Weekly Update

Date: Thursday 27 March
Time: from 5.30pm
Location: Riddel Hall, Queen’s Business School

The panel will discuss the financial and business challenges they have faced, including navigating issues around raising investment, valuing their business, venture capital, and positioning themselves for acquisition. Andrew will be joined by other leading founders: Dr Brian Smith (NBS Sports Next), Mark Shields (Taka) and Naomi McGregor (Movetru) to share their stories, and the event will be expertly chaired by Eoin McMullan (Hill Vellacott).

Get your questions answered during our interactive Q&A, connect with established and emerging companies, and strengthen your professional network.

Find out more and reserve your ticket for the event here.

Organised in association with Convocation, the voice of graduates at Queen's, this event is open to all, but we especially encourage Queen's Business School graduates from Accounting and Finance pathways to join us.

Whether you're an accountant, entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or passionate about sports and technology, this is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the conversation and stay connected with Queen’s global network.

This two-day event promises to be an enriching experience for all attendees. Please find the full agenda attached and event website which includes registration link here.

Day 1: Focuses on technical aspects and is open to everyone with an interest in Cyber AI. This day will feature a series of technical sessions designed to deepen your understanding and skills in this rapidly evolving field with guest speakers Abeba Berhane, Sarah McCarthy, Juqing Zhang, Paul Smith and Roberto Doriguzzi Corin.

Day 2: Targeted specifically at students, this day includes a live podcast panel on career planning with early-stage postdocs from both industry and academia. Additionally, there will be insightful talks on getting the most from conferences and a session on productivity and deep work with Jamie Pei. The day will conclude with a mindful movement session with Erin McElvogue!

Attendees can select the days they would like to attend on the registration form.

Places are limited, please register by 31st March to secure your spot!

Ambassador Berger has been as German Ambassador to the UK since May 2022. Prior to that he was State Secretary at the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin (2020-21) where he was responsible for the coordination of German foreign policy in Europe. In addition to working in Bonn and Berlin, he has had postings in Bucharest, Mexico City and the at the United Nations in New York.

This event is hosted by Prof. David Phinnemore (HAPP) and Prof. Katy Hayward (SSESW)

Training sessions are delivered via a virtual classroom, many on weekday evenings between 7pm-9pm, but with some additional daytime sessions.

The series is organised and administered by Dr Simon Watts (simon.d.watts@uea.ac.uk), PGR Training Coordinator for the Faculty of Social Sciences at UEA, who also teaches Modules 1 to 4. Module 5 is taught by Dr Kimberley Bartholomew from the School of Education at UEA.

The training has been organised into five modules, each focused on a specific area/topic. Students don’t have to attend a whole module, however, and are free to sign up to individual sessions. The modules and individual sessions for 2024/25 are as follows:

Module 1:

Academic Writing

(1) What Should a Literature Review Do?

(2) Writing Effectively

(3) Academic Publishing

(4) Writing & Structuring an

Effective Thesis

Module 2:

Qualitative Research Skills

(1) A Comparison of Qualitative Methods

(2) Qualitative Interviewing

(3) Analysing Qualitative Data

(4) Using NVivo for Qualitative Research

Module 3:

Finishing your PhD

(1) Preparing for your Viva

(2) Securing a First Academic Post

(3) Preparing Impactful Research Proposals & Grant Applications

(4) Conference Presentations

Module 4:

Teaching Skills

(1) Preparing & Delivering Seminars

(2) Preparing & Delivering Lectures

(3) Assessment, Feedback,

& Module Design

Module 5:

Quantitative Research Skills

(1) Quantitative Research: A Basic Guide

(2) An Introduction to Scale Development

(3) An Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling

Booking

The training series uses an automated booking system called ‘Bookwhen’. The landing page on this site provides information about how to book, waiting lists, the possible addition of extra sessions, how to access and set up the Electa-Live virtual classroom software, which is used to host the sessions, and how to cancel a booking should that become necessary.

Please visit the booking website and read all the information provided. If you have any problems, you want to ask a question, or there is anything you don’t understand, please feel free to e-mail simon.d.watts@uea.ac.uk and/or ssf.advancedtraining@uea.ac.uk and they will do their best to help.

