Reflective Learner
Akram Alshirah - Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
This serene image of a heron and its perfect reflection in still water reminds me of the essence of being a reflective learner. Like the bird, a PhD researcher must pause and examine his reflection, not in water, but in thought, action, and progress. Reflection is not optional; it is the compass of growth.
Without it, research becomes a routine of repetition rather than a pursuit of insight. A researcher without reflection mirrors ignorance, unable to learn from mistakes or evolve ideas. This picture symbolises clarity, balance, and contemplation, all vital traits for academic and personal development.
In life, as in research, reflection transforms experience into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom. Every step forward must echo thoughtful reflection.
Ulster: where knowledge flourishes, nature comforts, and pride in every identity shines beneath the rainbow of true inclusion
Asif Ali - Faculty of Life & Health Sciences
As a PhD researcher at Ulster University Coleraine, moments like this remind me why I chose this place—not just for academic excellence, but for the harmony it offers between mind, nature, and community. Captured just after a gentle rain, this rainbow stretching across the campus sky felt symbolic: a spectrum of identities, ideas, and aspirations united under one arch.
At Ulster, inclusion isn’t a policy—it’s lived every day, reflected in both the people and the environment that surrounds us. The peaceful green landscape, kissed by light and color, mirrors the university’s embrace of growth, healing, and belonging.
This image is more than just weather—it’s a visual echo of the journey we walk together: resilient, diverse, and deeply rooted in hope.
There comes a sunrise after every sunset
Mobashir Fatimah - Faculty of Life & Health Sciences
As I stood in the silent, lonely trail of the Coleraine campus on a beautiful summer evening, watching the fiery sunset painted in vibrant colours of yellow, orange and red, I carried the heavy heart for my first failed experiment.
It was the kind of sunset that demanded attention—brilliant streaks of gold and crimson slashed across the sky like the brushstrokes of a restless painter. I did not know what came next. Standing there, watching the day surrender to night in a blaze of colour, I realised I didn’t need all the answers yet.
They will come as I move forward in my PhD journey. The fading sun reminded me that it will rise again.
Small Steps, Big Discovery – A PhD Researcher’s Evening at the Giant’s Causeway
Majid Liaquat - Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
This photo of the Giant’s Causeway reminds me of a PhD. Each basalt block is small, but they make a path that reaches the sea together. Research works the same way: one reading note, one experiment, one paragraph, tiny steps that feel slow and uneven.
Yet, piece by piece, they connect, and before you notice, you’re standing farther out than you ever thought possible. The sunset says, “Pause and enjoy where you are.” The horizon answers, “There’s more ahead.” Celebrate every stone you place; the causeway you build will carry you and others toward the significant discovery waiting just beyond the waves.
The PhD Pup
Lauren Clarke - Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Watching him experience the sea for the first time was amazing—a reminder of the joy in discovering something entirely new. It made me reflect on my own PhD journey and the many moments that I have perhaps missed or taken for granted as something mundane or everyday!
Ozzy reminds me that discovery doesn’t have to be grand to be meaningful. Every small breakthrough, unexpected insight, or new idea holds its own kind of beauty and achievement. His excitement for the world—whether it’s the ocean or a strange stick in the garden—reminds me to stay open, curious, and appreciative of the little moments.
In research and in life, there’s always something beautiful waiting to be discovered!
Beyond the Coastline: Stories of People and Place
Amanda Calderwood - Ulster University Business School
Standing at Gortmore with Benone Beach, Lough Foyle, and the Inishowen Peninsula stretching before me, it’s hard not to be in awe of the breathtaking beauty that lies in every direction.
This landscape is not only renowned for its sweeping views and dramatic coastlines; it is also a vibrant hub for remarkable local businesses that breathe life into the community. My research journey has brought me closer to these enterprises as I explore this area, revealing stories of innovation, resilience, and community spirit that often go unnoticed amidst the grandeur of the coast.
The statue reaching forward in the image symbolizes discovery itself, gazing outward as if beckoning to the unknown, just as my research uncovers hidden strengths and narratives.
To me, the beauty of discovery is not only in the places I explore but in the stories revealed along the way - an exploration of both the place and the lives that enrich it.
The Shadows We Inherit
Oindrilla Ghosh - Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
In this image, my shadow is cast on shifting sand, surrounded by many footprints, a metaphor for the invisible yet lasting imprints of stigma within families navigating severe mental illness.
Through my PhD, I walk gently among deeply personal stories; stories shaped by silence, shame, love, and resilience. Each footprint represents a voice I’ve encountered: family members, often unknowingly producing stigma, and their loved ones, carrying its weight.
