Annual Festival of Doctoral Research continues to break records

The University of Portsmouth's seventh Festival of Doctoral Research (DocFest) welcomed a record-breaking number of attendees on 9 July, bringing together more than 190 postgraduate research students (PGRs) and staff from across the University to celebrate the breadth of doctoral research taking place at Portsmouth. The annual event, now a highlight of the PGR calendar, comes as the University celebrates ranking fourth nationally for student satisfaction in the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES).

Research Culture at Portsmouth

Research culture is a key priority for the University, and events such as DocFest encourage networking and interdisciplinary collaboration among PGRs and staff. DocFest offers our PGRs space to present their research in a range of formats, most of which help prepare them for the wider world of conferences, academic life, or industry. They can apply to give a 15-minute talk, a lightning talk (five minutes and five slides), record a one-minute elevator pitch, or convey their thesis through an image, or even as a craft. Getting creative is a great way to explain research to a lay audience.

Doctoral College event organiser, Jo Fairwood, said “This is the fifth DocFest that I’ve organised and by far the best one. As soon as the door opened and people started arriving I could tell that it was going to be a great day. There was an immediate buzz about the place and people were excited. It is lovely to see our PGR community growing in size and strength and I always look forward to DocFest to see what our students will bring to it. I can’t wait for next year’s event!”

A festival for everyone

Once again, the festival was delivered in a hybrid format, enabling full-time, part-time and distance-learning PGRs to take part. Whether presenting their research, submitting a poster, craft, image or elevator pitch to one of the competitions, or simply attending and networking with like-minded PGR colleagues, participants had plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Second-year PGR student Sumayah Hye Chowdhury from the Faculty of Technology summed up the atmosphere, saying: “It’s the best DocFest so far!”

Three of our PGRs at different stages of their doctoral journeys hosted the festival: first-year researchers Hannah Bird and Renold Devaraj, alongside Dr Odartey Lamptey, who recently completed his doctorate.

Hannah Bird said: “It was a great day celebrating all the fantastic work taking place across the university. It really opened my eyes to the research being carried out in other areas and the opportunities to foster multidisciplinary collaborations. It was an honour to be part of the team organising the event.”

The day began with opening remarks from Dr Darren Van Laar, Director of the Doctoral College, and Professor Vikas Kumar, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation). They celebrated the University's thriving research culture and showcased the achievements of PGRs whose research has made an impact and attracted media attention throughout the year.

Festival presentations, competitions and lunch!

A total of 90 submissions were received across the festival's five competitions and research presentation sessions, with participation from all faculties. Topics ranged from a joint presentation on "Amphibians in astrophysics" to a Pride of Portsmouth painted lion in the Craft Your Thesis competition.

It was wonderful to see over 40 research posters submitted, with breaks throughout the day giving our PGRs the opportunity to stand alongside their posters and discuss their research with fellow festival attendees. These conversations helped them practise their poster presentation skills ahead of future conferences, while also encouraging knowledge exchange and networking across the University.

The programme also featured nine 15-minute research presentations, each followed by a question-and-answer session. The engaged audience heard about a range of research topics from all five faculties.

PGR student Timur Atalay, Faculty of Business and Law, said “It was really a fun and insightful event. Looking forward to next year”.

No festival would be complete without an al fresco BBQ lunch and an ice cream, beautifully catered by the University catering team. With live music from the talented Ken Wharton-Emms, perfect weather and the Portland Building quadrant as the backdrop, it was the ideal setting for relaxing, celebrating and networking.

Dr Robert James, Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Social History, said: “It was a really well-organised event. Well done to all those involved in putting the day together.”

Competition prizes

The day concluded with a prize-giving ceremony and drinks reception.

Returning judges Professor Lincoln Geraghty and Professor Hom Dhakal were joined by first-time festival judge Professor Jen Gupta to assess the elevator pitches and research posters.

All 193 attendees were invited to judge the Five by Five, Visualise Your Thesis and Craft Your Thesis competitions, adding extra engagement and fun to the day for those in the audience.