Category: ECR Community Fund

Our experience organising the first inter-collegiate colloquium on psychedelics in addiction research

Blog by Rayyan Zafar, Mark Sweeney, Orla Mallon, Research Postgraduates in the Department of Brain Sciences and Institute of Clinical Sciences

Psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, ketamine, DMT and LSD are the subject of increasing research as potential novel treatments for addiction. Some of the most innovative work is being conducted by researchers in the UK.

My colleagues and I organised the first colloquium on psychedelics in addiction research, which took place in May 2024 at the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. The event provided a space for leading researchers in the field to meet, present their work and identify opportunities for future collaboration between institutions.

Inside Rising Scientist Day 2024: Posters, Presentations and PhD Networking

Blog by Chryso Christodoulou, Research Postgraduate, Department of Infectious Disease

Hi, I’m Chryso, a third year PhD student in Dr Clarke’s group, studying how programming of innate immunity by the microbiota influences host responses to inflammation. On the 8th of May I had the opportunity to present my work at the Rising Scientist Day organised by the Faculty of Medicine. It’s an event I’ve enjoyed participating in since my first year of studies, as it’s a great opportunity to see some of the amazing research other PhD students have been working on and exchange ideas – all within a friendly and sociable environment.

A celebration of Imperial geotechnics spanning six decades of researchers and staff

By Pishun Tantivangphaisal, Research Postgraduate, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

On 12th March we welcomed six decades of researchers and staff from the Imperial Geotechnics back to the Civil Engineering department building. With over 100 sign-ups, this highly anticipated event welcomed researchers spanning graduates from the 1970s all the way to current PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, administrative, technical, teaching and research staff. With a long legacy of pioneering research in the section, we felt it was important to maintain and foster links between current researchers with the giants on whose shoulders we now stand.

We showcased on-going research through poster presentations, caught up with our recently graduated friends and established new links with our distinguished alumni, many of whom now hold prominent positions in industry and academia.

Crick PhD Student Summer Symposium 2023

Blog by Sophie Kraunsoe, Research Postgraduate, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

On the 10th of July, for the second year running, the Francis Crick Institute hosted the Crick-partner Universities PhD Student Summer Symposium providing an opportunity to bring together biosciences students from across London. Students from all stages of their PhDs from first years to final years presented their science and had a chance to network with peers across multiple universities including Imperial College London, UCL and King’s College London.

We kick started the day with a series of excellent mini symposia on topics ranging from neuroscience to cancer and immunology.

PhD Summer BBQ event in Faculty of Natural Sciences

Blog by Xinyi Guo, Doctoral Student, PG Academic and Welfare Officer of FoNS, Centre for Environmental Policy

On the balmy afternoon of 13th July, the venue of Beit Quad played host to a remarkable gathering of academic brilliance and camaraderie – the PhD Summer BBQ event.  Approximately 100 passionate PhD students came together to celebrate a day filled with laughter, learning, and the joy of forging new connections. Free food and drinks were provided on the day of the event for all PhD students who attended. As the scent of sizzling barbecues filled the air, so did the atmosphere with an unmistakable sense of excitement and enthusiasm.

A Delicious Reunion, Pizza, and Physics Adventures!

Student Research Seminar Series 2022/23

by Giorgio Mentasti, Research Student, Department of Physics

Hey there! Welcome to our super exciting blog post, where we spill the beans on our epic return to the good old days before COVID hit. We’re a bunch of theoretical physicists who’ve weathered the storm, working on mind-boggling equations from our cozy abodes. But guess what? We’re finally back to the normal times together, ready to rock the scientific world.

Picture this: our research group, scattered and isolated during the pandemic, suddenly coming together like the Avengers assembling for a grand mission. The highlight of our triumphant reunion?

Civil & Environmental Engineering’s PhD Day Trip to Bath

by Mohamed El-Zeadani, PhD student, Department of  Civil & Environmental Engineering

Thirty-two of us, all PhD students from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, visited the city of Bath on the 29th of April 2023. Our journey started by assembling in front of the College’s main entrance on Exhibition Road at 7:00 am. Half an hour later, we started the 97 miles journey west of London by coach. It took us about three hours to get there and the weather could not have been any better as cheerful lines of sun rays welcomed us as soon as we arrived.

On the coach preparing to head to Bath

We hurried to enter the Roman Baths to avoid missing the timeslot for our pre-booked tickets.

Non-academic Careers Event for MRes students

I’m on the MRes in Biomedical research course and many, if not all, of the career talks, resources and email adverts are all veering towards academia. Not to say this isn’t a good thing, many of us want to go down the academic route. However, my fellow reps and I have identified that there is a sizeable proportion of our course who do not want an academic career or are yet to be successful in securing one.

With that in mind, we planned a careers event and an informal reception not catered to academia. We scouted and contacted people from our course and allied courses who are in industry, public health, or alternate careers such as consulting.

“Beauty of a more colourful world” – CEP X Dyson X ICBS PhD Flash Mob #1

Blog by Yurong Yu, PhD student from the Centre for Environmental Policy

In response to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and the environmental crisis, we, a few of PhD students from Centre for Environmental Policy (CEP), Dyson School of Design Engineering (Dyson) and Imperial Business School (ICBS), initiated the event, “Beauty of a More Colourful World”. The event brought together 12 PhD students from 6 departments to showcase how their research ties into addressing environmental problems. 

The event took place on Wednesday 1st of December 2021 and was a cross-departmental initiative, aiming to create a unique opportunity to gather researchers and wider college community with shared interests in conservation, biodiversity, sustainability, and climate change & the environment more broadly.

Urban Resilience Dialogues: Growing an online community through a research podcast

By Corina Angheloiu, PhD Student, Centre for Environmental Policy

As the pandemic has unfolded, as PhD students we’ve had to rethink the ways in which we conduct our research, share and discuss findings, as well as build networks and seed collaborations. In this blog post, I’ll share my experience of co-developing a podcast in this attempt to adapt.

Why a podcast?

I’m a third year PhD student in the Centre for Environmental Policy and my research focuses on the ways we can tackle increasing gaps between the knowledge and the implementation of urban resilience. As a field, urban resilience has never seemed more vital over the past year – we’ve seen the ways in which different cities have dealt with challenges posed by a shock such as the pandemic, as well as challenges arising from the overlap of shocks (such as hurricanes or wildfires) or the overlap between the impact of the pandemic and existing underlying stressors such as air pollution, demographics, or inequality.