhu Li – Department of Materials
  • Lyes Kahouadji – Department of Chemical Engineering

Supporting Research Staff and Students Award

  • Fabio De Sousa Ribeiro – Department of Computing

Postdoc and Fellows Reps Team Award

  • Department of Life Sciences: Julia Sanchez Garrido, Alex Cocker, Satya Prakash, Anna Bajur, Hannah Jagoe, Smitha Maretvadakethope, Rahwa Osman, Valentina Carannante, Jessica Williams and Katie Willis

Postdoc and Fellows Champions Award

  • Stella Pedrazzini – Department of Materials

The ECRI team would like to extend their congratulations to all winners, finalists and nominees – all of whom have had a positive impact on those around them and the research culture at Imperial.

Faculty of Medicine’s Rising Scientist Day

Rising Scientist Day is an event hosted by the Faculty of Medicine, celebrating the innovative research and achievements of postgraduate students. It provides a valuable platform for students to present their work, exchange ideas, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration across the scientific community.

The following post summarises key highlights and reflections from the day.

Yuan Wang, PhD Student

I was honoured to present my poster on how the gut microbiome modulates metabolic diseases through its metabolites. My research focuses on integrating metagenomic and metabolomic data to better understand host–microbiome interactions. It was an exciting opportunity to share my findings with peers and faculty, and I’m grateful to have received a prize for my work.

Our experience of the Early Academic Talks (EAT)

By Clara Finnigan, Postgraduate Student, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

Research is all about collaboration and communication. However, it can be daunting to meet new researchers, especially those outside of your immediate environment. We set up Early Academic Talks (EAT) to provide a space for Imperial Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to connect and present their research, helping break down barriers for collaboration and communication. Our fourth EAT session took place on Thursday, 24th of April.

This talk series is a cross-sectional initiative, aiming to oGer the opportunity for ECRs to meet and learn about the research at Imperial in a friendly and informal environment.