Celebrating our PGRs’ powerful impact
24 Jun 2025
From helping people suffering homelessness in Manchester and informing national policy on prisons to a rising voice in global environmental research and insight into cancer from East Africa, our postgraduate researchers make a difference across the world.
The Postgraduate Research Showcase brought together a vibrant community of 100 Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) along with academic leaders and University service providers for a day of inspiration, innovation, and recognition.
The event included the prestigious MDC Excellence Awards, celebrating outstanding contributions to research, the research environment, societal impact, international engagement, and exceptional supervision across the University.
Awards were given for contributions to internationalisation, including Accadius Lunayo’s research into throat cancer in Eastern Africa, delivering insights into cancer genomics and building research capacity across continents, and Farzaneh Nazari’s international collaborations in sustainable energy, linking institutions and industry across Europe.
Awards for community impact included Megan Hadfield’s Booth Centre Volunteer Translators Programme – involving 50 students and 22 languages – which has a “powerful local impact,” helping homeless people access services by breaking down language barriers.
Jennifer Davies’s work on urine HPV testing offers a low-carbon, accessible alternative to cervical screening and has global implications, from NHS practice to cancer prevention in Kenya and support for LGBTQ+ communities, earned her PGR of the Year.
Outstanding outputs included Adam O’Neill’s publication series on ageing in the criminal justice system, now informing national policy; Xuezhen Cao’s novel materials, developed in partnership with Rolls-Royce, leading to three patents and potential to feature in next-generation engines; while Hayato Koga’s work on energy governance in Japan, published in leading journals, makes him “a rising voice in environmental and geographical research”.
Supervisors of the Year were Dr Debbie Smith (FBMH), Dr David Polya (FSE) and Dr Joseph McGonagle (Humanities).
For a list of winners and their work, visit:
In the spirit of collaboration
Alongside the awards was a range of activities to inspire new ideas and spark collaboration.
The event began with the dynamic elevator-pitch style Showcase Presentation Competition, highlighting the breadth and impact of research. In the spirit of collaboration, PGRs also took part in Peer-to-Peer judging, fostering mutual appreciation and feedback among colleagues.
There followed by a bustling exhibition featuring key University services that support the PGR journey, including Disability Support Services, Research IT and the Library, University Innovation Factory, The Brilliant Club, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, and PGR Voice. Attendees also cast their votes in the Research Image Competition, celebrating the visual storytelling of research.
The afternoon featured a thought-provoking workshop led by science communicator Jamie Gallagher and a networking session designed to build connections and spark interdisciplinary collaboration.
The event concluded with the announcement of the winners of both the Showcase Presentation Competition and the Research Image Competition, marking a fitting end to a day dedicated to celebrating the passion, creativity, and excellence of the postgraduate research community.
Incredible impact
Director of the MDC, Elizabeth Cartwright closed the event: “A huge congratulations to all of today’s winners – your contributions continue to make an incredible impact across the University and beyond.
“Thank you to our Showcase presenters, and to all of you for joining us in celebrating the exceptional work of our postgraduate research community.
“We look forward to seeing what you’ll achieve next!”
Professor Cartwright presented the awards alongside Associate Deans for Research: Professor David Bechtold (FBMH), Professor Admos Chimhowu (HUMS), and Professor Jon Pittman (FSE).