Category Archives: Graduate School
Images of Research is accepting submissions!
The Graduate School’s Images of Research (IoR) competition returns! All researchers (staff or research students) at the University of Northampton are invited to participate as the Call for Images is open. Create a unique image – a painting or a photograph – that captures the essence of your research or captures an element of it in an artistic way. Include a catchy title and a 150 word summary and your entry for Images of Research will be ready for submission. You can find more information on how to apply in the IoR 2022-23 Rules and Guidelines.
As previously, this year’s IoR will consist of two parts – viewers can vote for their top three favourites and an expert judge will pick their top three as well. All you need to do is make sure that your entries follow the Rules and Guidelines linked above and email them to Lina El-azhab by the close date of January 9th 2023.
The Graduate School launched its first Images of Research in 2013. Justin Lance, then Head of Corporate Programmes at NBS said of it “this is such a wonderfully simple, yet powerful, concept to showcase the diversity and flamboyance of research across the University.” Indeed, this is a perfect opportunity for you to express your creativity and engage a broader audience with your research. Every year, Images of Research get displayed around campus and selected images find their way into different University publications.
Browse through the Images of Research 2022 Brochure to have a look at last year’s entries.
If you are a researcher we invite you to participate in our 11th Images of Research. If you have any questions please contact Lina in the Graduate School.
We look forward to your entries!
PGR Cost of Living Bursary
The University of Northampton recognises that the cost of living crisis presents challenges to students who are studying here, and is developing a number of initiatives to support you. The Graduate School has therefore designed a new scheme, the PGR Cost of Living Bursary. This is intended to provide some support to PGRs who are struggling financially, by awarding grants of £500.
The application form is here, which contains details about eligibility and how to apply. The deadline for applications is 2 December and completed applications should be emailed to Laura Pereira. If you have any queries, you are welcome to email Matthew McCormack for advice.
PGRs – do you need a refresher on Transfer preparation? Ethics? Literature Searching? PURE?

If so, the Graduate School are running a series of online sessions on Tuesday 22nd November which you can join online on Collaborate. If you need a refresher of any of these topics below do book and come along to just that session. You don’t have to attend all day if just one session is relevant. The Getting Started day will feature….
10-11 Preparing for Transfer
11:15-12:30 Research Ethics
1:30-2:45 Getting Started with your Literature search
3-4:30 PURE – your online Research Presence
Book here on Gateway, where you will find the Collaborate link.
Presentation Café on the 23rd of November
The Graduate School invites PGRs to the Presentation Café on the 23rd of November at 2 to 3pm.
Presentation Cafés are a great opportunity for PGRs to practice their presenting skills to each other and to gain confidence and feedback. Whether you are practising for a Transfer seminar, a presentation for a conference or simply talk about your research to others, the presentation cafes are there for you. We will be holding these every month. Presentations should be 10-15 minutes long with time for questions after.
To sign up to present your research at a café, please go fill in this form.
To be in the audience (no presenting required!) just click on the green Respond button on the café workshop page on Gateway. Please note, do think about signing up to make a presentation – we will have to cancel sessions if we don’t have any presenters!
There are more Presentation Cafés scheduled for:
Wondering how to start your very own Research Blog? Join our new online workshop
A practical introduction to creating and publishing a Blog for your Research (online workshop)
24 Nov 2022, 12:00 to 14:00
Have you ever thought about starting a Research Blog but wasn’t sure where to begin or how to go about it?
Keeping a Research Blog is an excellent way to document your experience, keep track of your progress and share your research journey with others.
The Graduate School is hosting “A practical introduction to creating and publishing a Blog for your Research”, an online workshop that will introduce you to creating and setting up a blog on Campus Press (the University’s version of WordPress), how to customise it to your needs and how to publish it.
Find out more and sign up for the workshop on Gateway.
Are you a PGR in the beginning stages of your research journey?
Whether you have just joined the University of Northampton or have been with us for some time and need a refresher on the beginning stages of your research journey, the Graduate School would like to invite you to our Development Day: Getting Started which will take place online on November 22 from 10:00 to 16:30.
This series of webinars is for students who have recently joined a research degree programme at the University of Northampton. We will cover what to expect in your first year, how to prepare for key stages and events in your research project and how to prepare for the ethical approval process. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.
To find out more information and to sign up please follow this link to the event’s Gateway page.
Research student and supervisor toolkits on the web
Here are links to the supervisor toolkit, the research student toolkit and Information for examiners on the university websites:
Supervisor toolkit, including information on examination (requires login to the Staff Intranet)
Student toolkit (requires login to Student Hub)
Launch of PGR ‘Writing Buddies’ initiative
Deborah Babalola, Postgraduate Researcher and PGR Rep, and Simone Apel from the Graduate School are launching a new initiative for PGRs called Writing Buddies. Writing Buddies are small ‘micro-groups’ of writers coming together to write in a social space, which may be virtual or physical. They are micro-versions of structured writing retreats, where writers set themselves goals which they share with others, write for set periods together, then use the breaks to discuss ideas, share practice or just chat, often joining up again for another writing session. Social writing has helped many writers with productivity and motivation to overcome writing blocks and, just as importantly, can give support and a sense of belonging in a researcher writing community.
Read the rest of this entryEvent – Graduate School Development Day: Finishing

The Graduate School’s new Development days are monthly, in-person events on campus, with lunch. These will offer experiential learning, discussion and networking, group work and collaboration – all those things that are far better delivered in-person than online. Each day will have a theme and our first day is on Finishing your Doctorate
Our Graduate School Development Day: Finishing is happening on campus on the 14th of November! It is a full day event (with lunch provided!) designed for those who are in the writing up stage of their doctorate. Consisting of two parts, it will start with a workshop led by Prof Ian Livingstone about editing and proofreading your work. It will be followed by a session with Dr Emel Thomas which will explore the core aspects of the viva experience and include a Q&A panel with UON doctoral alumni.
If you are in the final stages of writing your thesis and preparing for the viva, we invite you to join us for this day packed with valuable information and opportunities to network with your fellow researchers. Find out more information about the sessions and schedule and register for the Development Day on Gateway.
What would your research look like as an image? Images of Research is back!

Winner of the UON Images of Research 2021-22 by Oluwaseyi Omoloso (as chosen by our guest judge)
The Graduate School’s Images of Research (IoR) competition returns! All researchers (staff or research students) at the University of Northampton are invited to participate as the Call for Images is now open. Create a unique image – a painting or a photograph – that captures the essence of your research or captures an element of it in an artistic way. Include a catchy title and a 150 word summary and your entry for Images of Research will be ready for submission. You can find more information on how to apply in the IoR 2022-23 Rules and Guidelines.
Read the rest of this entry

