Category: Postgraduate Community Fund

PhD Student Welfare Evening – Bowling at All Star Lanes

by Lucy Edwardes, Scarlett Brown and Helen Figueira, PhD students from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences at the Institute of Clinical Sciences

On the 23rd November the LMS PhD student committee organised a bowling social at All Star Lanes in White City. The aim of the event was to provide an opportunity for students to meet fellow students across different groups within the LMS away from the lab and in a relaxed and fun environment. With the hope to encourage better scientific collaboration between research groups and build support networks for students outside of their lab groups.

25 students came along and were mixed into 4 teams and played 2 games.

Bringing Together Imperial’s Social Scientists: A Flagship PhD and ECR Event

By Lauren Shields, PhD Student in the Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship.

On Monday 10th June 2024, over 20 PhD and Early Career Researchers from across all four Imperial faculties met in a first-of-its-kind networking event. As a PhD social scientist in a STEMMB institution, it can be hard to find other researchers conducting similar research to you. We are often either isolated in departments or are lacking targeted training or collaboration sessions with others in the same institution. I wanted to host an event that would bring these researchers together, to form connections and learn from each other, as well as celebrate the hugely important offerings that social science can bring to physical science.

School of Public Health Harmony Night: A Melodic Celebration of Culture and Community

By Sunyuntao Xu, MSc Epidemiology, Academic Representative, School of Public Health

On June 4th, 2024, we hosted the inaugural School of Public Health Harmony Night Karaoke party at Kungfu Restaurant. This vibrant social event, organized by the School of Public Health, brought together postgraduate students for an evening of singing, dining, and networking. This student-led initiative aimed to strengthen community bonds and promote well-being, encouraging cultural exchanges and interpersonal connections beyond the academic setting.

Karaoke is an entertainment culture that originated in East Asia, gaining immense popularity in China, Japan, and Korea. Over time, this engaging pastime has spread to Europe and America, thanks to cultural mixing and globalization.

An Afternoon at the Transport Museum: Connecting Minds in Transport Research

by Leah Camarcat and Surabhi Ojha, Research Postgraduates in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

To foster collaboration and networking within the PhD cohort in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College, we recently organized an event at the Transport Museum for PhD students. This gathering, held on May 25, 2024, brought together bright minds from the transport research group and various other research groups in the department, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and networking.

The Transport Museum’s exhibits provided an excellent icebreaker, sparking conversations about the history and future of transport. The feedback from attendees was positive, with many expressing a desire for similar events in the future.

My experience as a 3rd year PhD student at Imperial’s Rising Scientist Day 2024

Blog by Angelos Manolias, Research Postgraduate in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

In May 2024, I attended the Rising Scientist Day. The day included 2 sessions of poster presentations from 2nd and 3rd year PhDs, a 3-minute thesis presentation competition, talks from Imperial PhD alumni and networking events. In this blogpost I give my opinions on the events of day, highlight the benefits of attending such an event as a PhD student and give a few ideas for improvement in the next years.

Rising scientist day has many benefits for PhD students that attend it. Starting from the poster presentations, this is a great opportunity to gain experience with presenting your research in poster format but also learning what research is going on around the college by postgraduate students.

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.