The shadow reminds me that, like stigma, much remains unseen — present, impactful, yet often left unspoken. Discovery, in my journey, is not just about knowledge; it’s about listening with empathy, making the invisible visible, and holding space for complexity without judgment.
The beauty of this discovery lies in understanding how stigma travels across generations and in the hope that, through collective effort, we might begin to soften its mark.
The Beauty of Discovery in the Unknown
Samantha McCombe - Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
We all know that the PhD journey is filled with more uncertainties than that of being certain. Surrounded by the darkness of uncertainty, there’s always a little flickering of light that shines the way as we navigate the deep waters of discovering choices, networking, training, problem solving, reading, writing, friendships and more.
This was the first time I paddled out on my new board. It was just me, my board and the water with my dad and dog on the sidelines cheering me on. Sometimes research can be like that- it’s just you, your topic and your developing skill set (not forgetting that laptop) as your loved ones cheer you on in finding beauty in the discovery of your future career.
The PhD journey at Ulster University can be a wild ride amidst the beauty of discovering the unknown, but one thing is for certain- it’s well worth the paddle.
It all starts with a discovery
Nicole Rea - Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
In 2014, approximately 796 infant remains were believed to be located in the surrounding grounds of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway. This discovery was a seminal moment in awakening public consciousness. Catherine Corless, a local historian, shed light on the life and death within the Tuam institution and the horrors that occurred behind the walls of the institution.
Following this, news platforms, alongside other creative responses, have shared her discovery causing shock and outrage across the nation. They have created a space to share the testimonies of those who attended these institutions, and to demand justice and recognition from the Irish government in the Republic of Ireland and the Stormont Executive in Northern Ireland.
Reiterating the idea that it all starts with a discovery, this photograph shows the site that created a spotlight on Mother and Baby institutions and is central to my PhD.
The Day Discovery was Shared with You
Rosalina Intan Saputri - Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
Within research, the beauty of discovery can be experienced through sharing. By sharing what, we create opportunities for ourselves and others to discover more, creating a perpetual cycle.
The scene in the picture reminded me of the joy of sharing knowledge and discovery. While the girl happily shared what she had read, how the dog received it was unclear. However, that did not stop the girl from sharing what she may have learned. Similarly, we may not know the exact impact our research can have in life.
Nonetheless, the notion that by sharing my research, I may pave the way for others to make new discoveries. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than that.
Mesolithic Meditations
Gail Mahon - Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
This image emerges from a field-based, sensory inquiry. It reflects a transdisciplinary arts practice shaping an EcoSensing strategy that navigates historical, material, and embodied ethnographies. Within this framework, the skeletal system is proposed as a record of the future, shaped through critical and material inquiry across art, anthropology, bioarchaeology, and eco-social practice.
Informed by Tim Ingold’s reflections on trees and ground as living knots in a emergent networks, the obscured figure resting in Mountsandel’s woodland plays part of this breathing, moving ecology. This is not a portrait, but a meditation on kinaesthetic belonging, where the body is listening to place through somatic attention and creative action.
The commonality of clay, mineral, and landscape converge, reflecting Mesolithic presences and a rethinking of care, memory, and resilience. The land is co-author in this research: a site of transformative ecosomatic practice opening alternate ways to navigate the overlaps between science and the arts.
Foundations of the Future
Charlene Clinton - Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
On shifting sand, she builds-bright blocks cradled by sea and sky. In her hands, play becomes purpose. She builds not just with colour, but with confidence. Each tower reflects her quiet belief: I can shape the world. Here, nature and knowledge coexist.
These small structures hold big intentions, reminding us that sustainability begins with self-belief, and the courage to imagine differently. Her small structures may be temporary, but they speak to lasting truths: that sustainability begins in childhood, that learning can be playful, and that engineering belongs to everyone.
This image captures my PhD journey in engineering education and sustainability, where I investigate how self-efficacy and personality influence our intentions to create a more sustainable world.
As the sun sets, let discoveries be made
Rachael Wilson - Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
‘As the beautiful sun sets, your body may relax but ‘wave particles’ make new connections and discoveries.’ I took a week off from my PhD studies to go to Gran Canaria. I did not realise until I saw the sun setting on my second night there that I needed a change of scenery, change of pace and change of thought.
I love my PhD work but the busy, demanding and constant ideas and reflections were full on. An escape was welcomed! This photograph for me encaptures peace, tranquillity and a slowed down way of life. I still thought about my PhD but only at times – with new ideas floating and drifting into my relaxed state of mind and body.
