Researchers recognised for public engagement skills

Winners of a competition that challenged our researchers to summarise their research in a mere three minutes have been announced.

The latest knowledge and insights from research at Leicester was presented by twenty of the University’s most promising doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to an audience of fellow researchers, academics and members of the public as part of the Research Bytes competition on Friday 22 June.

Judged on their ability to engagingly communicate research and engage their audience within three minutes, using no more than one presentation slide and no other props, the winners of this year’s competition are:

First place:

Dr Robeena Farzand, Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, for ‘Superbugs: Tactics for fitness and survival’

Second place:

Magdalena Brzeska, School of Media, Communication and Sociology, for ‘Homelessness and Migration: The Case of Polish Nationals in the East Midlands Area’

As the top performing postgraduate researcher, Magdalena will represent Leicester at the Vitae UK Semi-final over the summer.

Third place:

Charles Ugoschukwi Solomon, Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, for ‘You’ve got Delivery! Understanding Nutrient Delivery into Cereal Grains’

Presenters on the day discussed a range of topics including space-based x-ray telescopes, authenticity in Classical art, and an alternative liquid biopsy for detecting infectious diseases. Audiences learnt how locusts can help us understand how we hear, saw how the Ku Klux Klan gets represented in American cinema and asked whether street food vendors can be considered unwanted occupiers or food artisans.

Professor David Lambert, Director of the Doctoral College, said: “Research Bytes brought home clearly both the talent at Leicester and the breadth of research undertaken here. The presentations were of a very high calibre, impressing the audience and the external judges. And it was wonderful to see doctoral and post-doctoral candidates coming together to participate in this competition.”