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Each year the King’s Doctoral College gives out a limited number of awards to celebrate truly outstanding research and theses completed by King’s doctoral students. The prizes are nominated by the external examiners and are judged by a panel consisting of the College’s Director of Research Talent and the Chair of the Research Degrees Examinations Board. There are two rounds, in January and June, and these are the winners from the second round in June 2024.

The winners for this round were:

Dr Alexandra Pugh, Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Thesis title: Boundary Trouble: The Queer-Feminist Aesthetics of Virginie Despentes

I am delighted to have received a King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize. I would like to thank my supervisor, Siobhán McIlvanney, for her encouragement and wisdom; my examiners, Shirley Jordan and Elliot Evans, for nominating me and engaging with my work; and the London Arts & Humanities Partnership, for funding my PhD.

My studies began with a BA in History and Modern Languages (French) at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. After graduating, I spent a year working for charity and campaign organisations, before returning to Oxford to complete an MSt in Women’s Studies. The following year, I began my PhD in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King’s. My PhD thesis analyses the aesthetics and politics of the contemporary French writer and filmmaker, Virginie Despentes; it provides close readings of Despentes’s works, while using them to test larger theoretical propositions about the relationship between feminist and queer theory, and politics and art, in the contemporary period. It develops the concept of ‘queer-feminist aesthetics’ as a critical tool and a framework for understanding Despentes’s oeuvre.

During my PhD, I published a number of research articles, chapters, and public-facing review essays, and I spent three months as a visiting research student at the Gender Studies centre (l’Initiative Genre-Philomel) at Sorbonne Université (Paris-IV). After submitting my thesis, I worked as an LSE100 Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. From October 2024, I will be Hamilton Junior Research Fellow in French at the Queen’s College, Oxford, where I will carry out a new, three-year research project on representations of abortion in French literature and film since 2000.

 

Dr Magnus Jensen, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences

Thesis title: Integrated Raman spectroscopy and mass spectrometry for heterospectral tissue imaging

I’m Danish so I started my academic journey in Denmark at the university of southern Denmark (SDU). Here I took an bachelors and master’s in engineering in physics & technology, with a focus on Optics. During my time at the university, I worked several jobs as an instructor, public speaker, and student ambassador. I always enjoyed laboratory work and creating optical systems, so when my master thesis supervisor said he knew of a PhD position opening at King’s I was thrilled.
During my PhD we developed a needle probe device that could provide doctors and surgeons with label-free biochemical information in real time, together with my fantastic supervisor Dr. Mads S. Bergholt, and Boston university. We got a patent for this device, and it’s now being developed into a medical device at King’s. I have now moved back to Denmark, back to my partner my family and friends, but I’m still actively engaging with King’s and my old group. I currently work on creating a spin-out company based on a technology developed by SDU and King’s called Raman Tomography, which we just got published in Nature Comms, to help surgeons assess excised tumors while the patient is still on the operating table. I really enjoy academia, and I want to bring the exciting technology we develop into the “real” world where it can benefit patients and our healthcare systems.

Dr Noemie Alphonse, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine

Thesis title: Divergent roles of type I and III IFNs in Shigella and Salmonella infection 

I began my education in Biology with a training programme in medical analysis. Following this, I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacovigilance. While I enjoyed both experiences, I truly found my passion during my Master’s degree in Immunology in Paris.

This led me to King’s College London, where I embarked on my academic journey as a PhD student in Dr. Charlotte Odendall’s lab, in collaboration with Dr. Andreas Wack’s lab at the Francis Crick Institute. There, I focused on studying the functions of interferons in the context of enteric diseases. This research reinforced my interest in innate immunity, and I eagerly shared this passion by networking with other scientists at conferences and participating in mentoring and teaching programmes.

Some of my PhD work on interferons was published in 2022 in Cell, and my research was recognized by the International Cytokine and Interferon Society with the 2023 Sidney & Joan Pestka Graduate Award, achievements that were highly rewarding.

