Postgraduate research students triumph at prestigious awards

Five postgraduate research students from the University of Derby have been awarded prizes in every category of a prestigious research competition, held as part of the annual East Midlands Doctoral Conference.

The University is part of the East Midlands Doctoral Network (EMDoc), made up of nine universities within the region. Together they are committed to sharing best practice, resources and insights into postgraduate research, as well as providing opportunities for student collaboration and networking.  

Every year, EMDoc invites students from all organisations to attend and participate in a conference, where they can enter competitions for the best presentations of their research. At this year’s event, held at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, research students from Derby won prizes for their work in every category: 

• Winner, Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition: Charitos Zapitis, College of Life and Natural Sciences
• Runner-up, 3MT competition: Kiran Singh, College of Arts, Humanities and Education
• Best Poster Presentation: Alexandra Karousi, College of Life and Natural Sciences
• Best Paper Presentation: Jane Penny, College of Life and Natural Sciences
• Best Paper Presentation: Paul Wrigley, College of Engineering and Technology

3MT is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, which challenges research students to present their thesis and its significance in just three minutes, in language appropriate to a lay audience. It is also the highlight of the EMDoc student conferences.

Category winner Charitos said: “The 3MT competition gave me the opportunity to identify the crucial aspects of my research and present them in a concise and clear way, understandable to the public. It is all about the importance and the potential impact of the research project. Participating at this competition helped me improve my presentation skills as well as made my project more visible.

“Attending EMDoc and winning the best 3MT award for the East Midlands, alongside other University of Derby award winners, was a fantastic experience. The support of the colleagues who participated and presented at the EMDoc was crucial, as was the support and guidance of my supervisor, Dr Andrew Ramsey.”  

Research Development Fellow Dr Maria Photiou, who manages the University’s participation in the EMDOC Conference, added: “This is a brilliant achievement, and we are very proud of our students. Research is at the heart of what we do at Derby, and our postgraduate research students are working on projects that are impactful to our society, economy, culture and environment. This success is a testament to the University’s vibrant research environment and our commitment to supporting the professional development and future careers of our students.”

Find out more about postgraduate research at the University of Derby.