PGR Success Stories
See how we celebrate our PGR students
Your research degree is an opportunity to challenge yourself, grow, and prepare for a fulfilling career. The Doctoral College is here to support you throughout that journey, helping you access opportunities, develop new skills, and make the most of your time at Newcastle. This page showcases a range of student case studies that highlight the opportunities and activities supported by the Doctoral College. These stories offer an insight into the support available, the experiences students have gained, and the impact these opportunities have had on their research, professional development, and future careers.
PGR Led Engagement
Picture This: Someone Like Me Exhibition
Led by PhD researchers Phoebe Lewis and Ainsley Hatt, the project invited postgraduate researchers to move beyond traditional academic formats and communicate their research with wider public audiences. It included a series of workshops led by Peter Moore Fuller (infohackit), where participants explored design and visual communication using Affinity by Canva to transform their complex PhD research into illustrated artworks. The resulting artworks are on display at the Great North Museum: Hancock from the 13th March 2026 to the 17th January 2027.
The exhibition also celebrates the diverse and often unexpected journeys into academia, inviting visitors to imagine that "someone like them" could be part of it too. It offers a reminder that research doesn't just belong in journals – it can be shared, seen and understood in ways that connect with everyone. Phoebe Lewis said:
"One of the highlights of the project has been seeing researchers from completely different disciplines, who may not normally cross paths, come together and learn how to communicate their work visually through their own artistic styles."
For more images of the artworks displayed, visit: Picture This | Picture_This_Research
PGR Led Engagement
Conference: Navigating Gender and Genre
Aparna Sivasankar and Abi Hockaday organised a conference titled “Women in SFF: Navigating Gender and Genre”, bringing together around 50 scholars, creative writers, publishers, reviewers, critics, legal scholars, sociologists and members of the public to explore questions of gender and genre in popular fiction. The diverse mix of speakers and attendees generated engagement well beyond the university community.
“Organising and running the conference was a great experience for both of us,” they said, adding that the event exceeded their expectations and has had a wide-ranging and lasting impact. Abi has since been invited to Glasgow — home of the conference’s keynote speaker, Anna MacFarlane — to conduct further archival research, while Aparna has gained the opportunity to work with authors and publishers during the Books on Tyne festival in Newcastle. Most significantly, a selection of papers from the conference will be published in a special issue of Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, supported by the Science Fiction Foundation, one of the event’s sponsors. Reflecting on the experience, the organisers said:
“You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, from running events like this.”
Occasional Research Student
International Research Collaboration on Michael Tippett
Qiu Huizi, a doctoral student at Shandong University, travelled to Newcastle University to deepen her research into the twentieth-century British composer Michael Tippett. During her visit, she worked with two leading specialists: Professor David I. Clarke, a leading Tippett scholar, and Dr Christopher Tarrant, a specialist in music theory and analysis.
The visit gave Huizi access to first-hand archival materials unavailable in China, alongside close academic mentorship. "The rigorous approach and extensive knowledge of both mentors have benefited me greatly, the guidance they have given me will be remembered for a lifetime," she said. Beyond her research, Huizi enjoyed Newcastle’s welcoming atmosphere:
"I really enjoy the lifestyle in Newcastle. Most of the people I meet are friendly and polite, and they always offer help when I encounter difficulties. The pace of life here is comfortable and the transportation is relatively convenient - most areas in the main urban district can be reached on foot. I have already recommended Newcastle University to my friend, and she is now preparing for the IELTS test."
The collaboration proved rewarding for both sides. Professor Clarke described working with Huizi as "an unambiguously positive experience", noting that he learned a great deal about humanities research practices in China. The partnership has also laid the groundwork for a future project, with Huizi proposing to translate Professor Clarke’s seminal 2001 monograph on Tippett into Chinese. As Professor Clarke noted, this work, alongside Huizi’s own research, "promises to open up new international channels for disseminating knowledge about the composer and his music", demonstrating the lasting value of international collaboration and cross-cultural research exchange.
PGR-Led Engagement
Curating a Digital Exhibition with the University of Genoa
Xinyue Hu received PGR Engagement Funding to lead the development of an online exhibition in collaboration with Professor Maria Lucenti at the University of Genoa, Italy. Inspired by the university’s children's archives during a research visit, Xinyue explored ways to make these unique collections accessible to a wider audience through digital curation. Reflecting on the project, she said: “This exhibition represents my attempt to explore new ways of presenting knowledge and supporting student learning.”
The project has had a significant impact on Xinyue’s development, providing experience with rich primary-source archival materials, building her digital curation skills and it has also influenced her research approach: “It inspired me to consider visual narratives and archival methodologies in my work, broadening my methodological expertise and opening up new perspectives for my future research.”
Reflecting on the value of the opportunity, Xinyue highlighted the importance of PGR-led initiatives in developing the leadership, project management and public engagement skills needed for future research careers:
“These are opportunities that are difficult to obtain through activities within my School or Faculty, where I typically participate as a student rather than taking on a leadership role in public engagement. The opportunity to lead and shape activities independently is precisely one of the key capacities that PGR students are expected to develop.”
