Celebrating emerging researchers
Discover the researcher community at Sussex and preview some of the exciting research that is being produced by our emerging researchers.
Every June we bring together our researcher communities to celebrate, learn, share, and connect with others.
For 2025, we're fully integrating with the Summer of Research for the first time, raising the profile of postgraduate and early career researchers and bringing our events to a more diverse audience than ever before.
The events below showcase the exciting research going on across the University, and highlight the crucial contributions PGRs and ECRs make to the broader research environment.
Want to give the world a glimpse into your research and what that looks like day to day? We invite all PGRs and ECRs to enter the Emerging Researcher Image Competition for a chance to win £200 (applications open 14 April).
Sign up below, and check out the main Summer of Research site for details of the other exciting sessions taking place across campus from 9-20 June.
Summer of Research events for PGRs and ECRs
Women's Leadership Academy Showcase
Wednesday 11 June, 10.00-11.30am
Gardner Tower, Attenborough Centre
Join the participants of the inaugural Sussex Women's Leadership Academy as they share what they've learned over the past few months and start to tell their own story.
The academy uses the Designing Your Life model to empower women researchers to take control and carve out a career that works for them. Expect creativity, new-found enthusiasm and discussions of what a diverse, truly tailored academic career could look like.
Beyond Research World Cafe
Wednesday 11 June, 12.00-1.30pm
ACCA Cafe, Attenborough Centre
Step beyond your thesis or research project and explore other ways to enhance your skills, share your work and take part in your community.
The World Cafe format enables relaxed, small-group conversations with your peers, and a chance to engage with multiple discussions in one session.
Our table hosts are all involved in initiatives that support researchers, but have applied this in very different ways. Chat to this year's Researcher-Led Initiatives awardees about their projects, or discover more about becoming a Hive Scholar or PGR/ECR Representative, and what that can do for your development.
Light lunch will be provided and you are also welcome to bring your own.
Researcher Speed Mentoring
Friday 13 June, 10.00-11.30am
Bramber House Terrace Room
Details to follow.
Catalysing Connections: Diverse Careers Panel
Friday 13 June, 12.00-1.30pm (tbc)
Bramber House Terrace Room (tbc)
A discussion and networking event designed to foster collaboration, connections and career development among postgraduate and early career researchers and professionals from various sectors.
There are many career pathways open to researchers, and it's increasingly common to switch between academia and industry over the course of a successful career.
Catalysing Connections aims to create a vibrant platform where attendees can exchange ideas, forge meaningful bonds, and explore diverse opportunities. There will be time for informal networking among PGRs, ECRs and University staff, who can offer guidance and advice, and you'll hear from Sussex alumni now working in a variety of sectors.
Whether you're at the beginning of your journey or a seasoned postdoc, this session will provide valuable guidance as our panellists delve into the varied career routes available to aspiring researchers, and share their expertise and inspirational stories with you.
Three Minute Thesis Final and Adam Weiler Impact Panel
Friday 20 June, 1.00-3.30pm
Woodland 2 and 3, Student Centre
Think you could sum up your research in just three minutes? The Three Minute Thesis is a prestigious global competition that challenges PGRs to do exactly that.
Join us for the exciting live final, where top contenders from across the University will compete for a £500 prize and a coveted spot in the UK semi-finals. Be inspired by the diverse, cutting-edge research happening at Sussex, and cast your vote for the £250 People's Choice award!
In the judging break you'll hear from winners of the 2025 Adam Weiler Impact Award, which recognises Sussex PGRs who are making a lasting, positive impact with their research. We hear the ‘impact’ buzzword a lot, but what does it actually mean at the postgraduate level? Can PGRs really make an impact - and what can that look like?
This year’s awardees will discuss their research so far, where they hope to go next, and how postgraduate research can influence policy, theory and practice in academia and beyond.
We'll also be announcing the winners of the Emerging Researcher Image Competition, open to all PGRs and ECRs at Sussex. Shortlisted entries will be exhibited throughout the Summer of Research. You can browse the gallery and vote for People’s Choice online.