Santander Universities supports international PhD students to attend Doctoral College Conference at the University of Surrey
Thanks to the generous support of Santander Universities the University of Surrey was able to welcome fifteen international PhD students to the Doctoral College Conference, held on the Surrey campus on the 3rd and 4th July.
Angela Andreatta from the University Computense Madrid presenting her work on ‘Actors and dynamics in the Middle East
More than three hundred applications were received from interested students, who were asked to submit an abstract of their research and opt to present either a poster or an oral presentation at the conference. Fifteen students were selected to attend from leading universities in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Russia and Spain.
The conference provided a unique opportunity for recipients to meet with fellow scholars and researchers at Surrey to discuss research synergies and multidisciplinary approaches to traditional research paradigms. In keeping with this, the theme for this year’s conference ‘Breaking New Ground’, invited PhD students and early career researchers to showcase their ground-breaking work. International scholars presented work on a wide-range of topics from ‘Tunable Stiffness Robotic Foot Inspired by the Human Foot’ to ‘International Relations in the Middle East’ and ‘Blue-Green Infrastructure in City Landscapes’.
A welcome dinner held at the beginning of the week, attended by Professor Vince Emery (Senior Vice President Global), Professor Chris France (Director of the Doctoral College), Holly Price (Santander Relationships Manager, South Coast) as well as senior colleagues from the Global Engagement Office and Doctoral College, allowed the group to meet each other in a less formal setting and build lasting connections. Feedback from students and staff highlights the benefits of international engagement, with Surrey students noting the wider perspective international scholars bought to the event.