The 2016 Postgraduate Festival is taking place on Friday 20th May in Woolf and promises to be a great celebration of postgraduate research in Kent.

Included in the programme will be:

• A BBC style “Question Time” with a panel of top Kent academics
• An excellent Keynote speaker (Ulrike Hotopp, Chief Economist at Simetrica)
• The final of the 3MT competition and student research presentations and displays.

If you wish to showcase your research, give a presentation or ask a question please register here http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/news/pgfestival-presenters-registration.html

On Monday 14th March 2016, six postgraduate students gave a short presentation about their culture as part of the Global Skills Award programme. Thank you to the following students who presented and made the evening a great success:

Dynamic Field Theory is a framework for understanding how the brain gives rise to thinking in real time, and how cognitive decisions leave memory traces that are the basis for learning and development.  The Summer School will provide an overview of DFT, using a new text Dynamic Thinking – A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory.

The school will be led by Prof. John P. Spencer.  Prof Spencer will lecture on the concepts of DFT from 9-10.30 each day.  This will be followed by a second guest lecture on exemplary case studies from 11-12.  Afternoon sessions from 2-4 will provide hands-on training working with DF models in COSIVINA, an interactive simulation environment.  Students will develop their own projects during the school to learn how to apply the concepts of DFT to their home domain of interest.

To apply, send a 2-page CV and brief cover letter describing why you want to attend the school to: SSF.AdvancedTraining@uea.ac.uk. Additional details including information on fees can be found at www.dynamicfieldtheory.org/engage.

Postgraduate Experience Award Event – 1-5pm, 9th March 2016, MA Space, SMFA, Medway.

Is Music in your bones?  Is Painting in your blood?  Sign up to this innovative 4-week series ‘hack’ your DNA and convert your amino acid sequences into art!

For more details and to sign up to the limited spaces visit the webpage https://www.eventbrite.com/e/biohacking-create-art-and-music-with-your-dna-tickets-20619762264​

What will you create with your DNA?

Come and talk to specialist academics and admissions staff about postgraduate study at our campuses in the UK and specialist centres in Tonbridge and across Europe.

• Find out more about Kent’s £9m postgraduate scholarship fund.
• Get all the latest information about the new £10,000 loans for Master’s students.
• Get answers to your questions about postgraduate taught and research opportunities at Kent
• Meet current postgraduate students.
• Speak to staff for expert advice about the application process, funding, accommodation and future career options.
• Talk to the Graduate School about how they support all Kent’s postgraduate students with additional training, study facilities and social events.

To book your place visit the web page here

Exciting Prizes to be Won for Your Research!

The 6th annual Postgraduate Festival is an event open to all postgraduates, taught and research.

It’s a great opportunity for postgraduates to showcase their research to fellow students and staff through academic posters, models or displays and presentations.

For more information visit PG Festival

The next Medway research Café is on Friday 12th February, in room G3-05, 1.30 – 3.30pm.

Our presenter will be Louise Krska, who will be giving a talk on “The bladder microbiome in health and disease.”

Coffee/tea and biscuits provided.

Our next Canterbury Research Café is scheduled for Thursday 18th February, in the Graduate School training room, (Cornwallis East, 3rd Floor), 12.30 – 2.00pm.

Each café features one or two 20 minute talks from postgraduate researchers from different disciplines, with a chance to ask questions, debate and network.  If you would like to contribute, or have and idea/theme in mind for an upcoming Research Café session, please contact Hannah Huxley at hh318@kent.ac.uk.

Apply for funding through the Postgraduate Experience Awards and it could turn into a reality!

Funding of up to £1,500 can be awarded for applications to run events or projects which have an interdisciplinary and/or external focus and will enhance the postgraduate experience at Kent.

 How to apply:

• Deadline: Friday 25^th March 2016
• Eligibility: Applications for funding are invited from postgraduates (both taught and research) and postdoctoral researchers (up to 2 years). Further details on the selection criteria are available on the application form.
• Apply: Download an application form by visiting https://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/news/pgexperience.html
• For further information please contact Deborah Molloy    graduateschool@kent.ac.uk

On Monday 7th December 2015, six postgraduate students gave a short presentation about their culture as part of the Global Skills Award programme. Thank you to the following students who presented and made the evening a great success:

The PGR Research Space in Templeman East is closed this Thursday, 10 December, so  the furniture can be moved to its new location in Oaks Study Hub.  

The new room will open in the former group study room in Oaks on Friday 11 December. 

The PGR Research Space is a dedicated room for research postgraduates to work together across disciplines. The new room is: 

·         open 24/7 and will be open throughout the winter vacation

·         secured with a card lock limiting access to the room to PGR students – but you are strongly recommended not to leaving personal belongings unattended in any study space on campus

·         divided by a small corridor from the main, quiet study, PC room in Oaks, so it should be similarly quiet

·         the closest building to the Library that could be identified that can offer a dedicated room for PGRs.

The building work to the Library means many adjustments have had to be made to the way we provide services to all Library users. The University takes the study needs of postgraduates very seriously, and the refurbished central core will include dedicated postgraduate facilities.