Speaker bios
| Session | Photo | Speaker | Bio |
| Day 1 - Wednesday 10 July | |||
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Story Lab ARU StoryLab is and interdisciplinary research institute at ARU that explores how digital innovation and storytelling can effect meaningful social change, cultural participation and heritage sustainability.
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Dr Fabrizio Galeaz Deputy Director of StoryLab/ Associate Professor in Heritage and Creative Technologies |
Fabrizio is a cultural heritage and creative technology scientist. His research explores the combination of 3D interactive visualisation, immersive technologies (VR, AR, MR) and multimodal storytelling to develop cutting-edge solutions for heritage preservation and revitalisation, community engagement and sustainable development. |
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Dr Violeta Tsenova Research Fellow |
Violeta specialises in critical heritage and participatory research, combining methodologies from public history practice, research through design, speculative design, and analytical approaches to explore power-dynamics in collaborative projects and the function of design artefacts in transforming cultural venues. | |
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Emily Rime Research Fellow |
Emily is a musician and audio researcher, finishing a PhD in the Music Computing and Psychology lab at the University of York, working with XR Stories and BBC R&D. Her research focuses on the production of personalised and immersive audio using AI-driven tools for podcasts. Emily is a singer, bassist, and composer, and studied Physics at King’s College London (2018). She is a Professor of Electronic and Produced Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and a Research Fellow with StoryLab. | |
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Christopher Nightingale Creative Technologist & Research Assistant |
Chris generalises across the real-time 3D development spectrum, including 3D asset creation, level design, UX, and program scripting. He is StoryLab’s in-house real-time 3D developer, focusing on the practical development of experimental XR projects such as Immersive Antarctica. | |
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Ice Breaker Reconnecting via the SDGs |
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Rabia Arshad DTA Programme Training Manager |
Rabia is Programme Training Manager at DTA since December 2022. She is responsible for the co-ordination and engagement of researchers (students, supervisors, alumni) participating in the programme, as well as supporting the development and co-ordination of the DTA training activities. |
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Heng Jie Choong DTA PGR at Coventry University and DTA Peer-Led Learning Leader |
Heng is DTA Future Societies researcher from Coventry University. His PhD research topic is: “Novel Information-Theoretic Causality Measure with application in Neuroscience and Dementia”. Heng is one of the PGR Leaders for DTA Peer-Led Learning scheme since July 2023. | |
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Naomi Thompson DTA PGR at ARU and DTA Peer-Led Learning Leader |
Naomi is DTA Future Societies researcher from Anglia Ruskin University. Her PhD research topic is: “Investigating links between a music therapy service and the reduction of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms (BPSD) for people living with Dementia in acute NHS inpatient wards”. Naomi is one of the PGR Leaders for DTA Peer-Led Learning scheme since July 2023. | |
| Formality, Gesture and Space in the Performance of Presentations |  |
Andrew Rawnsley Teesside University |
Andrew is the Head of Research Governance & Postgraduate Research at Teesside University. His expertise lies mainly in research ethics policy and practice, an area in which Andrew does frequent consultancy for a range of institutions as well as and designing and delivering training. He is an advisor for the UK Research Integrity Office, Associate Editor for the BioMed Central journal Research Integrity & Peer Review, and a co-author of Epigeums’ “Research Integrity” online programmes. He is also a member of the DTA National Training Group. |
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World Café DTA Alumni Peer Advice |
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Dr Emma Cowley DTA3 Alumna |
Emma is a DTA3 (Applied bioscience for health) alumna. She did her PhD at Liverpool John Moore’s University, and her PhD project was ‘"It feels like girls aren't meant to exercise” - Increasing adolescent girls participation in physical activity in the UK and Ireland’. Currently, she is the lead of the Invisible Sportswomen international research group and the project manager for the DTA3/COFUND Marie Sklodowska-Curie PhD Fellowship Programme. She also holds a visiting researcher position at LJMU. After her PhD, she held a postdoc role at UNC Chapel Hill Cardiometabolic laboratory where she managed a large R01 grant ($2.5M) which investigated the cardio metabolic health and movement behaviours of university students. |
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Dr Srinidhi Koya DTA3 Alumna |
Srinidhi is a DTA3 Social Policy alumna and a public health researcher. She did her PhD at Teesside University, and her PhD project was ‘A mixed-methods exploration of the relationship between alcohol consumption and eating behaviours among adolescent girls in England’. Srinidhi is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Essex. | |
