Register for the 8th Annual PGI conference
Read the conference booklet
The Postgraduate Institute for Measurement Science (PGI) annual conference brings together delegates from industry, academia, and policy backgrounds to discuss current and future global challenges where measurement science delivers significant impact.
The conference provides a platform for networking and allows delegates to experience the breadth of research carried out by PGI researchers.
Day one
Conference themes
Curiosity-driven research
Curiosity is fundamental to the practice of research. The dissatisfaction of not knowing why something exists as it does has fuelled discoveries for centuries and continues to do so today. These discoveries, supported by measurement techniques, have pushed the boundaries of human understanding, and paved the way for unforeseen advancements in a variety of fields.
Metrology at scale
From nanotechnology to astronomy, measurement science plays a pivotal role towards developing an understanding of the world around us, not confined by size. The vast scales upon which we can measure are not only limited to mass and size, but also time and frequency, as well as the other units.
Cross-sector research
Science is driven by collaboration. It enables people to work together to answer fundamental questions and solve complex problems. Today, the scientific landscape requires people of different disciplines and backgrounds to work together and drive research forward. The value of the PGI is in enabling students of different backgrounds, disciplines, and stages of their PhD projects to share their knowledge and ideas for cross sector research underpinned by measurement science.
Reduce, refine and replace
The integration of the 3R principles “Reduction, refinement, and replacement” into metrology is of profound significance, extending beyond conventional ethical concerns. Metrology, as the foundation of modern measurement across various industries, embraces these principles. The PGI annual conference brings together delegates from industry, academia, and policy backgrounds to discuss current and future global challenges particularly where measurement science delivers significant impact.
Keynote speakers
What do advances in Artificial Intelligence mean for science?
Caroline Jay - University of Manchester
Caroline Jay is a Professor of Computer Science and Head of Research in the School of Engineering at the University of Manchester. She is qualified as both a Psychologist (BA, CPsychol) and Computer Scientist (MSc, PhD), and undertakes research crossing these domains. She is Research Director of the Software Sustainabilty Institute, and a keen advocate for open and reproducible science. Caroline holds a Mercator Fellowship at Humboldt University of Berlin, where she is investigating the implications of new technologies, including generative AI, for the construction of scientific workflows. She was named as one of the Guardian’s Top 50 Women in Engineering 2022: Inventors and Innovators, for her work advancing ECG interpretation.
Measuring at the extreme: why should I care and how will it affect me?
Jessica Boland – University of Manchester
Jessica Boland is a senior lecturer of functional materials and devices at the University of Manchester, where she leads the national cryogenic near-field microscopy (CUSTOM) facility. She is also a UKRI Future Leader Fellow and visiting researcher at the National Physical laboratory (NPL). Jessie graduated from University of Exeter with a masters in Physics with professional experience at Hewlett Packard Labs, before completing a DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics at Oxford under the supervision of Prof. Michael Johnston focused on terahertz spectroscopy. Her current research focuses on nanoscale optoelectronic characterisation of low-dimensional materials via ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy and near-field microscopy, as well as development of novel terahertz devices for ultrafast wireless communication applications.
Conference social
Work hard, play hard, as the saying goes? The conference dinner and social will be held in the eighteenth-floor suite of the grand Hyatt Regency hotel with spectacular views over the city center. There will be an after-dinner DJ so remember to bring your dancing shoes!
Day two
Keynote speaker
Adventures with Mass Spectrometry and Joy
Perdita Barran – University of Manchester
Professor Barran holds a Chair of Mass Spectrometry in the Department of Chemistry and is the Director of the Michael Barber Centre for Collaborative Mass Spectrometry and a member of Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. She is the deputy chair of the Infrastructure and Capital Advisory Group for the Medical Research Council, UK. Her research interests include: Biological mass spectrometry; Instrument and technique development; Protein structure and interactions; Dynamic and Disordered Systems; Parkinson’s disease Diagnostics; HDX-MS; Proteomics; and Molecular modeling. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was awarded the Theophilus Redwood Award from the RSC in 2019, Researcher of the Year 2020 from the University of Manchester and the ACS Measurement Science Lectureship 2021. In 2020 she initiated the COVID-19 Mass Spectrometry Coalition and was appointed as Chief Advisor to the UK Government on Mass Spectrometry as part of their pandemic response. Perdita has had the privilege to mentor 35 graduate students through the successful completion of their PhDs as well as 16 postdoctoral fellows. Perdita has authored over 200 publications in peer reviewed journals which have been cited over 4000 times, by people other than her. In 2021 Perdita founded the company Sebomix Ltd to exploit sebum as a diagnostic biofluid with a focus on Parkinson’s Disease.
The Resilient Researcher Workshop
hosted by Dr Jen Allanson
Challenges make life interesting. When challenges come all at once, are unexpected, or are huge it is natural to feel overwhelmed. The Resilient Researcher workshop is an experiential workshop full of ideas and strategies to help you to deal with life’s challenges. Working from the brain outwards we’ll look at: strategies to actively manage your interface with the world, tools and techniques to deal with destabilising events, routes to recovery and well-being, practical actions, knowledge and behaviours that strengthen your foundations and self-knowing to help you to make good, life-affirming choices
Manchester walking tour (optional)
A guided walking tour around Manchester city centre will be held on the afternoon of day two. Immerse yourself in the city’s rich culture, whilst stretching your legs and getting to know fellow PGI delegates!
Accomodation and Logistics
The conference venue (John Garside Building - aka MIB) is approximately 10 minutes walk from Manchester Picadilly train station, and 15 minutes walk from the social venue (Hyatt Regency Hotel). Remember to book trains early to benefit from cheaper fares..jpg.aspx "PGI-map-(1).jpg")
See below for options for accommodation in Manchester:
- Ibis (Manchester Centre Princess Street) Ibis
- Premier Inn (Manchester Central or Portland Street) Premier Inn
- Travelodge (Manchester Piccadilly or Upper Brook Street) Travelodge
- Whitworth Locke Civic Quarter Manchester Whitworth Locke Aparthotel
- Marriott (Manchester Piccadilly) Marriott
- Hyatt Regency hotel (where the conference dinner and social are located) Hyatt Regency
A little bit about us
The PGI was established in 2015 with the aim of becoming the leading institution for postgraduate research and training in measurement science in the UK. The vision for the PGI was developed through a strategic partnership between the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the University of Strathclyde and the University of Surrey.
We work with a range of academic and industrial partners to provide a prominent and distinctive centre for collaborative measurement science research and state-of-the-art training facilities to develop a highly skilled future workforce.
Our cohort has been growing rapidly since our establishment and we currently have around 200 students working on various multi-disciplinary projects with over 30 universities across the UK, working under the supervision of around 250 distinguished academics and scientists.
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