After completing my PhD, I was awarded a one-year French MabImprove LabEx grant, which enabled me to join Dr. Nathalie Heuzé Vourc’h’s team at the Research Centre for Respiratory Diseases (CEPR) in Tours, France. I am currently working there as a postdoctoral researcher, studying antibody-mediated immunity in the lungs in the context of respiratory diseases. Recently, I was awarded the European EMBO postdoctoral fellowship, which will allow me to continue my research in this area.

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of my mentors and supervisors, for which I am eternally grateful.

Dr Maria Faleeva, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine

Thesis title: The role of SOX9-driven extracellular matrix regulation and LINC complex integrity in vascular ageing 

I was awarded a three-year BHF PhD to work in the labs of Prof. Cathy Shanahan and Dr. Susan Cox, focusing on the mechanisms of vascular aging. My research specifically explored the role of Sox9, a crucial protein, in regulating aortic stiffness during aging and cellular senescence.

Before starting my PhD, I completed a BSc in Biochemistry at the University of St Andrews and an MRes in Biomedical Research at Imperial College. During my undergraduate, I spent my summers working in a variety of labs, gaining experience in fields ranging from structural biology to developmental biology. In my MRes, my projects focussed on signaling pathways in aging stem cells, which fuelled my desire to explore this field further.

Throughout my PhD, I had the privilege of presenting my work both at KCL and internationally. Notably, I was invited to speak at the International Vascular Biology Meeting in San Francisco. Additionally, I developed an app, “Your Lab Partner,” designed to provide early-career researchers with practical tools to assist in the lab. Finally, I was fortunate to have my research published in Circulation Research, a leading journal in cardiovascular research. Though the PhD journey had its challenges, it was everything I hoped for, made possible by the unwavering support of my family, friends, colleagues, and supervisors.

After completing my PhD, I was eager to broaden my research scope beyond cardiovascular biology. I was awarded the Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) early-career postdoctoral fellowship to investigate co-transcriptional splicing regulation in Prof. Mark Dawson’s lab in Melbourne, Australia. This fellowship supports researchers who not only move to a different country for their postdoc but also transition to a new field of research. Although the first few months have been challenging—feeling, at times, like the early days of my PhD—it has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m glad I embraced this new opportunity.

You can find out more about what Maria is up to via her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-faleeva-a13534195/

Dr Katarzyna Wulfmeier, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine

Thesis title: Radiotoxicity of 201Tl and its nanostructure mediated delivery for potential cancer radiotherapy

I am truly honoured to receive the King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize. My PhD research at the Department of Imaging Chemistry and Biology focused on developing novel radiopharmaceuticals for targeted cancer therapies. I began by exploring the potential of radioactive thallium to induce cancer cell toxicity and its subcellular localisation. This work evolved into developing innovative strategies for incorporating thallium-201 into targeted radiopharmaceuticals, including designing organic and inorganic carriers, such as Prussian blue nanoparticles, to effectively bind and deliver radioactive thallium.

Prior to my PhD, I obtained a Master of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. After becoming a registered pharmacist, I gained valuable experience in community and hospital pharmacies in the UK, with a particular focus on oncology care and anticancer medication management. This exposure to advanced cancer therapies inspired me to transition into research, blending clinical practice with scientific discovery.

Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cell Radiobiology at King’s College London. In collaboration with the Facility for Spatially Resolved Single and Sub-cellular Omics (SEISMIC) at the University of Surrey, my work explores the subcellular distribution of metals in single cancer cells using innovative nanocapillary techniques.

I am grateful to my PhD supervisors, Prof Phil Blower and Dr Vincenzo Abbate, for their guidance and support throughout my doctoral studies, and to my examiners for their nomination. Furthermore, I would like to thank my collaborators at the Universities of Surrey, Warwick, and Toronto.

If you would like to find out more about my research, you can find me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katarzyna-w-b36539146

Dr Delia Bisharah, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Thesis title: Anticholinergics, antipsychotics and associated risks in dementia: seeking to improve the safety of prescribing 

It’s such an honour to receive an outstanding thesis award from King’s. I am very grateful to my examiners Professor Tom Dening and Dr Denise Taylor who showed such interest and enthusiasm for my thesis. My heartfelt thanks also goes to my supervisors, Professor Rob Stewart and Professor David Taylor for giving me this opportunity with unwavering support.