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Dr Surya Maruthupandian DTA3 Alumna |
Surya is a DTA3 Energy alumna. She did her PhD at the University of Hertfordshire, and her PhD project was ‘Innovative cement-based composites for reducing the embodied energy of civil infrastructure’. She worked as a Scientist Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, Uttarakhand (India) before joining DTA3. Currently she is working as a research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire. | |
| 1:1 Clinics: Post-doc/Fellowship Applications |  |
Dr Elena Maters Research Funding Officer at ARU |
Elena is working as Research Funding officer at ARU, Cambridge. She is a Geoscientist, and she did her PhD in Agronomy and Bioscience Engineering. Previously, she was Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and MSCA Fellow. |
| Day 2 - Thursday 11 July | |||
| ARU Global Sustainability Institute |  |
Piers Reilly Faculty of Business & Law at ARU |
Piers joined the Global Sustainability Institute from a career working across a range of topics, linked together via the themes of sustainability and security. Having previously worked in government and industry, advising on sustainability, security, and international law, Piers is currently doing his PhD at ARU. His multidisciplinary research is examining the governance of the net zero carbon transition. |
| Programme refresher: Group communication exercise with Lego |  |
Llinos Spargo Graduate School Training and Development Officer University of South Wales |
Llinos is the Graduate School Training and Development Officer, based in the Graduate School in Research and Innovation Services at the University of South Wales. Llinos joined the University of South Wales in 2001 as a Research Administrator, supporting PGRs during examination. Following a brief spell working in HR and Strategic Planning she re-joined the Graduate School in 2011 and now supports PGRs from application through to examination and award. As part of her role, she is also responsible for developing and facilitating a calendar of training and development events for PGRs and Supervisors. Llinos is currently Deputy Chair of the DTA Training Group. |
| Day 3 - Friday 12 July | |||
| Beyond Language - Embodied Communication |  |
Caroline Kocel DTA Researcher at ARU |
Caroline is DTA Future Societies Researcher at Anglia Ruskin University. Her PhD project is ‘Educating for Inclusive Waterways Conservation and Volunteering’. Caroline is also a trained freelance yoga instructor. |
| Interdisciplinary Reading Group | |
Emma Cowley DTA3 Project Manager |
Emma is working as the DTA3 Project Manager. She is also a DTA3 alumna and received her PhD from Liverpool John Moores University in physical activity and behaviour change. Prior to her doctorate, Emma was the Education Manager for health projects at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology for the UK and Ireland. |
| Workshop: Narrative CV |  |
Kate Murray Research Careers Consultant University of Cambridge |
Kate is Careers Consultant for the Action Research on Research Culture project, supporting research that will make recommendations to improve the working environment for researchers. She provides guidance on narrative CVs to candidates in live postdoc recruitments. She is also part of the Careers Service team, working with PhDs and the postdoc community. |
| Workshop: Preparing for your viva | |
Llinos Spargo Graduate School Training and Development Officer University of South Wales |
Llinos is the Graduate School Training and Development Officer, based in the Graduate School in Research and Innovation Services at the University of South Wales. Llinos joined the University of South Wales in 2001 as a Research Administrator, supporting PGRs during examination. Following a brief spell working in HR and Strategic Planning she re-joined the Graduate School in 2011 and now supports PGRs from application through to examination and award. As part of her role, she is also responsible for developing and facilitating a calendar of training and development events for PGRs and Supervisors. Llinos is currently Deputy Chair of the DTA Training Group. |
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Jennie Eldridge Head of Doctoral Training Programmes University Alliance |
Jennie is the Head of Doctoral Training at DTA. She is part of the DTA since 2015. Jennie has a long career within higher education, with a particular focus on postgraduate education. Previously she worked for King’s College London as the Head of Policy & Operation, overseeing the support for the postgraduate student experience and governance, as well as managing the scholarship offering and support for doctoral training partnerships. | |
| Workshop: Compassion, values, culture & communication |  |
Professor Natasha Vall Dean, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law Centre for Culture and Creativity Teesside University
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Natasha is a Professor of urban and cultural history and the Dean for the School of Social Sciences Humanities and Law. |
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Dr Kieran Fenby-Hulse Associate Dean (Research & Innovation), SSSHL Management, Centre for Culture and Creativity Teesside University |
Kieran is an experienced lecturer, facilitator, and researcher with extensive experience in research, impact and evaluation, and leadership and organisation development. | ||
