The Global Challenges Doctoral Centre (GCDC) was delighted to welcome its 2019 cohort and their supervisors at an induction event in the Graduate School on 1 October 2019. The event kicked off with a welcome from Prof Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate School, and was followed by an informative presentation from the GCDC director, Dr Beth Breeze, and the GCDC deputy director, Dr Frank Grundig. The presentation included information on what it means to be a GCDC student, what students can expect from the GCDC, and a general overview of the wider Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) context. We also heard from each of the PhDs, who interviewed and introduced each other to the group.
The induction was followed by a lively start of term social that included pizza, drinks and plenty of time for networking in the Graduate School’s social space. Several of the first GCDC cohort, affiliate students and GCDC supervisors joined the social, and the event was a great opportunity for all involved to build connections across schools and disciplines and discuss their research plans for the year ahead.
GCDC PhD research is incredibly diverse, crossing disciplinary boundries and geographic areas to address global challenges in DAC-list nations. The 2019 cohort’s projects are as follows:
- Identification of the cellular targets of pentamethoxyflavone (PMF); a candidate agent for the chemopreventation of colorectal cancer
- Sustainable design and architectural heritage in post-colonial Sudan
- Portable diagnostic platform for rapid detection and integrated surveillance of viruses
- Forecasting the impacts of development on natural capital and human wellbeing in central Indonesia
- Improving the treatment of life threatening fungal infections in the African AIDS population
- Developing a multi-methodology framework to optimise the Brazilian primary health care system for older people
- Strengthening the international legal regime on climate change – an interdisciplinary approach
- Conflicts between gold mining and local livelihoods in the rainforests of Guyana
More information about our incoming cohort, including individual biographies, will be available on the website in the next several weeks – stay tuned!