The University's guidance on authorship is being updated and to support its implementation Dr Jane Alfred, Director of Catalyst Editorial Ltd, will be delivering authorship workshops in April. Good authorship practice is an important component of good research practice and enhancing research culture.  

Separate sessions are available for early career researchers and research leads/senior authors to ensure tailored content. Places are limited.

• Early career researchers
  Wednesday 2^nd April, 13:00-16:00, Peter Froggatt Centre/03/006B
  Find out more and register here.
• Research leads/senior authors
  Thursday 3^rd April, 10:00-13:00, Research & Enterprise Seminar Room
  Find out more and register here.

A webinar will be held on Thursday 3^rd April 2025 from 12:00 – 13:00 to officially launch  Thesis with Publications, the University's latest thesis submission model for postgraduate research students. This innovative approach to thesis submission enables postgraduate research students to include material within their thesis which has been published or is in a format suitable for publication. This model has many benefits and could be a good fit for you.

Postgraduate research students, supervisors, and other staff who advise and support them are invited to attend this informative and engaging session to learn about the new model, its guidelines, and ask questions.

Register HERE to secure your place. The session will also be recorded so it can be made available to those who are unable to attend. 

The Queen's International Student's Society is hosting an Armenian Dance Workshop.

Join them in the Graduate School on April 3rd for an evening of dance and cultural exchange.

Sign up here.

To find out more email Kyra at kchamberlain02@qub.ac.uk

Through a large team of freelance Support Providers, The Register of Support Providers at Queen’s supports disabled students across a number of different roles.

The Register is currently seeking to engage additional Support Providers for the new academic year across a number of different support roles including as Campus Assistants, Academic Mental Health Tutors, Note Takers and exam assistants to support students with disabilities / long-term conditions across the University. 

The Register is particularly keen to engage STEM subject Note Takers (£15 per hour) capable of taking notes in subject areas such as Computer Science, Engineering (all strands - Electrical, Civil, Chemical, Aerospace), Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing etc .  Individuals will also be required for Specialist Campus Assistant roles (£17 per hour) to support students in practical / laboratory settings and with using particular statistical packages such as SPSS etc.

Further information about the Note Taker and other support roles may be found on the main Queen's website.

If you would be interested in joining the freelance team (interviews anticipated August / September), please complete / return the following Expression of Interest form as soon as possible to supportprovider@qub.ac.uk

As you will be working on a freelance / self-employed basis (ie not paid via QWork), there are no restrictions in relation to the number of hours worked per week.  Unfortunately however, if you are residing in the UK on a student visa (previously Tier 4 student visa), you cannot work on a self-employed basis so we would not be able to progress your Expression of Interest on that premise.

If you have any queries at all (about the type of work involved, nature of engagement, payments etc) please contact Kirsti, Disability Support Manager at k.alexander@qub.ac.uk

You can find the current list of available roles here.

A symposium you're keen to curate, or a cultural celebration that would bring the postgraduate community together?

Then you should apply to host a Postgraduate-Led Initiative and receive up to £400 funding from the Thomas J. Moran Graduate School.

You'll gain experience in project management, working with budgets, and showcase your leadership skills when you successfully carry out your own Postgraduate-Led Initiative.

And you can apply for your own Postgraduate Led Initiative here.

You might like the idea of befriending an older person; campaigning on humanitarian issues; fundraising for a local charity or getting involved in conservation in urban areas, whatever you’re passionate about we will be able to find the perfect volunteering opportunity for you.

If you know you want to do something but you’re not quite sure what, never fear, we will be able to provide you with a range of volunteering options and just know something will spark your interest!

Discover more on the Student Union website.

Thomas J Moran Moran was a renowned businessman and humanitarian who acted as Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast until his death on August 19 2018.

Mr Moran was formally inaugurated as Chancellor of Queen’s on Thursday 2 July, 2015. At a special installation ceremony in the Great Hall, the Vice-Chancellor, the late Professor Patrick Johnston, referred to him as “someone who shares our passion for education” who “recognises the transformative effect it has on the world around us.” It is for these same reasons that he is a fitting person to be honoured in the official name of The Graduate School. Read more about him here.