At the heart of academia lies a simple yet profound goal: translating complex research into knowledge that benefits society. Our recent PhD Research Summary Competition celebrated this very spirit, offering students an opportunity to convey their research in just 250 words. But there was a twist – the winners weren’t chosen by a panel of academic experts but by the public, who rated each entry on two key criteria: how understandable it was and the potential benefit it could bring to society.
Our judges Adebola, a mum of two small children in London, Maryam, a 19 year old student in Dundee, and Monica and Geoff, a couple enjoying well-deserved retirement in the Midlands. This panel couldn’t differentiate between their top rated submissions so we asked members of a football team club from Manchester (pictured) to narrow down the short list.
We’re thrilled to announce the winners, whose work exemplifies clarity, relevance, and impact.
First Place: Empowering caregivers to support children with poor mental health
Our top prize went to Madhusudan Pokharel, whose research will evaluate cost effective and easily replicable interventions to empower caregivers- parents, guardians or community health workers- to deliver basic, culturally adapted support to improve mental health in children from low resource settings. Evidence will combine interviews with caregivers and children and quantitative analysis of change in mental health symptoms. Their aim is to support the reduction mental health disparities in underserved populations globally, minimising reliance on specialists.
Madhusudan is an NIHR funded 1st year student at Manchester University’s School of Health Sciences.
Judges feedback: i strongly believe in the importance of empowering caregivers as mental health providers. Having a caregiver can be a blessing and we need to alleviate the mental burden on family members. In today’s fast society where everyone is busy, it’s crucial to have trained professionals providing mental health care services but we don’t have enough. This research aims to fill that gap.
Second Place: Turning the brain into the underground map
In second place, Ieva Andrulyte highlighted the similarities between our brains and a city’s underground transport system; both rely on functioning connections between different areas. Their research is using diffusion MRI to map white matter tracts in the brain, attempting to capture how 5% of people unusually cross brain hemispheres when language processing; and offering critical insights into what might happen if brain surgeons cut that path.
Ieva is a final year student in Liverpool’s Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrated Biology.
Judges feedback: I really enjoyed the opening, comparing it to transport systems was engaging and made the complex idea a lot easier to understand. It sounds like a very interesting piece of work. However, to strengthen the passage adding a statistic on how many people this affects/how relevant is it would emphasise the significance of the research and the potential impact it will have.
Third Place: Centring the voices of those most affected by trauma
Taking third place was Maria Lourdes Casingcasing, whose summary delved into trauma-informed care (TIC) in mental health services, focusing on lasting childhood trauma in adults. Using ethnographic methods to learn from a range of mental health professionals and their interactions with patients, this research aims to highlight best practices and identify barriers, ultimately improving access to mental health services for vulnerable populations.
Maria is a part-time PhD student at the school of Health and Social Sciences at the University of Nottingham, and full-time STR support worker at an early intervention in psychosis team in CAMEO at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation NHS Trust.
Judges feedback: This research summary was extremely impactful and very well written while also raising awareness on an important issue. To enhance the passage, simplify some of the terms used, this will allow everyone to understand. Nevertheless, this is a well crafted, thoughtful piece!
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What made this competition truly special was its emphasis on communication. Bridging the gap between academia and society is no small feat, and every applicant demonstrated creativity in stepping outside the jargon of their fields. The public response was overwhelmingly positive, with thoughtful feedback on how researchers could refine their messaging which we will share with each individual.
Congratulations to all applicants for their dedication to making research relatable and impactful. And to our judges – thank you for showing us what is important to you!
Stay tuned for blogs from our winners presenting their submission and their PhD journey, and keep looking out for next year’s competition.
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