Tag: PhD Students

From Labs to Lunch: How the I&I PhD Networking Event Brings Us Together

By Sophie Ball and Katrina Fordwor, Department of Immunology and Inflammation

PhD students can easily get caught up in their projects, labs and work and not have the opportunity to network with other students, whether these students are from the same floor or other labs. The department for Inflammatory and Infection is spread over multiple floors, so it is easy for students to become siloed and not to interact with one another across the whole of their PhD. This is why we set up a monthly initiative to bring PhD students together in a relaxed setting. The Graduate School has granted us the opportunity to fund a monthly lunch. These events to allow PhD students to network in a casual setting, while being fuelled with some well-deserved food.

Collaborations between labs is a massive part of research, building a career and the general life of a scientist. This event was created exactly for that purpose, to allow students to gather in a communal space and interact with different labs. Having this event with lunch provided a relaxed atmosphere that allowed conversations to flow to discuss their current projects, career aspirations and identify future collaborators. I personally felt this event was a great way to speak to other students in the department and learn about the research going on, on floors just above me.

The I&I PhD Student Networking event is scheduled at lunchtime once a month, normally on the first Friday, and lasts for about an hour. This event is scheduled to continue for the remaining of the academic year, allowing these new connections to strengthen and possibly allow new research collaborations to develop. Moving forward, I hope this initiative continues to grow with this event’s participants reaching out to other students who missed out. It has the space to expand to a larger event with guest speakers and themed discussions but for now, it provides a simple yet effective way for PhD students to mingle and strengthen the academic community we are trying to achieve here at Imperial.

 

 

Strengthening Our Research Community: Insights from the Nutrition Section Networking & Development Day

Blog by Kaoutar Abaakil, Research Postgraduate, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

The Nutrition Section Away day took place on December 2nd, 2024, bringing together members from various research groups across the Nutrition section with the generous sponsorship of the Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI). The event aimed to foster networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration. It was a fantastic event, with a strong turnout of students and researchers eager to connect and share ideas.

The day began with an informal networking lunch, providing a relaxed environment for students, post-doc researchers and principal investigators to engage with one another. This casual setting set the tone for the day, allowing participants to build connections before the formal program began.

The event officially opened with insightful talks from ECRI speakers Dr. Caroline Hargreaves and Dr. Anna Seabourne, offering valuable perspectives on learning about different stages in one’s research journey and strategies for professional development. The speakers also emphasised the importance of networking events like the one we were holding and provided guidance to identify the right contacts for addressing issues we might come across during our time at Imperial. A key focus of the discussions was the role of collaboration, networking, and the support available through ECRI for Master’s, PhD, and Early Career Researchers (ECRs). Through interactive activities, we also had a chance to discuss common challenges and concerns shared between us, reinforcing the sense of community and mutual support within the section. These activities also encouraged open dialogue and highlighted the collaborative spirit among the section.

Next, the event was followed by contributions from Dr. Racheal Barry and Dr. Aygul Dagbasi. Dr. Barry shared insights on her recent successful fellowship application and strategies for career development, while Dr. Dagbasi discussed lessons learned from her work leading the Ageing and Nutrient Sensing (AGENTs) initiative and how it benefited her career.

The day concluded with a talk by Professor Gary Frost, Head of theSection, who highlighted the importance of data integrity. His discussion emphasised the importance of setting best practices in data sharing and management, particularly in fostering transparency and collaboration across research groups. The discussion was also opened to all attendees to brainstorm ideas and share their insights in a cooperative manner.

The Nutrition Section Away Day was not only an opportunity to gain useful tools and knowledge for academic progression but also served as day for us to connect with peers, share ideas and address common challenges. Overall, it was a valuable experience that left participants feeling connected, informed and motivated.

We acknowledge the generous support of the Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI) through the Postgraduate Community Fund, which made this event possible.

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. We also took the opportunity to celebrate the latest achievements in the section, most notably Prof. Zdravkovic as the 62nd Rankine Lecturer.

Figure 1 Imperial College Geotechnics reunion

We welcomed our alumni guests into the Mezzanine lab at 6pm after an afternoon cleaning, clearing and setting up the event space. On arrival, we asked everyone to place a pin on a map of the world (geological, of course) so we could highlight the geographical diversity of the section’s current and former members. We were all pleasantly surprised by how far some have travelled to attend the reunion (and of course the annual Rankine lecture on the next day), with strong showings from Europe, East Asia, and Latin America.

