Category: BGRS-organised events

BGRS Poster Competition 2023

Thursday 25 May 2023

Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS) invites you to enter a Postgraduate Research Student Poster Competition, which will be held on campus alongside the 3 Minute Thesis Competition on Thursday 25 May from 6pm.

This Poster Competition is open to all doctoral researchers at Birkbeck and provides an excellent opportunity for you to present your research, practice your communication skills, to network with other doctoral researchers and to celebrate your work.

Prizes

  • The winner of the first prize will receive £150 and a certificate
  • Two runners up will be awarded certificates and £75 each

Poster requirements

  • You should create a research poster that explains complex research to a mixed audience of non-subject specialists.
  • Your poster should be formatted for printing as A0 in size and in portrait orientation.

What is involved?

  • Your poster will be displayed on a poster board, with an in-person judging session during a reception after the 3 Minute Thesis Competition.
  • You will be invited to attend your poster during the judging session and so that attendees can speak with you about your research.

How to enter

Training available

For all those taking part in the competition we are organising a workshop to help you produce your poster.

Regardless of whether you are planning to enter the 3 Minute Thesis Competition or enter this BGRS Poster Competition please do mark 6pm Thursday 25 May in your diaries for these exciting events.

Three Minute Thesis Training sessions

The BGRS is pleased to announce the 2023 Birkbeck 3 Minute Thesis Competition, which will take place on Thursday 25 May from 6pm. Please mark this date in your diaries!

Birkbeck 3MT: Thursday 25 May 2023

Join a selection of Birkbeck PhD students as they compete to communicate their compelling thesis topics in just three minutes. This event is a fantastic opportunity to share and celebrate the interests and successes of PhD researchers from across the College and we invite all current Birkbeck PhD students to take part. The winner of the Birkbeck competition will be chosen by an expert panel of judges who will award:

  • £500 to the overall winner
  • £250 to the runner up
  • The audience will also have their say by picking a people’s choice winner who’ll win a special prize.

Training Sessions

As part of our support for the competition, a free programme of training sessions has been arranged. All potential 3MT competitors should attend these sessions. However, any or all of them are open to any doctoral researcher at Birkbeck who would like to gain skills in these areas:

What is it like to take part in 3MT?

Some of last year’s contenders have kindly shared what they gained from partaking.

Marie Houghton said that it ‘helped me to clarify exactly what I think the main message of my PhD is’ and that she ‘would definitely recommend taking part in the 3MT to any other PhD students.’

Hannah Reeves also said that the competition allowed her to ‘think about what matters most about my research – what do I care about, what do the community I’m working with care about, and what will this audience care about.’ She also described herself as nervous about the experience of being on stage but ‘the training helped to develop a mutually supportive atmosphere.’

Doyin Olorunfemi described how ‘the exercise of delivering a concise speech gives you clarity of mind as a researcher and clarifies your contribution.’ She would ‘highly recommend the competition.’

Audio-Visual Skills Workshop – Urban Margins

You are invited to apply to a student-led training in audio-visual research techniques. This series of four workshops and related events will be facilitated by The Derek Jarman Lab in collaboration with BISR Urban Intersections Working Group and Corkscrew Practice-Based research network.

Over the course of this free four-week course, you would be one of up to eight participants receiving a practical introduction to audio-visual skills PGR students can incorporate into their research. PGR students from any department can apply. You will learn basic tools to enable greater innovation within your research data collection and dissemination.

The course will be organised around a shared theme of “urban margins”, inspired by a related event taking place the week before the workshops start, titled ‘Urban Intersections at the Margins’, which you would be invited and encouraged to join. The notion of urban ‘margins’ arguably invokes a stigmatised frame: one in which subjects, bodies or sites are located ‘on the margin’ of the city; or on the fringes of a hegemonic urban social order. But what if urban margins were reimagined beyond such stigmatised frames, as a space of hybridity, where new dynamics might arise, demanding new ways of knowing and intervening in urban realities? This broad theme will provide a thematic and conceptual context through which you will develop your audio-visual skills.

The weekly, day-long Friday workshops will be delivered through the Derek Jarman Lab. Each week’s workshop will focus on a different set of skills. We will begin with still photography, then sound recording, then moving image, and finish with a session on how to organise shoots, plan equipment and cover some of the legal aspects of using found/archival material. The mornings will be practical, and you will get hands-on experience with how to get the best out of one’s chosen piece of equipment. The afternoon will be spent using editing software, where you will learn how to get the best from your recordings. Baseline knowledge of editing software is also key to producing high-quality output from documentation collected during research.

