Award for Leicester Law student
A research student at our University has won an international award - the Best Graduate Student Award at the ESCAS-CESS Conference.
Khalida Azhigulova, a postgraduate student in the Leicester Law School, was recognised for her outstanding work.
Khalida is studying for a PhD in International Migration and Asylum Law. She attended the largest conference on Central Asia organised at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She presented her current research on Refugee Protection in Central Asia.
Khalida said: “It was both an unexpected and pleasant surprise for me to become a winner of the Best Graduate Student Award at the ESCAS-CESS Conference that gathered together over 500 scholars from North America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Central, South and East Asia.
“Initially, I saw this contest as an opportunity to practice my research writing skills and get a feedback on my research from the established scholars in Central Asian studies. This award is one of the brightest moments that makes my PhD an enjoyable and worthwhile pursuit.
“I am grateful to my supervisors Prof Bernard Ryan and Dr Onder Bakircioglu for their invaluable guidance and immense support in my mastering research writing skills. I also would like to thank our University's Researcher Development Team who have been great in arranging a good deal of useful workshops for PGR students on research writing and publishing. My research skills definitely benefited from these training opportunities.”
The Conference was jointly organised by the European Society of Central Asian Studies based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and the Central Eurasian Studies Society based in Toronto, Canada. Khalida’s research paper ‘Effectiveness of Refugee Protection in Central Asia: Law, Politics and Practice’ won the Best Graduate Student Paper Award. Khalida received a 500 USD award and an offer to publish her paper in the Central Asian Survey (Taylor&Francis Group).