On Wednesday 13th December, the School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham held their annual Postgraduate Research (PGR) Day.
Conferences are a great way to learn from others, share your research, and get inspired! Sometimes the motivation can trickle off when tackling a big project like a Master’s or PhD thesis, but conferences often provide a spark of motivation!
The topics covered throughout the day were varied and highlighted the broad and exciting multi-disciplinary research happening within the School. Amongst the array of excellent and inspiring talks, SPRINT Project team members Niamh Callaghan, Michelle Schachtler Dwarika, and Maria Kolitsida presented their research on different aspects of Dance Psychology.
See below for a snapshot of Niamh, Michelle and Maria’s experiences of PGR day and how to find out more about their research.
Niamh Callaghan (1st year Master’s student) presented her work on creative dance tasks. Find out more about Niamh’s work and what inspired her to conduct research in Dance Psychology by reading her recent blog post here.
Image description: Photo of Niamh Callaghan (1st year Master’s student in the SPRINT Project), presenting at PGR Day 2023).
Michelle Schachtler Dwarika (1st year PhD student) presented her work on mental skills training in dance. Find out more about Michelle and her work here, and about her recent series of guest lectures in Norway here.
“As the PGR setting was very friendly, I used the opportunity to use some tricks I was encouraged to use in a great presentation workshop I had attended in October. Hopefully, my attempt to create a concise yet clear presentation could support my endeavour to tell the audience about my PhD”.
Michelle Schachtler Dwarika on her experience of PGR day.
Image description: Photo of Michelle Schachtler Dwarika (1st year PhD student in the SPRINT Project), presenting at PGR Day 2023).
Maria Kolitsida (2nd year PhD student) presented her work on challenging perceptions of self-harm in dance. Maria also recently showcased her research at the annual BPS Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology conference, which you can read about here. You can also read her blog post about freelance dance and the COVID-19 pandemic here.
"Presenting at PGR day is always a fantastic opportunity to talk about my research with fellow PhD researchers and staff. This year I presented my first PhD study, looking to understand more about how dance teachers define self-harm in their students. The diverse expertise within the School of Sport at the University of Birmingham meant that I could get valuable feedback from multiple disciplines related to my research, which ultimately enhances the quality of my PhD project".
Maria Kolitsida on her experience of PGR day.
Outside of Dance Psychology, postgraduate researchers within the School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences also presented on topics within fields of physiology, nutrition, and neuroscience.
If you would like to find out more about the SPRINT Project’s postgraduate researchers take a look at the SPRINT Project’s team page here.
Photo credit: Dr Grace Tidmarsh.
Written by Georgia Bird, PhD Researcher and Research Associate in the SPRINT Project.