// Latest Posts

How a postgraduate researcher helped us focus on the next step for our business

A blog from Grace Holland of Cultivate IT about the experience of hosting a postgraduate placement student. As a small business with ambitious plans, we were excited to learn about the Researcher Academy’s Postgraduate Placements programme at the University of Nottingham. At Cultivate IT, we have been helping schools and businesses with IT support for over …

Discovering the value of good company culture

Shafira Andriani shares her experiences of a postgraduate placement at Leonard Design Architects. I had just completed my master’s study and was waiting for graduation when the placement opportunity knocked. I first stepped foot in the UK in 2021 full of passion to pursue study in MArch Architecture and Sustainable Design. Being able to study …

Gaining confidence through two placement experiences

Adeola Oyewale shares her experience of two postgraduate engineering placements organised by the Researcher Academy. I am Adeola, a full-time software developer who came from Nigeria, my home country, to get a Master’s Degree in Electronic, Communications and Computer Engineering at the University of Nottingham. While studying, I was lucky to get working experience through …

My placement for a cutting-edge research project with Biodiversify and ClimateHorizon

Szu-Yu Chen, a researcher in Nottingham University Business School, talks about her postgraduate placement experience. In 2022 summer, I was not sure what I would like to do after my PhD and felt anxious about the future since I was a 3rd year PhD student. Without any publication and teaching experience, I was wondering what …

If you don’t know what a metamaterial is…

Oliver Nelson-Dummett, a PhD researcher in Engineering, on attending his first in-person conference with financial support from the Researcher Academy’s Conferences, Travel and Training Fund. If you don’t know what a metamaterial is, that’s ok. Neither did I before this conference, and neither – it turns out – do the professors who run the UK …

An introvert’s reflections on conference attendance

Amy Gibbons, a PhD student in Criminology, School of Sociology and Social Policy, on experiencing her first in person conference since pre-pandemic. Follow Amy on Twitter @AmyG_97_ I was lucky enough to secure £300 from the Researcher Academy that helped cover most of the costs for me to attend the British Society of Criminology (BSC) …

Life Beyond the PhD 

Taran Young shares his experience of attending the Cumberland Lodge ‘Life beyond the PhD Conference’ with funding from the Researcher Academy. After a quick turnaround from application to outcome, I was thrilled to find out I’d secured a fully funded spot from the Researcher Academy to attend the unforgettable Life Beyond the PhD conference. Run …

Carbon transparency and cost accuracy

Tim Barbary, Company Director at Benchmark Consulting Ltd talks about his experience of hosting University of Nottingham postgraduates through the Researcher Academy’s award-winning placements scheme.  Benchmark Consulting Ltd has been supporting the packaging industry for over 10 years providing commercial estimating, financial measures, and workflow management software to some of the largest producers of plastic, …

Patience is a Virtue

Ella Wydrzynska is a 4th year PhD candidate in the School of English. She specialises in the study of stylistics, with a particular focus on contemporary children’s literature. Financial support from the Researcher Academy’s Conference, Travel and Training Fund allowed Ella to present her research at the most recent Poetics and Linguistics Association conference. Picture the …

My trip to Ven, Sweden

Jane Crowley shares her experience of attending a conference in Sweden, with support from the Researcher Academy. In June, I had the opportunity to attend the 10th International Graduate Summer School for Biophotonics, on the island of Ven, with help from the Researcher Academy Conferences, Travel and Training Fund. Over 60 postgraduate biophotonics students from …