The Doctoral College

We had a fantastic afternoon at our Doctoral Researcher Day yesterday, celebrating our amazing 3 Minute Thesis faculty finalists and Doctoral College award winners 👏

It was great to come together ​and recognise the many, varied achievements of our PGRs over the past year! Thanks to everyone who came, and to those who nominated a PGR for one of our awards 🏆

Bookings are now live for our Beyond the Doctorate summer workshops

'Beyond the Doctorate' is our PGR Careers programme, designed to help doctoral researchers prepare for careers in academia and beyond

Upcoming workshops include:
- Applying for jobs in academia / industry / the public sector
- Building your network online and offline
- Introduction to funding for research fellowships
- Preparing for interviews in industry / academia
- Job hunting beyond academia

Book your place via MyCareer: https://bit.ly/4tQmPqO

University of Southampton Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise

Bookings are now live for our Beyond the Doctorate summer workshops

'Beyond the Doctorate' is our PGR Careers programme, designed to help doctoral researchers prepare for careers in academia and beyond

Upcoming workshops include:
- Applying for jobs in academia / industry / the public sector
- Building your network online and offline
- Introduction to funding for research fellowships
- Preparing for interviews in industry / academia
- Job hunting beyond academia

Book your place via MyCareer: https://bit.ly/4tQmPqO

Empowering our Postgraduate Researchers to shape their future

Our latest Postgraduate Research newsletter shines a spotlight on the people, support and opportunities that make your time at the University of Southampton so distinctive

From Lucy’s journey developing technology to support post‑stroke recovery, to Kirsty’s experience balancing doctoral study with life as an elite athlete, this issue highlights how our research culture enables postgraduate researchers to thrive

We also feature our peer mentoring scheme, which supports new PhD starters as they transition into doctoral study, and showcase development opportunities including the Three Minute Thesis competition, our Doctoral Research Poster Showcase, and PGR teacher training programme

Together, these stories reflect our commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive and opportunity‑rich environment where postgraduate researchers can build skills, confidence and ambition for their PhD and beyond

Discover how we’re supporting our postgraduate research community to advance knowledge and lead change: https://tinyurl.com/2hz7zbts

Your April PGR newsletter A PhD is a chance to dive into new experiences and equip yourself for the future you want. At Southampton, opportunities to learn and develop are everywhere, opening up exciting possibilities and enabling you to achieve more than you ever thought.

Doctoral researchers Angelina Spilnyk, Andrei Sontea and Yaseen Mohammed Osman spent January to March working with 19 children from the Young Guardians of the River Itchen; teaching AI, electronics and river conservation, and helping them connect what they were learning to a river that runs through their daily lives.

Several of the children arrived at the first session convinced that AI was harmful. Not vaguely uneasy, firmly convinced. By the end of eight weekly sessions, some had changed their minds.

The children went on to present the project themselves at the Southampton Science and Engineering Festival. One session leader, Angelina, also chaired a workshop on AI Governance and Policy at the Royal Society in London.

The team is now developing an evidence paper and exploring a presence at the British Science Festival in Southampton in September 2026.

Read the full update in the May edition of Doctoral College Impact: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-industry-floor-research-frontier-hip2e/

If you find this interesting, please share it and subscribe to receive future editions directly

Today our Careers colleagues hosted another brilliant 'Beyond the Doctorate' Researcher Careers Day, designed to showcase the range of career pathways available to our doctoral and early career researchers

Attendees heard from a range of speakers who spoke about their career journeys both within and beyond academia, before enjoying a networking lunch

The day ended with a Q&A session, where attendees could put their Career questions to our expert panel

Thanks to everyone involved, and to our attendees for your thoughtful questions!

University of Southampton Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise

Earlier this month, three doctoral researchers from Southampton's MINDS and SustAI programmes travelled to Loughborough University for NEXT-AI 2026; a major workshop on neuromorphic technologies for future AI, bringing together 120+ participants from across the field.

Aiden Graham, Michail Rontionov and Theodoulos Parpounas each presented a poster and gave a flash talk. Three researchers, three distinct areas of work - device simulation, hardware compilation tools and energy efficiency benchmarking - all in a room where neurobiology, photonics, materials science and electronics were in conversation with each other.

For Michail, it was his first public flash talk. For Aiden, the visible presence of industry confirmed something about where the field is heading. For Theo, fielding questions from researchers across disciplines gave his work a practical test it couldn't get on campus.

Read more in the May edition of Doctoral College Impact: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-industry-floor-research-frontier-hip2e/

The May edition of Doctoral College Impact is live.

It leads with the story of Charles Hutchins; a MINDS CDT alumnus who once doubted whether a PhD was for him. Before joining the programme, he had already worked in industry but found it frustrating. MINDS gave him the structure and the space to find his research direction.

His PhD focused on cybersecurity for drone networks. His placement took him to the Alan Turing Institute. He is now a Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise Fellow working with the Offshore Renewable Energies Catapult in Newcastle.

It is an honest story about what doctoral study can make possible; especially for people who don't arrive through a straightforward route.

Read the May edition here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-industry-floor-research-frontier-hip2e/

If you find it interesting, please share it with your network and subscribe to receive future editions directly.

From the industry floor to the research frontier: Charles Hutchins, MINDS alumnus Charles Hutchins, MINDS CDT Alumni “I didn’t think I was clever enough.” That was Charles Hutchins’s honest assessment of a PhD, before he joined the MINDS Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Southampton.

Our Quantum Technology Engineering CDT are hosting a tribute concert to The Who at Turner Sims

The event features Justin Harris, Senior Research Technician in Physics, on lead guitar and vocals

Taking place on Saturday 9 May - all PGRs, staff and friends are invited

Get your tickets:

Maximum Who goes Quantum - Turner Sims The most quintessential tribute to The Who. An immersive experience that faithfully recreates The Who’s iconic sound and stage presence.