Festival of Postgraduate Research 2026

Festival 2026

Monday 15 June 2026 at the Oculus!

The Festival is a free event to the whole research interested community at Warwick.

We would like to invite the whole Warwick community (staff, students, international & industry partners) to celebrate the contributions of our PG Researchers.

You will be able to flexibly join us in-person and/or on-line, for the whole day or a session or two.

Please Register your Interest to attend and will will send you the booking link when bookings open in May 2026.

Programme

Our PG Researchers will be showcasing their work through live Presentations, Exhibitions and Community Showcases.

We have a range of parallel interactive Development Session to support PG Researchers to develop the Doctoral Value - Learning & Personal Growth, an engaging Keynote speaker to open the Festival, and a closing Plenary Panel to showcase different stages in research career journey.

There will be opportunities for networking, to learn more about the support and opportunities for PG Researchers, and to celebrate our PG Researchers during the two scheduled refreshment breaks.

Researcher Showcase

Showcasing the work of our amazing Postgraduate Researchers is the highlight of our Festival. Interdisciplinary Audience, Innovative Forms of Presentation, Impactful Experience

Showcase Presentations

Live presentations, both in person and via recorded video, are at the heart of the Festival.

Presentations will be a mixture of presentations formats from Three Minute Thesis style to audience participation and more!

Showcase Session A 12.15pm - 1pm

Showcase Session B 1pm - 1.45pm

You can join us in person at OC0.03 or join online, all sessions bookable via Festival booking form.

The Festival Presentation recordings will be accessible from July 2026 and abstracts will be available.

Showcase Exhibition

The Festival Exhibition is home to Academic Posters and alternative formats to showcase the work of PG Researchers from across the university.

The exhibition is located in OC0.01 and although will be open for viewing throughout the Festival there will be two sessions where the Researchers will be present to present and discuss their work. Exhibition sessions 11am-11:45am and 2.15pm-3pm. Sessions can be booked via Festival booking form.

The Festival Exhibition abstracts will be recorded.

Community Showcase

This year we are providing two opportunities for PGRs to collectively exhibit their work in a community display.

Reading Room– this space holds published works of our PGRs for audiences to read and be inspired. Located on the 1st floor side nook of the Oculus, it is a quite space to step away from the Festival buzz whilst enjoying PGR achievements.

Love Letter to Your Thesis- inspired by University of GlasgowLink opens in a new window, PGRs reflections on their research journey and their emotional responses contribute to our community display in the Festival Exhibition. We welcome Festival attendees to augment this display with their own responses throughout the Festival.

Welcome Keynote Speaker

Rachel Rowntree, PGR, Applied Linguistics

9.30am - 10.15am

TBC

Closing Plenary

Exploring the Research Career Journey

3.45pm - 4:30pm

The Closing Plenary will be a panel exploring various stages on the Researcher career journey. The panel with discuss how they can interact and participate with the various stages, and how these experiences how help to develop and support

Development Sessions

We welcome the whole of the Warwick Research interested community to the Festival of Postgraduate Research, however, Development Sessions are primarily for PGRs.

Therefore, only current PGRs will be able to book Development Sessions in advance. Some sessions are available to the whole community and will appear as a bookable option on the booking system, if they are available.

If you are not a current PGR and would like to attend a Development Session, if space permits then you will be able to enter and participate with the session.

Theme

Doctoral Value - Learning and Personal Growth

Development Session 1

10.15am - 11am

1A - Raising the Visibility of Doctoral Research 1B - An Introduction to Public Engagement

In person, OC1.04

Are you curious about Public Engagement? This session will introduce you to key concepts from public engagement theory that can support with good practice. From understanding your purpose to tailoring for your audience, we will highlight the important questions to consider when designing and developing public engagement activity and the value of this for PhD students, your research and the wider university. We will also discuss the support available from Warwick Institute of Engagement, designed to facilitate Public Engagement, wherever you are on your engagement journey.

Phil Jemmett, Warwick Institute of Engagement (WIE)

1C - The Doctoral Journey Communication Toolkit: How might we build belonging through how we communicate?

In person, OC0.05

This interactive, in-person session invites postgraduate researchers (PGRs) to explore how communication shapes belonging across the doctoral journey. Co-created with PGRs and developed in collaboration with University of Warwick initiatives, including the Building Belonging Project, the workshop focuses on shared experiences and collective insight.

Through guided reflection, small-group discussion, and real-world scenarios, participants will examine how communication practices influence inclusion, connection, and collaboration in academic spaces. The session introduces key ideas such as intercultural communication and linguistic diversity, encouraging participants to view differences as strengths rather than barriers.

Using the Building Belonging Framework Snapshot tool, attendees will co-create practical strategies to foster inclusive communication in seminars, peer networks and group work. The session supports Doctoral Values by strengthening self-awareness, interpersonal skills and community-building capacity thus helping PGRs to navigate and shape more inclusive research environments.

Aishee Bhattacharya, PGRApplied Linguistics andInca Hide-Wright, WHIEA Belonging Learning Circle

Development Session 2

11am - 11.45am

2A - Embedding Belonging in Curriculum Design – Focusing on Empowerment

In person, OC1.06

How can we design curricula that give students genuine choice, voice, and ownership over their learning?

This interactive 45-minute workshop explores the Empowerment element of the Warwick Building Belonging Framework. Designed for both PGR students and faculty, the session moves beyond theory into practical strategies.

Through reflective activities, small-group discussion, and real case studies from Warwick colleagues, you will identify where students already have agency in their modules and research – and where they could have more. You will leave with actionable ideas to offer meaningful choices, encourage independent learning, and respect students' decisions within your teaching context.

Join us to share your practice, learn from peers, and help build a culture where every student feels trusted to shape their own path.

Dr. Amira Elasra, Economics

2B - Trauma Informed Research Practice

Development Session 3

2.15pm - 3pm

The Festival Exhibition will run concurrently with Development Session 3.

Exhibition Presenters will be in OC0.01 to engage in conversations regarding their work.

3A - PATHWAY: a Positive Action Programme (part of Research Culture Week)

Hybrid session, online & OC1.06 - this session was originally part of Research Culture Week (23-26 MAR 2026)

PATHWAY is Warwick’s pilot Positive Action programme to address the underrepresentation of Black academics at Warwick. This session will provide an overview of the programme, progress to date, and explore plans for its evolution.

Vicky Strudwick, National Centre for Research Culture (NCRC)

Development Session 4

3pm - 3.45pm

4A - Building Wellbeing Literacy: Skills to Support You Through Your PhD

Hybrid session, online & OC1.06

This interactive workshop introduces doctoral researchers to the concept of wellbeing literacy—the knowledge, language, and intentional skills that help you understand, communicate, and support your own wellbeing throughout the PhD journey. Drawing on evidence about the wellbeing realities commonly experienced during doctoral study, we will explore the emotional, cognitive, and relational challenges that shape the research experience. Participants will also have the opportunity to identify additional pressures that influence their wellbeing and reflect on how these show up in day‑to‑day research life. The session highlights why wellbeing literacy is a vital research skill, supporting focus, resilience, motivation, and sustainable academic practice. Through a guided reflective activity, you will map key moments in your PhD where wellbeing literacy can make a meaningful difference and consider practical strategies to strengthen these skills moving forward.

Tania Villanueva Cabello, Institute for Advanced Teaching & Learning (IATL) and Virginia Thomas-Pickles, PGR, Global Sustainable Development (GSD)

4B - An Introduction to Public Engagement

In person session, OC1.04

Phil Jemmett, Warwick Institute of Engagement (WIE)