HDR Forum 2024: Highlights

This year’s HDR Forum marks the exciting collaboration between the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, and the NICM Health Research Institute. The forum committee, made up of HDR candidates from both institutes, dedicated themselves to curating a meticulously planned program filled with insightful discussions, presentations, demonstrations, and workshops.

Over two immersive days, students and supervisors engaged in endless conversations, shared experiences, and exchanged ideas and perspectives.

So, what does the HDR Forum mean to the student body and institutes involved?

Luiza Lucuța, who led the HDR Forum Committee, emphasised the platform’s significance for students at all stages of their candidature. For those in the early stages, it provides a valuable opportunity to experience a conference setting within a supportive environment. Meanwhile, candidates in later stages of their candidature benefit from the chance to receive feedback from researchers outside of their interest groups.

The MARCS Institute is incredibly interdisciplinary and we're often attending completely different conferences to our peers. The HDR Forum allows us to come together to explore the breadth of research undertaken by the students and celebrate that! This year’s first-time collaboration with the NICM Health Research Institute further contributed to the amazing diversity of research topics presented, while also fostering solidarity between our institutes.

Highlights of the forum included vibrant poster sessions facilitating research exchange, a discussion on work-life balance where mentors shared their academic experiences, fascinating demonstrations, and an engaging ChatGPT workshop.

Congratulations to the HDR Forum Committee on a successful event – for students, by students!

HDR Forum Committee (from left to right): 
Valentin Siderskiy, Ceren Ayyildiz, Luiza Lucuța, Daniel Frazer, Joelle Metri, Kayla Jaye, Jessica Chin, and Sami El Arja (not in photo)