Fourteen research posters, showcasing the forefront of the section’s current research, were pinned up along one wall of the room. These attracted plenty of attention and prompted a host of discussion topics amongst current researchers as well as former members of the section. As many hails from technical roles in industry and academia, soil mechanics and engineering geology are highly relevant disciplines in their day-to-day work which resulted in a healthy cross-pollination of ideas.

Enabled by the support from the Graduate School, a catered fork buffet and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were enjoyed by all in attendance soon after. We (the PhD students) did have to do a few rounds of washing wine glasses (before the event and the morning after!), as budget constraints meant we had to be resourceful with the drinks provision. However, with help from our brilliant technical and administrative staff Prash, Jess, Luke and Piotr, the hard work all paid off in the end with many sending us messages of gratitude after the event.

We rounded off the evening with a presentation of gifts for Prof. Lidija Zdravkovic who had been invited to deliver the 62nd Rankine Lecture the following day. This is the preeminent technical lecture in the geotechnical engineering field, and she follows a long tradition of members of Rankine Lecturers from Imperial College.

Figure 2 Geographic diversity of some of our alumni and current research group

This event brought the whole research section together and provided what felt like a family reunion for many former members of the section! Anecdotes from many former doctoral journeys were fondly reminisced upon over the evening, despite the ample sweat and tears shared with colleagues from years past. For us as the current cohort of researchers, the event was not only an opportunity to showcase our work but also highlighted the myriad possibilities in our own future careers and trajectories.

The Graduate School’s Research Community Fund helped to cover a portion of the costs associated with the research posters and catering. We also received generous funding from the section which enabled us to host such an enjoyable and fruitful evening of discussion and networking.

Figure 3 Happy faces in front of snippets of the geotechnics section’s current research

Department of Infectious Diseases PhD Student Welcome

At the beginning of October, PhD students from the Department of Infectious Diseases were able to come together at a welcome event. Students from all year groups and based across multiple campuses met at a local pub for a friendly drink. PhD Welcome eventAt the first of what we hope are many events throughout the academic year, we laid the base of a strong foundation to create a supportive, engaging and friendly network of students from across the department. We were able to discuss lab problems and share career planning advice, as well as stories from the lockdown and our favourite local take outs! This was a wonderful reminder of the community to be found within our department, and as the year progresses the student reps hope to continue to build an inclusive environment for PhD students. 

Please watch your emails for future DoID PhD cohort events, which allow you to meet and make connections with your fellow students from across the department. 

PhD Welcome event

Walking Tour in London

By David Uribe Saenz De Camara, PhD Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Friday 22nd October saw 13 tribology PhD students joining the “London City of Sin” walking tour and discovering that darker history that cannot be learnt from books. This activity was undertaken as a team building exercise to help integrate new students into the group as mingling in a non-academic environment has not been possible since the Covid outbreak.

Around 6PM, the group headed to Waterloo and stocked up on refreshments as preparation for the 2.5-hour walk. At 7PM, they met their tour guide Vincent and started the stroll along South Bank -now an iconic area but once a medieval red-light district-. They walked through both landmarks and some of the lesser-known side streets, and heard fascinating stories from history, of Shakespeare, vice, gore, and lust. Around 9.30PM, the walking tour came to an end, and some energetic students finished the day with a drink in the iconic pub “The Mudlark”.  

We are thankful to the Graduate School Research Community Fund for their financial support to sponsor the walking tour and help us improving the engagement in the Tribology research community.

The SynBIC goes to the Isle of Wight

By Javier Cabello Garcia, PhD Student, Department of Bioengineering

After a really tough year, the members of the SynBIC decided to organize a trip to bring back together PhD and Master’s students. This way, we could give a proper welcome to the new arrivals in the team! After thinking about what the best place for our meet and greet would be, we reached the logical conclusion that there is no better place than a garlic farm! So, we headed to the Isle of Wight to visit its garlic farm and the island surroundings.

SynBIC

The day trip to the Isle of Wight took place on Friday 2nd of July, 2021. Our voyage started at 8.30 when we got a coach from Victoria station. During the 2 hours trip, we hang out talking with each other and playing card games. Once in Portsmouth, we walked to the port where we rode the hovercraft that brought us to the Isle of Wight. The hovercraft was an experience itself! You do not fly over the water every day.

