Festival of PhD Research

Festival Overview

The Festival of PhD Research 2026 took place in our Coleraine campus on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 June 2026. We welcomed our PhD Researchers – and the broader research community - from across all the campuses to the celebration and showcase of research excellence from our PhD community.

The Festival programme featured presentations, posters and a practice-based exhibition, alongside popular events including 'Bake Your PhD' and the annual Photography Competition. Prize winners were announced at the Festival Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 10 June 2026.

#UlsterPhDFest

What the PhD Researchers say

What the PhD Researchers say about the Festival...

It was brilliantly organised, with huge variety of opportunities for involvement and showcasing the work.

The breadth of research showcased in a variety of different means was outstanding, and allowed all PhD students to find their comfort zone to showcase their work. A fantastic opportunity

I thought the programme was very well organised and provided a good range of opportunities for researchers with different presentation styles, levels of experience, and areas of research. The mix of talks, posters, rapid-fire presentations, and interactive activities encouraged broad participation, while organising the programme around the strategic research themes promoted valuable interdisciplinary discussion and helped attendees learn about the whole spectrum of research taking place across the University. Bake your PhD was exceptional!

I think the programme was really well put together and very inclusive. I liked the variety of options available, especially the mix of posters and talks.

Spot on. I think the mix of presentations and rapid fire talks is great - I hadn't realised how different 3 minutes is compared to 10 minutes until I tried a rapid file talk this year.

I really enjoyed that we were able to get together as PhD researchers and celebrate each other's achievements. The bake your PhD was especially fun!

I think the festival definitely felt interdisciplinary and inclusive of a wide range of research topics.

Great variety of choices of contribution.

Exhibitors

Programme

The annual Festival of PhD Research encompasses an interdisciplinary programme focused on the five strategic research themes of Ulster - Transforming Health, Accelerating Data Futures, Building a Sustainable World, Inspiring Creativity and Innovation and Challenging Inequality and Division.

It is open to all PhD Researchers, from any campus and at any stage of their PhD.

The programme included presentations, posters, a practice based research showcase, ‘Bake Your PhD’ competition, photography competition, and exhibitors.

Festival of PhD Research Programme 2026

Bake Your PhD

Bake Your PhD is a creative research communication initiative that encourages PhD Researchers, particularly doctoral to represent their complex research topics through baking - typically cakes, buns, or other edible art. The idea is to "translate" academic research into an accessible and fun format that can be enjoyed and understood by a wide audience.

Competitors were invited to bake anything that visually depicts any aspect of their PhD – such as physical samples, findings, methods used or the research topic, concepts or ideas. The entries are expertly judged by a panel of judges with a Winner and Runner Up receiving a trophy.

Further details on the Bake Your PhD 2026 competition

Photography Competition

Each year, as part of the Festival, we invite photography competition entries that capture an element of the PhD to share with a wider audience through the power of image and narrative.

Previous themes included ‘The Joy in the PhD’ and ‘The Beauty of Discovery’.