Congratulations to Professor Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate School, for being chosen as the recipient of the Witkacy Prize for his ongoing work promoting Polish theatre abroad. The Polish Section of the International Theatre Institute announced the award on 27 March, World Theatre Day.

The Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy) Prize has been awarded by the Polish Section of the International Theatre Institute since 1983, and the prestigious award is given to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement promoting Polish theatre on an international scale. An expert on Polish Theatre, Professor Paul Allain has been invited to take part in an upcoming theatre festival in Poland to mark the award.

In addition to his role as the Dean of the Graduate School, Professor Paul Allain is a Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University’s School of Arts, where he continues to supervise PhD students from around the world. Professor Paul Allain is the co-founder of the European Theatre Research Network and is author and editor of many works on Polish theatre, most recently as co-editor of the 2015 book Voices from Within: Grotowski’s Polish Collaborators.

Read the University announcement of Professor Paul Allain’s achievement here.

GambleAware has announced that it will fund a new PhD project to boost Great Britain’s problem gambling research capacity.

The funder would particularly welcome proposals related to the following areas:

• Anthropology
• Community development studies
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) management studies
• Counselling and psychotherapy
• Economics
• Health studies
• Law and regulation
• Neurology
• Political science
• Psychology
• Public or social policy
• Social geography
• Social marketing studies
• Social sciences, including sociology
• Computing and technology.

The timetable is as follows:

• Call for applications published March 2018
• Deadline for written applications 31 May 2018
• Interviews June 2018
• Award made by 30 June 2018
• PhD commences Autumn 2018

Anyone interested in applying should view the application process here: https://about.gambleaware.org/media/1695/phd-call-2018.pdf or send any queries by email to commissioning@gambleaware.org.

Supervisors and applicants are welcome to contact the Graduate School if they require assistance with the application: graduateschool@kent.ac.uk

The Graduate School has decided to extend the deadline for the second round of applications to the Postgraduate Experience Award to Friday 27th April.

We are looking to fund projects with an aim of building the postgraduate community, so if you have a good idea for an event you would like to put on, with an interdisciplinary feel to it, put in an application! Previous funded projects include yoga and writing retreats, an external engagement competition, and an ethnobotanical nature trail round campus to name but a few.

The prize is worth up to £1500 and is a great way to develop project management skills.  For more information and the application form see our website https://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/news/pgexperience.html

Whatever your discipline, poster presentations are a powerful and widely used means of disseminating research in both academic and non-academic contexts. Distilling your research into a poster that is engaging and visually appealing is an excellent way to stretch your creativity and demonstrate the impact of your work.

You are warmly invited to showcase your research in our Poster Presentation Competition at our Postgraduate Festival launch on Monday 18 June 2018 in the Sibson building, Canterbury campus.

If you wish to display your poster please contact Felicity Clifford, Postgraduate Experience Officer at f.clifford-254@kent.ac.uk. In your email please state the following information:

• Your full name and subject of study
• School/faculty and supervisor name
• Title of poster
• Whether you are attending the PG Festival launch event (attendance is not required, however you will not be eligible for our event poster competition).

Poster Guidelines

• Only one poster allowed per entrant. Posters must relate to an aspect of the entrant’s research.
• Posters can be landscape or portrait orientation.
• Printed posters do not have to be laminated.
• Entrants attending the PG Festival launch event must set up their poster presentation between 11:00 and 12noon on the day.
• Entrants attending the PG Festival launch event must present their poster to fellow students and judges throughout the PG Festival networking lunch.

Judging Criteria

• Posters will be assessed according to two criteria:
• Poster design – presentation and visual communication
• Research content – how easily this can be understood by non-subject specialists

The University of Kent has been shortlisted in both the Postgraduate and International categories of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs) 2018. The WUSCAs celebrate the best in higher education, and universities are selected based on student feedback submitted via Whatuni.com. This year marks the awards fifth year, and the winners will be announced in April 2018.

Congratulations to the University of Kent for being shortlisted for two of the fifteen categories!

Read the news article here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/news/kentlife/17324/university-shortlisted-for-two-student-choice-awards

Deborah Molloy, a member of the Graduate School team, has been named the International Women’s Day competition winner by the Transatlantic Literary Women team for her ‘fascinating and informative piece on Canadian author, Margaret Atwood.’

You can read the official announcement and Deborah’s piece here: https://transatlanticladies.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/international-womens-day-competition-winner/

Deborah joined the Graduate School in November 2014 and began a part-time PhD in 20th Century American Women’s Literature in September. Congratulations to Deborah on this accomplishment from the Graduate School team!

The second round of the Postgraduate Experience Award is now open for this academic year.  If you have an idea for an event or project which will share your expertise to build the postgraduate community then now is the time to submit an application.  Funding is available, up to £1500, to cover materials, room hire, publicity etc.  If you need a little inspiration take a look at the webpage for details of previous winning projects.

The deadline is Thursday 29th March, for project to take place during the summer.

More details and the application form are available here

Paul Allain, Dean of the Graduate School, recently visited the University of Kent at Athens to welcome the new cohort of MA in Heritage Management students in Elefsina. In addition to extending a warm welcome to the students at their induction, the dean gave a lecture on his latest research, spoke with students about the specifics of their course and detailed the various means of support provided by the Graduate School to all Kent postgraduates.

“I was pleased to see what a diverse international cohort we have from a range of backgrounds and experiences…it was very helpful to see the centre and the facilities as well as the nearby historic excavation site and ruins.”

To find out more about what is offered by the University of Kent at Athens, please visit: https://www.kent.ac.uk/locations/athens/

Congratulations go to Rev Norma Stewart, after successfully defending her thesis.  Full details of her achievement against the odds can be found here

The Kent Tree Ogham Trail, a Postgraduate Experience Award project led by Joana Canelas, will be opened this weekend.  This is a new nature trail around campus, inviting walkers to consider the ancient significance of the tree species we have around us.

The Tree Ogham is an ancient bardic alphabet where each letter is named after a tree.  During this open weekend the team will ask why trees are so important to us, walking through their stories, flavours and shapes to discover the ethnobotany, ecology and folklore of our Ogham trees.

Walks along the trail will start at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, meeting at the Labyrinth beside Eliot on Saturday, and behind the School of Arts on Sunday.  Warm clothing and outdoor footwear is advisable.  Jams, teas and cordials will be available along the way.