You do not need to have any kind of prior audio-visual experience, and “urban margins” does not have to be a focus of your research. You simply need an interest in developing skills and knowledge in audio-visual techniques. Following the workshop, you will have the opportunity to show and discuss your work in progress at an event organised with the Urban Intersections Working Group and Corkscrew (likely to take place in late June or early July, more details to come).

To apply, please write a short paragraph (up to 300 words) on why this course interests you and how you would use the skills gained in relation to your doctoral research. Please note that applicants are required to attend all workshops and are advised to attend the sessions on the 26th of May and the 30th of June. Please do not apply if you cannot attend the session on the 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd of June from 10 am to 4 pm

The deadline for application is the 24th of March 2023. You will hear back by 24th April 2023.

Timeline

DATE: 26th of May

Urban Intersections at the Margins, an informal workshop bringing interdisciplinary approaches and methods of seeing urbanisation at the ‘margin’, both in the Global South and North. 26 May 2023, afternoon, 43 Gordon Square. 

A screening of Baronesa (Brazil, 2017), co-sponsored by the Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image, followed by a roundtable discussion with Dr Louisa Acciari (UCL), Dr Gracia Ramirez (UAL) and Dr Mara Nogueira (Birkbeck). 26 May 2023, 6 pm, Birkbeck Cinema. 

[These events are not obligatory for the workshop participants but are strongly encouraged]

#1 Stills

DATE: 2nd June 2023

Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Location: Derek Jarman Lab, 43 Gordon Square

#2 Sound

DATE: 9th June 2023

Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Location: Derek Jarman Lab, 43 Gordon Square

#3 Moving Image

DATE: 16th June 2023

Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Location: Derek Jarman Lab, 43 Gordon Square

#4 Planning and Collaboration

DATE: 23rd June 2023

Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Location: Derek Jarman Lab, 43 Gordon Square

DATE: 30th June 2023

An informal event where workshop participants can share their work in progress with members of the Corkscrew practice-based research network and the Urban Intersections working group. Location: TBC

2022 Gwynne-Vaughan Medal winners announced

Photo: 2022 Gwynne-Vaughan medal winners at the end of the BGRS Winter Party. From left to right: Dr Gurbachan Singh Jandu, Kate Errington, Dr Linda Miller. Dr Melissa Buron was unable to attend but provided a statement of thanks that was read out on her behalf.

Monday 19 December 2022

On Monday 19 December we welcomed doctoral researchers to the BGRS Winter Party. The event was a chance to enjoy some festive celebration and also to announce the winners of the 2022 Gwynne-Vaughan Medal competition. The medal is named after Birkbeck’s first female Professor, Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, and is awarded to Birkbeck Doctoral students able to demonstrate the most notable contribution to their field while undertaking their research degree.

This year the medal was awarded in two categories: Current Research Students; and Doctoral Alumni. In both categories the achievements were completed while enrolled as a doctoral student.

Professor Julian Swann (Pro Vice Chancellor of Research and Director of the Birkbeck Graduate Research School) welcomed all those present and announced the following winners for the competition this year:

Current Student category

  • Winner: Dr Linda Miller (Department of English, Theatre and Creative Writing, School of Arts)
  • Highly commended: Kate Errington (Department of English, Theatre and Creative Writing, School of Arts)

Doctoral Alumni category

  • Winner: Dr Melissa Buron (Department of History of Art, School of Arts)
  • Highly commended: Dr Gurbachan Singh Jandu (Department of Politics, SSHP)

All are awarded a certificate and the winners in each category will be sent a medal and a £250 prize.

Congratulations to the winners this year and many thanks for all those who entered the competition. We look forward to opening a call for entries to the 2023 Gwynne-Vaughan competition next year.

2022 Gwynne-Vaughan Medal

Deadline for entries extended to midday 14 October

The Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS) aims to highlight the activities and successes of our research student community. We are pleased to announce the 2022 Gwynne-Vaughan Medal which is awarded to Birkbeck Doctoral students able to demonstrate the most notable contribution to their field while undertaking their research degree. The winners will be awarded a £250 prize, a formal certificate and a distinctive medal.

Eligibility

There are two categories for entry:

Current doctoral students

  • This category is open to all current part time and full time doctoral students enrolled at Birkbeck in academic year 2021/22
  • Any achievements you include must have taken place while you were registered as a Birkbeck Doctoral student up to 31 July 2022

Doctoral awardees

  • This category is open to any student who was enrolled in academic year 2019/20, 2020/21 and who has already been awarded their doctorate.
  • Any achievements you include must have taken place before your doctorate was awarded.

How to enter

Applicants must complete the following Gwynne-Vaughan Prize form which includes a statement from the student and a supporting statement from the supervisor.