Hovercraft

Later that morning, a bus transported us to the Isle of Wight garlic farm, a place of international renown. There, we enjoyed lunch (always respecting current COVID restrictions!). We visited the farm afterwards, taking a stroll through the garlic while listening about all the different garlic variants that they grow.

garlic farm

After that, we took a bus back to Ryde beach. This bus also happened to be a tourist bus, so we could quickly see other attractions of the isle of Wight, like the big cat sanctuary or the vineyard. The discovery of the latest caused a small mutiny among some members of the expedition, that questioned why we went to the garlic farm instead of the vineyard (Author’s note: Even when garlic is far superior). After putting down mercilessly the insurrection, we arrived at Ryde beach where we hiked and carried out some team building activities. There, we had some time to know each other better and give a warm welcome to the newcomers! We even had some time to talk about our current projects, which sparked some collaborations between the members of the centre!

SynBIC

After a full day of activities, we took the hovercraft back to Portsmouth, where we took the coach back to Victoria. On the trip back, some were chatting, others fast asleep, but most of us were simply watching Spain obliterate Switzerland in the Euros! 

The atmosphere in the trip back was completely different from the outbound journey. We were more talkative, and the groups mingled together. So I guess the trip was a success! We had a great experience meeting new people and participating in the activities. New arrivals could introduce themselves and get to know their new lab mates. On the other hand, senior members were able to reencounter in a more relaxed and ludic environment. At the end of the journey, we all had a clearer idea about other members’ research and who they are outside the lab. Additionally, the experience increased our sense of belonging to a group. Everybody (even the vineyard insurgents) concluded that the trip was a great experience from a professional and personal point of view. 

And of course, we especially acknowledge Imperial College London Graduate School for sponsoring our day trip to the Isle of Wight. Their funding has been vital for the PhD and master students at the SynBIC!

Presenting my research at the Rising Scientist Day

By Jonathan Li, PhD Student, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

Hi, I’m Jonathan.  I’m a 3rd year PhD student studying signalling pathways in the myometrium. I presented my research at the Rising Scientist Day hosted by Faculty of Medicine. It is a one day conference that allows PhD students from multiple backgrounds to present their work. Usually, the symposium offers a great chance to network with other PhD students and to find out what their research is all about. This year, due to COVID-19, the format was slightly different than previous years, where everything was done remotely.  Nonetheless, the event was still a great success. 

The day started off with a number of 3 minute thesis talks, then this was followed by intermissions and lunch breaks where we could view the posters. Given the challenges of hosting a symposium remotely, the day went very smoothly with only a few technical hitches due to the overwhelming number of people wanting to listen in on the talks. One of the advantages of having a remote symposium is that students who are not based in London can attend these events, where we had one speaker dial in from South East Asia! 

The remote nature of the symposium meant that a poster session was not possible. However, the posters were consolidated into one website that was very accessible. Whilst lacking the benefits of having a scientist explaining their work in person. The posters were submitted along with a 1 minute recording. One of the challenges is how do you explain your research in such a short amount of time without being there in person.  Suffice to say the approaches of how to tackle this problem were varied, where some chose to adopt QR codes, some used hyper-links.  The sheer amount of thought and consideration to these limitations, coupled with the high quality of research in these posters made it feel like I was attending an international conference.  

The sheer variety of fields was also very eye opening, ranging from preterm labour (my research focus) to things like embryonic stem cells or avian influenza viral research.  As a final year PhD student, I can say from personal experience it is very easy to focus on your own project, as the deadlines mount and you try to complete experiments or gather more data. The symposium provides an excellent chance to find out about other projects ongoing at Imperial. 

Overall, the day was a wonderful experience and having the chance to see the excellent research that is being carried out by my peers makes for a nice break from the routine of lab work. Whilst the symposium lacks the in-person touch this year, I’m looking forward to similar future events when COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed. I would highly recommend PhD students to submit their work if they have the chance next year.  

Many thanks to the staff members who helped organise the event. 

A Unique Rising Scientist Day

By Alexander Carver, PhD student, Department of Infectious Disease

Hi, I’m Alex, a second year PhD student studying in Professor Xiaodong Zhang’s group. On 20th April, I was lucky enough to take part in Rising Scientist Day 2021 and win the 3-minute thesis competition. It has been a tough year for PhD students across Imperial College with the coronavirus pandemic taking a toll on what has been possible to achieve in the lab; however, it was very impressive to see what people have been working on for the last 1-2 years. The day consisted of poster viewing sessions in which all 2nd and 3rd year PhD students in the Faculty of Medicine were expected to compete. The posters were of exceptional quality, and the winners did a great job in producing posters worthy of any conference. 

