A brand-new addition for 2025, ‘The Lighter Side of Research: PhD research through humour’ was a comedy showcase hosted at Burdall’s Yard to a sold-out audience.

10 doctoral students, 7 from the University of Bath and 3 from the University of Bristol, performed original 7-minute comedy sketches inspired by their research. Under the guidance of comedy writer Chris Head, who also compèred the show, participants took part in a series of workshops helping them craft and perform their sketches.

It was a fantastic night of knowledge, laughter, and a fresh perspective on the world of academia. A huge well done to our 7 students from Bath; Caitlin Naylor (Psychology), Pieter Keenan (Physics), Luca Hargitai (Psychology), Hannah Pickard (Mechanical Engineering), Wesam Wekhyan (Social and Policy Sciences), Joshua Tenn (Computer Science) and Jack McKinlay (Computer Science).

We hosted three workshops to provide opportunities for further professional development. The Public Engagement workshop introduced creative approaches and core principles to effectively communicate their research to the public. The Entrepreneurship workshop helped attendees understand how their research can become a viable business idea and explained the process from initial idea to start-up, finishing with a pitching competition. Finally, the Impact workshop was an interactive way to inspire and help attendees to make real-world impact through their research.

We hosted ‘Life After Doctorate’ alumni panel sessions featuring a diverse range of speakers from industry, research, and academia. These interactive sessions provided valuable insights into both traditional and alternative career routes, helping doctoral students consider how they might achieve their professional goals. Thank you to all of our alumni who supported these sessions.