The Graduate School

We've had a fantastic first two weeks celebrating Research Culture at the Graduate School! 🎉

Our Research Culture programme brings together events and workshops designed to support the development needs of today’s researchers, from current PhD students to Master’s students considering the next step into doctoral study.

Delivered by researcher development specialists, industry experts, and senior academics from Queen’s and beyond, the programme has already featured an inspiring range of talks, workshops, and networking opportunities. Just as importantly, it has brought together researchers from across disciplines to connect, share ideas, and build a vibrant postgraduate research community.

The first two weeks were rounded off in style with our Three Minute Thesis Competition on Thursday, showcasing the outstanding research and communication skills of our postgraduate researchers. 👏

Swipe to see some highlights from the events so far, and visit the Graduate School website to explore the full programme and discover what’s still to come: https://ow.ly/tpPz50Zb25f

We're delighted to be hosting the Third International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting here at the Graduate School.

Taking place today and tomorrow, the conference has been led by PhD students Audrey Eileen Kelly, Cian Dunne, and Joy McClean.

Entitled Looking Out / Looking In: New Perspectives in Translation and Interpreting, the conference invites participants to explore both outward-looking connections beyond their discipline and inward-looking reflections on how Translation and Interpreting can continue to evolve in theory and practice.

Congratulations to Audrey, Cian, and Joy for their leadership in delivering such a thought-provoking event, and thank you to everyone contributing to the conversations over these two stimulating days. We're proud to support the conference through our PGLI programme and to play a role in helping bring this exciting event to life.

Last week PhD researcher Emily Bond hosted our first workshop about menstrual health and PMS in the Graduate School.

Emily said, 'I ran *In Sync: Understanding Your Body, Enhancing Your Performance* because too many postgraduate students are expected to perform with relentless consistency in systems that rarely acknowledge biological variability—especially when it comes to menstrual health and PMS...This workshop mattered because PMS is not just “a bad week”; it can meaningfully influence cognition, emotional regulation, recovery, and day-to-day functioning—and when we treat it as legitimate, students gain language, tools, and permission to plan with their bodies instead of against them.'

A huge thank you Emily, we can never underestimate the value of understanding how our bodies can impact our performance 🫶

Last week PhD student Emily Bond hosted our first workshop about menstrual health and PMS in the Graduate School.

Emily said, 'I ran *In Sync: Understanding Your Body, Enhancing Your Performance* because too many postgraduate students are expected to perform with relentless consistency in systems that rarely acknowledge biological variability—especially when it comes to menstrual health and PMS...This workshop mattered because PMS is not just “a bad week”; it can meaningfully influence cognition, emotional regulation, recovery, and day-to-day functioning—and when we treat it as legitimate, students gain language, tools, and permission to plan with their bodies instead of against them.'

A huge thank you Emily, we can never underestimate the value of understanding how our bodies can impact our performance 🫶

🎉 Research Culture Celebration 2026 🎉

Every June, we take time to celebrate the incredible research taking place at Queen’s University Belfast through our month-long Research Culture Celebration.

It’s a vibrant programme designed to spotlight the work, development, and collaboration happening across our postgraduate community, from current PhD students to Masters students aspiring to take the next step. As we prepare for Research Culture 2026, let's look back at last year’s celebration, when we welcomed a diverse group of guest speakers from academic institutions beyond Queen’s, who brought fresh perspectives through thought-provoking talks, round-table discussions, and interactive workshops.

Have a look below at some of last years highlights and explore this years programme: https://ow.ly/2vW450Z4LHX

Master Your Leadership - real-life leadership solutions in practice 💥

Earlier this year the Irish Football Association set our Master Your Leadership cohort the challenge of trying to develop the future of their 'Fresh Start' programme. The students collaborated to come up with a number of suggestions, including targeting the programme towards women and extending the reach through other sports.

They did such a fantastic job that the IFA invited them along to celebrate the programme launch at Windsor Park ❤️ Congratulations to everyone involved, thank you to the IFA and we cannot wait to see what challenges our next Master Your Leadership cohort help to solve!

One of our brilliant CA's had family visiting from across the pond today, and we were delighted to welcome them to the Graduate School!

Ava’s family enjoyed exploring our beautiful building and getting a glimpse into where she works, while Graduate School staff were on hand to share a few must-visit destinations during their stay.

We bumped into a few students from the University of Bamberg this afternoon, as they carried out a survey around Botanic Gardens and the Queen's campus.

Good luck to them as they conduct their linguistic study across Belfast in the next few days , asking questions like:

🛗 Elevator or lift?
🚶 Pavement or sidewalk?
⚽ Football or soccer?
👟 Sneakers or trainers?
✈️ Vacation or holiday?

They got us thinking about all the different language, accent, and dialect identities represented within our Graduate School community. And how we all use language in different ways when telling our story 💬

So… how would you answer these questions? 👀👇

And are there any other big dialect differences you’ve noticed during your time at Queen’s?

We're looking forward to Mindfulness May at the Graduate School 🌿

Throughout May, we’re focusing on Mental Health Awareness and supporting our postgraduate community. We know this time of year can feel overwhelming, so we’ve created a programme designed to help you find balance in your studies 📚

Join us for a range of events and drop-in mindfulness activities happening all month long 🧘Including...

✨ Pilates Session

Led by qualified instructor and fellow student Claudia Allen, this beginner-friendly class is the perfect chance to decompress and get those endorphins flowing. Afterwards, enjoy a refreshing iced matcha latte from Junction Café.

🌸 Wildflower Alley Visit

Take a mindful break with a special trip to Wildflower Alley, where imagination meets beauty in repurposed spaces near the University.

and more events to be anounced soon... 👀

🔗 Visit our Events Page to book your place: https://ow.ly/RfEA50YRLNi

and swipe across to see some of our favourite moments of mindfulness and community from the past year.

Brains, banter, and a brilliant night all round 🧠✨

Massive congratulations to 💕 Team Love Hearts 💕 for winning the Big Graduate School Quiz and taking home the top spot! 👏🏆

From tough trivia rounds to plenty of laughs (and pizza 🍕), it was fantastic to see such great energy and teamwork in the room.

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a fun evening — we love seeing our PG community come together like this! 💛

Until the next one… 👀