About the Activity
The Postgraduate Experimental Mechanics Conference (PGEM) is an annual event which allows early career researchers, postgraduate students (MSc, MEng and PhD etc.) and postdocs to present their work in a friendly environment among fellow early career researchers. PGEM provides early career researchers with a platform to gain experience disseminating their work, develop key research skills and grow a network amongst their peers. This year PGEM was held at NPL, chaired by Dr Ksenija Dvurecenska from the University of Liverpool. Local assistance from multiple staff at NPL made the event run smoothly and the introduction talk certainly laid some good foundations for the synergies between research presented at BSSM events like PGEM and that conducted at NPL. Dr Hari Arora, as BSSM Chair, also had the pleasure to welcome delegates and engage in discussions throughout the event. Plenary sessions included talks from current staff at Airbus and UKAEA, highlighting their different respective journeys as well as the wide variety of opportunities ahead for graduates after their PhDs. The Conference ended with an engaging and highly enjoyable workshop on science communication and the art of storytelling in research. This will hopefully lead to more impactful research and engaging writing in the future. Overall the event was a huge success with the primary aims delivered in abundance. As well as learning about each others' fascinating research and novel methods, delegates forged multiple meaningful research connections and shared insights/experiences from across institutions in the UK. It was a memorable event and we are certainly looking forward to organising the next iteration of PGEM.