In addition to poster viewing sessions, 25 PhD students were also nominated to produce a single slide summarising their research which they would present to the audience (over Zoom) in a maximum of three-minutes. Undoubtedly a big challenge, the field was full of great talks, ranging from discussion of new Hepatitis treatments in Eastern Asia to understanding the role of microbiota in immunity. My talk examined the regulation of the DNA damage response, particularly the proteins involved in Homologous Recombination, a pathway of repair essential for the maintenance of genome integrity. 

We were also treated to two talks by two recent Imperial College alumni who gave us an insight into what they achieved with their PhDs. Despite both alumni completing a PhD in the Faculty of Medicine, they both had gone into different careers that have used the skills gained during their doctoral research. The first, Zoe Seager, told us much about what it is like to be a post-doctoral researcher in academia. It was a very interesting listen, and many questions were asked about how to go about writing an excellent thesis and articles for publication, as well as how to apply for jobs in academia. The second alumnus, Sophie Ward, did not do a post-doctoral research role in academia but had instead gone into strategy at the Wellcome Trust. In particular, she played a key role in the Covid-response by the Trust. Despite the exit from academic, *name* talk demonstrated that having a PhD gives you the skills necessary to turn your hand to any job, within or without academia. 

Overall, despite the obvious effect of Covid making the Rising Scientist Day not what it could have been, it was heartening to see the quality and diverse range of research that has continued to speed ahead. I would like to thank all the other competitors in both the Poster and 3-Minute Thesis competitions, especially the winners (as listed below). 

Three-Minute Thesis: 

  1. Alex Carver 
  2. Max Larkinson
  3. Catherine Cherry 

Poster: 

  1. Maddalena Cerrone 
  2. Jonathan Li 
  3. Golly Mobayen 

Most fun poster: Ioanna Panagi 

I would also like to thank the organisers of the day, including Hayley Kendall-Berry and Kevin Murphy, who expertly hosted the event despite the early Zoom-related technical issues. Hopefully we’ll be back to presenting in person next year and will be able to enjoy some well-deserved nibbles and vino afterwards!

The Crick-Imperial Symposium 2021

Every three years, PhD students from The Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College hold a symposium dedicated to enabling students from both institutions to share their research through posters and talks in a supportive environment. Obviously, this year had to be a little different. The event had to held virtually as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which posed new challenges. A key objective of this event is the provide a platform for graduate students from a range of scientific backgrounds to network and work together, something we can all agree is much more challenging behind a computer screen!

We decided that alongside using Zoom for the talks we would use Gather.Town for the posters and networking. We felt this best replicated the networking opportunities normally facilitated at these events as Gather.Town lets you speak with people 1-1 and in small groups. You can design different rooms for people to browse (see pictures for the main foyer and Perkin Elmer’s room).

Alongside the PhD speakers we had Professor Aldo Faisal and Geraldine Cox as plenary speakers. Apart from being inspiring and captivating speakers, their talks also complimented the interdisciplinary nature of the symposium.

Professor Faisal is a Professor of AI & Neuroscience jointly at the Dept. of Bioengineering and the Dept. of Computing at Imperial College London, where he leads the Brain & Behaviour Lab. He talked about his work on using wearables to record natural human behaviour and training AI with this data to improve performance of machine vision for self-driving cars or help mobility of wheelchairs of paralysed patients. (find more about his work https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.faisal).

Geraldine Cox has degrees in physics and fine art and began her project called ‘Finding Patterns’ in 2011 at Imperial College London with an ‘Artist in Residence Award’ from the Leverhulme Trust. Since then, her work has grown to involve scientists from other universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and MIT. See her talk here. Both talks were really engaging and offered interesting new perspectives. As Geraldine’s talk rounded off the day, she joined us in Gather.Town for the final networking session and facilitated some excellent discussions!

Examples of Geraldine’s work: Harmony and Universe

Prizes were awarded for the top 3 talks and posters, voted for by the other attendees. This gave us an opportunity to recognise the excellent work being done by PhD students from both institutions and helped to engage the audience. We also held a raffle based on who attended the Perkin Elmer booth, for which they kindly donated 10 £25 vouchers as prizes. This added an incentive for participation as we know this can sometimes be difficult at virtual events!

We know that virtual events can be a challenge and we just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who participated so enthusiastically in the symposium! We hope it was a good opportunity to present your work to an audience of more diverse backgrounds and that you got the chance to engage with each other as much as possible. We look forward to seeing you all in person sometime soon!