Life as a researcher

This is the University of Birmingham’s biggest event for postgraduate research. Students from all subjects can share their work with others across the University and beyond.

The Festival has a full programme with events for staff, students, and University partners. It includes a poster competition, research image display, and high profile guest speakers.

Participating in the Festival enhances your skills in preparing research posters, effective presentation skills, communicating research to a non-specialist audience and networking skills. Attending the Festival gives an insight into research from postgraduate researchers across the institution, and a chance to reflect on your work in new ways.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, in which doctoral researchers have just three minutes to deliver an engaging presentation on their thesis topic, its originality and its significance.

In the UK, the 3MT national competition final is hosted by Vitae. Individual UK universities run their own competitions, to put forward one winner per participating Institution. The University of Birmingham is one of the Institutions participating in the 3MT competition. Participating in the Three Minute Thesis competition enhances your presentation skills and communicating research to a non-specialist audience.

Read more about Birmingham's Three Minute Thesis competition.

At Birmingham we recognise the great contribution our postgraduate researchers and their supervisors make to the academic life at the University. Every year we recognise this contribution and present awards in a number of categories, including the prestigious Michael K. O'Rourke prize for best PhD publication, which recognises outstanding publications by University of Birmingham PhD researchers.

The Awards for Excellence in Doctoral Research Supervision recognise the important role that supervisors have in helping a PhD researcher to completion.