Blog posts

Finding calm and connection through pottery painting: ECR Community Fund – DIDE PhD Student Social Pottery

by Kate Turpie, PhD Student, School of Public Health

On Tuesday 5 May 2026, students from the Department of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology (DIDE) gathered for a wellbeing-focused pottery painting social. The two-hour session invited PhD students to step away from their research and enjoy an evening of creativity, conversation, and relaxation together.

Hosted at a local pottery studio, the event gave students the opportunity to paint and personalise their own pottery pieces, which would later be glazed and fired in the kiln to take home. Alongside light snacks and lemonade, the session created a calm and welcoming atmosphere where students could connect outside of their usual academic environment.

Wellbeing & Networking for AI4Health & Computing PhD researcher community

by Noura Ezaz-Nikpay and Britta Ross

The AI4Health & Computing PhD researcher community is diverse and full of brilliant researchers whose work is shaping the future of digital health and computing. We hosted a Wellbeing & Networking Session to help this vibrant group stay connected and supported. During the activity, we encouraged conversation about the shared joys and challenges of doing a PhD, and highlighted the importance of wellbeing in the PhD journey. For students new to the programme, midway through their research, or approaching the finish line, this was a space to slow down and reconnect.

A Focus on Wellbeing: At the heart of the session was the expert talk from our Wellbeing Advisor, Grazia Troiano, who shared insights and practical strategies for maintaining balance and mental wellbeing throughout doctoral research.

Figuring Out ‘What’s Next?’: Academic Women Association Intentional Careers Workshop Helps Researchers Plan Their Next Career Steps

by Alice Francis, Gemma Fisher and Lee Sykes

The Academic Women’s Association (AWA) joined forces with the Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) to host the first event of the year: an Intentional Careers workshop led by award-winning career coach, author and STEM scientist Dr Hannah Roberts on 2nd March 2026.

The motivation for the workshop came from findings in the 2025 LMS Athena survey, which highlighted that a higher proportion of women reported feeling uncertain about their next career steps compared with men. The event aimed to create space for reflection and provide practical strategies to help researchers approach career decisions with greater clarity and intention.

ECRI Distinguished Guest Lecture Recap

ECRI Inaugral Guest Lecture with Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FREng FRS, Vice-President (Research & Innovation) and ARM Professor of Computer Engineering at King’s College London : Rethinking Research: The Role of Humans in Scientific Discovery in the Age of LLMs*

On Wednesday 4 February 2026, ECRI hosted its inaugural guest lecture featuring Professor Sir Bashir M. Al Hashimi CBE, who delivered a thought-provoking talk on The Role of Humans in Scientific Discovery in the Age of LLMs.

The event brought together over 100 researchers for an engaging and highly stimulating session that actively challenged assumptions and sparked fresh perspectives on the future of scientific research and doctoral training in an AI-driven world.

Mindful Scientific Writing Workshop

by Vivienne Groner, Research Associate in Microclimate Modelling, Department of Life Sciences 

Writing sits at the heart of academic life. It is how we shape ideas, apply for funding, progress in our careers, and share our work with the world. Yet for many of us, writing feels heavy – something to squeeze in between experiments, meetings, and deadlines. It is rarely taught as a skill to be practised mindfully or sustainably; more often, it is something we dread, delay, or approach under pressure. In an increasingly competitive academic environment, writing can all too easily become a source of stress, burnout, and self-doubt.

Becoming a Successful Postdoc – Previous Attendees Feedback

Following the completion of the previous Becoming a Successful Postdoc residential in May 2025 we asked attendees to share their thoughts and feedback on the session. Below you will find some comments and images they shared. Please note the course was then known as Making the Most of Your Postdoc and has since changed name although the content remains the same:

Myriam Uhrhan: Attending the Making the Most of Your Postdoc residential workshop was an incredibly valuable experience. Over three days, Anna and Ines guided us through a wide range of topics, including career pathways, timelines, what makes a successful postdoc, and practical tools like narrative CVs, time management strategies, and personal action plans.

IGHI PhD Christmas Social 2025

by Tricia Tay, Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Surgery & Cancer

We would like to thank Early Career Researcher Institute for funding our Christmas social. The original plan was to a research presentation where we provide updates of our PhDs in the morning to the group followed by lunch in a nearby café. We applied for funding for the lunch. However, our supervisor cancelled the research meeting after we had obtained funding.

Our team went ahead with the lunch and shared informally updates of our PhDs and lives in 2025. Our team of 18 PhD and Clinical Research Fellows work across various campuses including White City, St Mary’s and South Kensington.

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.”