Following the success of consecutive PGBCs, it was decided that the Postgraduate Student Committee could organise more throughout the year to build upon skills and connections gained from the conference.

We now organise a number of workshops throughout the year, which are an opportunity to hone your academic skills in a smaller group setting. Some fantastic workshops are currently in planning and will be announced later in the year. If you want to find out more now, read on!

Bioethics and the media

In March 2021, we hosted a workshop on ‘Bioethics & the Media’. As ethicists advance in their careers, they are increasingly likely to be asked to present their views in diverse news outlets, yet few graduate students receive any training/mentorship on how (and how not) to do this, what platforms to choose, what may be potential pitfalls, etcetera. This workshop provided a space for young scholars in the field of ethics to learn more about this, by getting practical tips and tricks, practicing their skills in a safe environment, and learning from experts in the field.

The workshop consisted of three key elements. First, Sophia Griffiths MA – the communications officer for the Nuffield Council on Bioethics – gave a presentation giving advice on how effectively communicate research to the media, ensuring that you manage to convey the central message you want to get across. She also gave practical advice about how to get your research noticed by the media, and how to control your nerves in order to do the best job possible when being interviewed. We are incredibly grateful to Sophia who put a huge amount of time and energy into helping design the workshop and was absolutely instrumental to its success.

This presentation was followed by an opportunity for the attendees to apply what they had learned. They were split into break out rooms, and members of the PSC facilitated mock ‘interviews’ based on information about each individuals research, which has been gathered prior to the workshop. Following this exercise, the groups were given time to reflect upon the experience. The workshop concluded with a panel discussion in which Dr. Sarah Chan, Dr. Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra and Dr. Sridhar Venkatapuram shared their insights and advice based on their own experiences of engaging with the media about their research. After the workshop was concluded, there was an informal get together through an online platform called SpatialChat.

The workshop was attended from postgraduate researchers from around the world – with participants from as far afield as the USA and Singapore. The feedback we have received has been very positive, with participants saying that the workshop was “well organised”, “informative” and a “great experience”. Though the number of attendees was limited by the need to ensure an interactive experience, some of the advice that was given during the workshop was shared on the PSC twitter so that more people could benefit from this.

Beauty, Bioethics, and the Body

This workshop took place in October 2019 at the University of Manchester.

Critically Engaging the Public: Why, Who, and How?

In September 2018, our Public Engagement Workshop took place at Edinburgh University. Organised by our very own Arianna, it was a huge success and really kicked off the academic year!

Public Engagement is indeed an increasingly important aspect of research. Not only do funders expect researchers to engage with the public, but more and more researchers are motivated by a professional interest in and personal responsibility for communicating their research with non-academics. The fields of bioethics, medical law, and medical humanities, in particular, offer great opportunities for public engagement as they raise burning issues of broader societal interest.

The workshop included both talks on the theory of public engagement, led by Dr Sarah Chan from the Wellcome Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society (University of Edinburgh), and group activities that allowed participants to apply the theoretical considerations to their own research.