Faculty of Health and Life Sciences research students awarded PhDs and Masters by Research
Thursday, 09 July 2020
As a Faculty we are very proud of our diverse research student community, comprising 131 PhD students, 2 MPhil students, 8 masters by research students, 2 PhD by published works and 27 students on our Professional Doctorate in Nursing.
Earlier this year, we had an opportunity to learn more about their research at our
Postgraduate Symposium
and some research students took part in an array of public engagement activities including the
Oxford Brookes Science Bazaar
Now that we are approaching mid-summer, we are delighted to be able to congratulate all those who have successfully had their degree conferred this year and now hold a PhD or Masters by Research award. We asked some of these award holders to share
their experiences and you can read their reflections below.
"My Psychology PhD was on how the brain prioritises information related to the self, and the effect this has on attention and memory. Overall, I very much enjoyed my time as a PhD student. It was hard work and a good lesson in perseverance. I have
met a lot of interesting people, been to very nice conferences, and learnt a great deal about research and teaching. After my PhD, I started working as a researcher, and as an eLearning technologist for Oxford Brookes University. Both experiences
will be invaluable to my future plans of being an ‘eLecturer’. I believe that, even without a pandemic, it is very important to offer a combination of face-to-face and online learning to students."
Alfred Veldhuis,
Department of Psychology,Health and Professional Development
“I began my PhD at Oxford Brookes having previously worked and studied here. I chose to stay for my PhD because I wanted to continue to work with internationally renowned researchers
Prof. Vince Connelly,
Prof. Anna Barnett
and
Dr. Olivia Afonso. My PhD research was the first to investigate how spellcheck impacts writing for individuals with
dyslexia. Through opportunities available at Brookes I have been awarded multiple small grants to support my research. I have presented my PhD work at international conferences. I have published my research and am continuing to produce papers from
it. I am currently teaching at Brookes and working as an associate researcher, making the most of specialist research skills developed over the course of my PhD.”
Lynsey O'Rourke,
Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development.
“While my experience at Oxford Brookes was quite challenging, it was equally rewarding I was fortunate to have a fantastic supervisor (
Professor Munira Kadhim) who was dedicated to each one of her students, celebrating our accomplishments and ensuring
her support both inside and outside the laboratory. The tears, laughs, many-a-day coffees, pub sessions, and support from my PhD pals in the department helped get me through as well, and led to some life-long friendships that I am beyond grateful
for.”
Brittany Almond,
Department of Biological and Medical Sciences.
“I came to Oxford Brookes looking for a new and exciting challenge, having previously completed my undergraduate in Canada. During my time here, I have gained expertise in several biology related techniques and made life-long friends. Oxford
Brookes is an institute with abundant knowledge and opportunities. During my PhD, I specialised in microscopy and now work alongside
Prof. Isabel Bermudez
and
Dr Dianne Newbury, as a Post-Doctoral Researcher. My work focuses on delineating the functional effect of a rare genetic
mutation associated with exceptional memory and the ability to speak backwards. I am fortunate to be able to further my PhD work, alongside my primary supervisor
Prof. Dave Carter, researching chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. My experience at Oxford Brookes has developed me as an independent researcher and I am excited to pursue a career in science and research.”
Aditi Pradhan,
Department of Biological and Medical Sciences
"My MSc by Research degree allowed me to tailor my research question to my specific interests which I felt could impact my chosen field, in addition to further developing myself as a football coach. A challenging yet rewarding experience which
provided me with transferable skills that coupled both my interests in skill acquisition research and football coaching together. The support I received from the Health and Life Sciences Faculty was second to none. At this stage, I would like to
apply the theoretical understanding I have developed over the course of my MSc and BSc at Oxford Brookes into a professional environment. I hope to further my career in football coaching and performance analysis roles and aim to break into
professional football in the future, whilst maintaining my interest in research and pursuing options for further study."
Nicholas Kalakoutis,
Department of Sport, Health Sciences and Social Work
Full list of conferments
Student Name | DoS | Thesis Title | Award |
Rachel Vowden | Ryan Pink | Morphology and localisation of replacement-derived debris and hip protheses materials in marcrophages. | Masters by Research |
James Watkins | Tim Shreeve | Evaluating impact assessment in non-profit conservation projects | PhD |
Alexandra Buffry | Alistair McGregor | Characterising the function and evolution of enhancers in Drosophila | PhD |
Lauren Harding | Jane Appleton | Exploring risk assessment in school nursing and safeguarding practice: A mixed methods study | PhD |
Alana Burrell | Sue Vaughan | The ultrastructural morphology of Eimeria tenella exhibits striking natural variation and undergoes significant changes during the first few hours of infection. | PhD |
Brittany Lee Almond | Munira Kadhim | The role of retrotransposition and exosomal DNS in radiation-induced genomic instability | PhD |
Anerida Coetzee | John Jakeman | The relationships between load and stress and recovery with performance injury rate and training adherence in well-trained female collegiate UK rowers | Masters by Research |
Madison Atkins | Sue Vaughan | Investigation og the distal appendage protein Cep 164 in Trypanosoma brucei | PhD |
Lynsey O’Rourke | Vincent Connelly | Investigating the impact of spellcheck on writing for students with and without dyslexia | PhD |
Alfred Veldhuis | Michael Pilling | The influence of self-relevant information on attention and memory | PhD |
Julia Birchenough | Vincent Connelly | The influence of individual differences on reading in readers of consistent compared to inconsistent orthographies | PhD |
Aditi Pradhan | John Runions | Significance of altered Golgi apparatus and cell fusion events in ovarian cancer cells | PhD |
Sophie Hannon | Sarah Hillier | The effects of ready meal consumption on appetite, satiety and subsequent food intake. | Masters by Research |
Teresa Minguez Vinas | Isabel Bermudez-Diaz | Searching for structural determinants of agonist selectivity in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. | PhD |
Nicholas Kalakoutis | John Jakeman | The effects of opposed and unopposed practice environments on skill acquisition and transfer with specific reference to non-dominant foot kicking. Examining changes in kicking kinetics and outcomes. | Masters by Research |
HLS Research Degrees and Opportunities »