November 20: The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) held the 6th Postgraduate Research (PGR) Conference and 2020 Ningbo Graduate Academic Festival English Parallel Sessions in the new library. More than 600 students and academics participated in this event offline and online.
UNNC Provost Professor Nick Miles gave an opening speech to introduce the general information about UNNC PhD education and spoke highly on the excellent performance of UNNC PhDs in research output. He emphasised that UNNC offers not only research support to PhDs, but also the training necessary for their future academic careers.
Professor Alain Chong, Dean of Graduate School and Global Engagement from UNNC, delivered a speech on how to “develop a sustainable research career”. Professor He Li from Marine Materials and Related Technologies CNITECH CAS, shared some useful suggestions for new PhD students facing real research challenges with their studies.
The PGR conference held four parallel sessions. The Judging Panel consisted of professors from each faculty of UNNC and partner institutes and provided rigorous evaluation and gave marks to all the participating postgraduate students during the academic presentation. At the end of the conference, the 3 best presentations and 3 most innovative presentations were presented with awards.
Xiaofei Song, a Best Presenter said: “Through its well-scheduled sessions, I have met new friends from different research backgrounds.” The conference provided her with a chance to present her research project and collect helpful feedback and suggestions to improve it. Dennis Senam Amable, another Best Presenter also commented that “the feedback from the panel and the experience gained will significantly impact my project and academic career”.
At UNNC, pursuing innovation, supporting independent thinking and believing that students have unlimited potential are the core concepts of doctoral education. Supervisors encourage PhD students to come up with their own ideas, enlighten students' thinking and guide them on how to solve problems rather than give answers directly.
Doctoral students are encouraged to attend international conferences and learn from outstanding seniors. The University often invites academic experts and scholars and holds activities to give researchers opportunities for exchanges and cooperation.
The Postgraduate Research Conference takes place once every two years. For UNNC PGR students, this is a great opportunity to practice their presentation skills and network with professors and fellow researchers.
Published on 27 November 2020