Gwynne-Vaughan-prize-entry-form-and-guidanceDownload

Your completed form should be sent by email to graduateresearchschool@bbk.ac.uk

Deadline for entries

Friday 14 October, midday

Consideration of entries

All entries will be considered by the Research Student Sub-Committee (RSSC). The winners will be announced at the end of the Autumn term at a BGRS event that will be open to all research students at Birkbeck.

2022 Birkbeck 3 Minute Thesis Competition: Join the Audience on 16 June

Registration now open for this event

You can be part of the audience for this year’s Three Minute Thesis Competition. On Thursday 16 June, an expert panel of judges will decide which Birkbeck student has presented the most compelling, convincing, and concise summary of their thesis. There’s a lot at stake: not only the prestige of winning and the confidence that goes with it, but also –

  • £500 to the overall winner
  • £250 to the runner-up

As part of the audience you will have a vote to decide who is the People’s Choice. You can also join the Birkbeck postgraduate community in celebrating the diversity of research interests undertaken here, and raise a glass to that with a drinks reception after the winners have been announced.

Register now to be part of the audience.

Three Minute Thesis Training sessions

The BGRS is pleased to announce the 2022 Birkbeck 3 Minute Thesis Competition, which will take place on Thursday 16 June from 6pm. Please mark this date in your diaries! This will be the first competition to have taken place in person since 2019.

Birkbeck 3MT: Thursday 16 June 2022

Join a selection of Birkbeck PhD students as they compete to communicate their compelling thesis topics in just three minutes. This event is a fantastic opportunity to share and celebrate the interests and successes of PhD researchers from across the College and we invite all current Birkbeck PhD students to take part. The winner of the Birkbeck competition will be chosen by an expert panel of judges who will award:

  • £500 to the overall winner
  • £250 to the runner up
  • The audience will also have their say by picking a people’s choice winner who’ll win a special prize.

Training Sessions

As part of our support for the competition, a free programme of training sessions has been arranged. All potential 3MT competitors should attend these sessions. However, any or all of them are open to any doctoral researcher at Birkbeck who would like to gain skills in these areas:

What is it like to take part in 3MT?

You can read more about what it was like to take part in the 2018 and 2019 3MT competitions in the following BGRS blog posts: 

This is an international event and the Birkbeck winner will have the opportunity to continue on to the UK semi-finals later in the year.

BGRS Conference – Postponed

As a result of the current situation we have had to postpone the BGRS Conference which will no longer take place on 22-23 April. However, we do intend to find an alternative date for the event later in the year and will confirm this once available.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all who had helped to shape the conference through contributions by email, discussion off line, by attending any of the BGRS conference meetings, or by volunteering to take part in the student sessions on methods/ disciplines or the poster competition. Many thanks too to speakers who had agreed to take part.

Thanks in particular to those of you who have been active in the conference steering group and who had until recently been choosing and inviting speakers and helping to set things in place. I’m hopeful that we will be able to build on the work done so far and deliver an exciting event later in the year.

BGRS Conference Poster Competition announced

Poster competition – entries now open

All current Birkbeck PhD students are invited to enter the BGRS Conference Poster Competition which will provide a fantastic opportunity to share your research interests and successes with doctoral students from across the College.

How to take part

If you are a current Birkbeck PhD student and would like to take part in this Poster Competition please complete this brief form by 31 March. All those who enter will be able to claim back up to £30 for poster printing costs from the BGRS.

Prizes

Judging of the posters will take place on day 2 of the conference (23 April) and you will be asked to attend your poster in order to answer questions while judging takes place. The following prizes will be awarded:

  • £300 for the winner
  • 3 x runners up prizes of £100 each

BGRS Conference: A call for student methodology talks

We hope you will have seen that as part of the BGRS Conference (22-23 April) there will be a session where PhD students are invited to give brief presentations (around 10 minutes each) about a methodological aspect of their research project. The aim of this session is to provide opportunities for attendees and contributors to find out about methodology they are not currently familiar with, or to hear from doctoral researchers who have an interest in a similar or related methodology.

We would like to encourage all current Birkbeck PhD students to contribute to this session in order to make it a success. We think this session will be both useful and interesting for the following reasons:

  • You will have the opportunity to present your work to your fellow students and to respond to questions in a supportive environment.
  • If you haven’t yet given a presentation on your research this would be a great opportunity to do so.
  • If you have previously given a presentation on your methodology in another setting you are welcome to use that as the basis of your talk or repeat it.
  • The session will provide the chance to engage with doctoral researchers from across Birkbeck and to receive useful feedback.
  • You would be contributing to the success of the conference and helping to build connections between research students across departments at Birkbeck.

Please do use this brief form by 24 March if you would like to take part in this session.

PhD student members of the BGRS Steering Committee