It’s a Wrap! A Reflection on the Journey

Ben Webster (PGI Development Coordinator and PGI Alumnus)
Jamie McMillan (Conference Chair, Higher Research Scientist at NPL and PGR with the University of Surrey)

What a great time to be a researcher in Science, Engineering and Technology!

Professor Sir Jim McDonald - Principal of the University of Strathclyde welcoming delegates to the PGI Conference 2021

This year’s PGI Conference brought together over 100 delegates from across NPL, industry and academia to celebrate how postgraduate measurement science research helps to address key global challenges. Introductions from Professor Sir Jim McDonald (University of Strathclyde), Professor David Sampson (University of Surrey) and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, Professor Paul Monks, set the scene ahead of a series of high-quality Keynote and Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) talks and poster presentations. All these highlighted the depth, breadth, impact and importance of measurement science research being carried out by PGRs working in collaboration with NPL. Here’s a summary of who spoke at this year’s conference:

Creating a Science Based Economy

• Keynote: Dr Alessandro Rossi (University of Strathclyde)
• PGR Talks: Rachel Clark (Cardiff), Shaon Debnath (Strathclyde), Tim Coveney (Huddersfield) and Jamie McMillan (Surrey)
• PGR Posters: Emily Webster (Southampton)

Linking Research Excellence through Communities

• Keynote: Dr Thierry Stora (CERN)
• PGR Talks: Ileana Silvestre-Patallo (UCL), Tarek Haloubi (Edinburgh) and David Fairweather (Edinburgh)
• PGR Posters: Lillian Koppensteiner (Edinburgh), Patrick Hunter (York), Ruan Mayworm (INMETRO) and Kanokrat Charoenpornpukdee (Bristol)

Ensuring Wellbeing for All

• Keynote: Aliza Ayaz (UCL and UN Youth Ambassador)
• PGR Talks: Hanifa Koguna (Imperial), Jessica Talbott (UCL), Martin Metodiev (Imperial) and Dannielle Cox-Pridmore (Surrey)
• PGR Posters: Sam Flynn (Birmingham) and Melina Kyriazi (Imperial)

Check out the Conference Programme for more detail about the research presented at this year’s PGI Conference

If that wasn’t enough, this year’s PGI Conference also saw the inaugural #GrAbPGI Twitter Competition which invited PGI postgraduate researchers to communicate their research in an accessible way to the diverse Twitter audience – check out the #GrAbPGI feed to see the fantastic Graphical Abstract entries.

!!Congratulations to the Prize Winners for the best PGR talks, posters and #GrAbPGI winners – you can see the winners here!!

Inspiring the next generation of researchers

On the second day, a careers debate and panel session helped PGRs to consider post-PhD career options with refreshingly honest contributions from Rowena Innocent (Spectris plc.), Prof Scott Heath (University of Manchester), Prof Ian Gilmore (NPL) and several PGI Alumni including:

• Kamran Fathi (Rutherford Cancer Centres)
• Osman Ajmal (Leyton)
• Lewis Hill (University of Strathclyde)
• Jasmine Bone (University of Surrey/AWE)
• Leonardo del Bino (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light)
• Marcelo Alonso (Lumenisity Ltd)

Dr Jess Wade (Imperial) brought the PGI Conference to an uplifting close, inspiring and encouraging PGRs by highlighting how they and their research can significantly impact the society and world around us.

A huge thank you goes to…

As always, this conference could not have been possible without the hard work, enthusiasm and excellent teamwork of this year’s PGI Conference Committee. A big thank you goes to them for volunteering their time and for going above and beyond their PhD responsibilities to deliver such an incredible event.

This year’s PGI Conference Committee included:

• Jamie McMillan (Conference Chair, University of Surrey)
• David Connolly (University of Strathclyde)
• Jennifer Blair (University of Strathclyde)
• Hannah Cook (University College London, UCL)
• Karim Daramy (University of Strathclyde)
• Anoma Yamsiri (University of Surrey)
• Tarek Haloubi (University of Edinburgh)
• Dannielle Cox-Pridmore (University of Surrey)
• Dan Flintoft (University of Surrey)

If you would like to be involved in organising the next PGI Conference, let us know by emailing the PGI Ambassadors. It is an excellent opportunity to develop your transferrable skills and to get integrated into the PGI Student Community.

I am so relieved and proud of how the conference went. The speakers were inspiring – using their enthusiasm and knowledge to expertly welcome delegates into unfamiliar subjects. I personally pushed myself by volunteering to chair a session. This has helped me feel more comfortable presenting in front of others and even enjoy doing so!

Jennifer Blair