Author Archives: Simone Apel
A visit to the 10th International Congress of Plant Pathology 2013 in Beijing
Submitted by Julia Lock, Postgraduate Research Student at Moulton College
August 2013 marked the meeting of the 10th International Congress of Plant Pathology. A travel grant awarded by the British Society of Plant Pathology enabled me to join these researchers and get involved in a pre-congress workshop on Phythophora, Pythium and related genera. Many researchers, all with an important message, flocked to Beijing International Conference Centre to share experiences and ideas. Read the rest of this entry
Visit the Images of Research exhibition – November 20th!
The Graduate School cordially invite you to our first Images of Research exhibition on Wednesday 20th November from 5-6:30pm in the Avenue Art Gallery.
Come and join us for a glass of wine and view the inspiring and artistic images, capturing research undertaken by some of our doctoral students, research staff and supervisors. The exhibition will be a visual celebration of the variety and breadth of research carried out in the University of Northampton, so please do come along to support the researchers.
Please register your interest here so we know how many visitors to cater for.
We look forward to seeing you at the exhibition. Any questions please contact Simone in the Graduate School.
Workshop on ‘managing your research data’ this Thursday!
Do you need advice & guidance on managing your research data? If so, book your place on the Graduate School’s next workshop on Thursday 7th November 10:30-2pm, in the T-Pod, Rockingham Library, Park Campus. The workshop also includes a free lunch!
Dr Miggie Pickton will explain the importance of actively managing your research data and she will address the key issues and challenges in data management. You will also have the opportunity to use a data management planning tool.
The workshop is for research students and research staff at the University of Northampton. So whether you are studying for a PhD, are a member of University staff who has just completed a doctorate, or are a researcher in the early stages of your career, you are welcome to sign up. Go to
https://resdatanov13.eventbrite.co.uk/
or email Simone to book your place.
New research students join the Graduate School
A four day induction from 14th-17th October saw the Graduate School welcome a further 25 research degree students to the University of Northampton. Over the four days the students, from a wide range of disciplines, were introduced to the resources and services offered by the Graduate School and other departments across the University. They had the opportunity to present their research to each other and were given a warm welcome by University Services, Research Degree Boards and existing research students alike.
Many of our new research students are working professionals and academics, or are studying part time. Induction aims to welcome all new students, helping them to feel part of the University and giving them the perfect grounding for the long research degree road ahead.
Workshops for Early Career Researchers
The University of Northampton Graduate School are running an ECR Development Programme for staff who are “early-career researchers*. We kick off on October 24th with Professor Ian Livingstone’s ‘What it means to be a researcher’. All workshops are free to attend and all include lunch.
* For the purposes of this programme, we define early-career researchers as those members of University staff who are post-docs, have just completed a PhD, contract researchers, research assistants or research fellows in the early stages of their career
Graduate School Generic Skills Programme 2013-14
The Graduate School’s generic workshop programme 2013-14, for UN Research Degree Students, can be found via the link below.
Our Development Days consist of a full day of workshops (usually three, plus lunch) for a specific stage of study. The Development Day programme begins again in the 2014-15 academic year.
All workshops are available for booking via the Eventbrite booking system, links shown in the attachments.
Graduate School generic workshops 2013-14 (Most recent update: 28th May 2014)
Development day schedule (Finished for 2013-2014 academic year)
If you have any questions please contact the Training Coordinator for Research Programmes, Simone Apel.
Featured Researcher: Emmanuel Adukwu
In the first of our ‘featured researcher’ series, Dr Emmanuel Adukwu describes his experiences of being a doctoral researcher and his career highlights. Emmanuel is now working as a Lecturer at UWE in Bristol.
My research
I recently completed my PhD in microbiology studying the physiological and genetic characteristics of community acquired infections (CAIs). This was a project funded by the Centre for Health and Wellbeing Research (CHWR) at the University of Northampton, with a grant from the Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust.
CAIs became newsworthy within the last 20 years following many years combating Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI). CAIs are acquired outside the healthcare setting and have unique risk factors and different antibiotic resistance and genetic characteristics.
Key pathogens under investigation were community acquired MRSA, Clostridium difficile and antibiotic resistant enterococcus spp. Data on the effect of essential oils on planktonic cells and biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus were published in 2012. Read the rest of this entry
Lovecraftian horror under the microscope
Dr David Simmons, a researcher and lecturer in American Literature, Film and Screen Studies here at the University of Northampton, has recently published a new book, focusing on American horror author, H.P. Lovecraft.
New Critical Essays on H.P. Lovecraft offers an exciting investigation of this significant writer’s works and influence. In the collection, a range of noted scholars, novelists and writers take a multidisciplinary approach, exploring Lovecraft’s life, his most beloved stories and his continuing presence in popular culture.
Dr Simmons has recently been interviewed about his book by one of the UK’s leading horror websites, Twisted Tales and you can read more about him on the University’s News page. Published by Palgrave, Dr Simmons book is available from all good booksellers.
Last chance to enter “Images of Research” event!
The UN Graduate School has just launched its first Images of Research event by inviting postgraduate research students, researchers and supervisors to submit an image which captures the essence of their research in a visual, artistic or photographic way.
All images submitted before the closing date of October 31st 2013 will be displayed on November 20th, at Avenue Art Gallery from 5-6:30pm – all invited. They will then travel to both campuses, finally resting in the corridor of the new Graduate School home in the Avenue Research Centre.
The first Images of Research is not a competition, there will be no judging, but there are a few guidelines for interested researchers. Images can be photos or artwork but must be unique, having been photographed or created by the researcher. They must also feature a snappy title and a 150 word (max) summary paragraph. Please see the Images of Research Flyer for more guidelines and full details. Any questions please contact Simone in the Graduate School.
Part-Time Researcher programme running in September
Are you a research degree student studying part-time? If so, you might be interested to learn that the Graduate School are running a Part-Time Researcher’s Programme on Tuesday 17th September.
Originally developed through Vitae, the Programme is a day-long series of discussions and workshops, offering part-time research students the time and space to share and discuss issues which directly affect their research degree study. Read the rest of this entry
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