I am a consultant pharmacist in the Mental Health of Older adults at SLaM and specialise in dementia. I work part-time and studied for my PhD mostly on 1 day/week basis. My thesis focussed on exploring ways to improve the safety of prescribing in people with dementia. Evidence shows that long-term use of anticholinergics is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, dementia and mortality. I investigated the effect of anticholinergic burden of drugs on dementia outcomes and found that drugs with a high Anticholinergic Effect on Cognition (AEC) score were associated with increased mortality and hospitalisation compared to those with low scores. When I compared bladder anticholinergics in people with dementia, those with high AEC scores (e.g. oxybutynin) were associated with significantly increased mortality, by 55% compared to those with low AEC scores. My research had some implications on policy and practice. It was used as evidence when the MHRA were considering changing the bladder drug oxybutynin from a “Prescription Only Drug” (POD) to an “Over the Counter” (OTC) product that you can buy. Following consultation and review of the evidence, the MHRA decided that oxybutynin would continue to require a prescription to ensure its safe use. I also led on the development of Medichec, a desktop and phone app that helps to identify drugs that have a high central anticholinergic burden and those reported to cause QTc prolongation, hyponatraemia, bleeding risk, dizziness, drowsiness and constipation. Medichec can facilitate access to side-effects information for multiple medications at once, aid clinical decision-making and optimise treatment.

Following on from my PhD, I continue to work in research and develop my skills and am in the process of applying for an NIHR skills enhancement award whilst working as a consultant pharmacist.

Dr Daulet Sharipov, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

I am truly honoured to receive this award. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone involved in this recognition. I feel fortunate to be supported by so many wonderful people who made my doctoral research possible.

I began my medical education at Kazakh National Medical University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where I earned my Doctor of Medicine degree. It was during this time that I developed a keen interest in the human brain, it’s structure and function in health and disease. This passion grew through my internship rotation in neurosurgery and as part of a research team investigating biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease, steering my focus toward neuroscience, particularly neurodegenerative diseases.

During this pivotal time, I connected with Dr Frank Hirth, who welcomed me into his lab for my doctoral research. With his support, I secured a PhD Fellowship to conduct my research at King’s College London (KCL). Frank’s sincere support was instrumental to advance in my research. I am lucky to have had not just one but three supervisors. Huge thanks for support and guidance to Prof Dag Aarsland and Dr Tibor Hortobagyi. I am profoundly grateful to them for their invaluable mentorship and support.

In addition to my research, I have had the privilege of serving as Co-chair of the Neuroscience Symposium (2022) and as a Student Representative for the School of Neuroscience (2022-2024). I was honoured to present my work at national and international conferences including the annual Society for Neuroscience in the USA, AD/PD in Sweden, MDS in Denmark, and the Neuropathology Congress in Germany. I have also been invited to present my research at Columbia University (New York City), Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm), and the University of California (San Francisco).

Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in Per Svenningsson’s lab at the Karolinska Institutet, and a Visiting Research Fellow in Frank Hirth’s lab at KCL. My research continues to focus on neurodegeneration, exploring new blood biomarkers and pharmaceutical targets to find a lasting treatment for Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.

Please do not hastate to reach me via email daulet.sharipov@ki.se and/or daulet.1.sharipov@kcl.ac.uk or LinkedIn account www.linkedin.com/in/daulet-sharipov

Dr Kfir Cohen, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences

Thesis title: Reliable Machine Learning for Communication Systems: Tools and Applications

I am honoured to receive the Outstanding Thesis Prize for my PhD research. In my thesis “Reliable Machine Learning for Communication Systems: Tools and Applications” I proposed methods with enhanced trustworthiness in the regime of limited amount of labelled data, which characterises communication problems, for training purposes. These methods range from an applicative integration of meta-learning, Bayesian learning, and active learning, to a theoretical cross-validation extension of conformal risk control, with the latter providing mathematical guarantees. Using these tools, I have shown how communication models can be well-calibrated, in the sense their confidence levels regarding predictions are well-fitted, beyond accuracy. The research outcome was spread among prestigious publications in top-tier and peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

I had the honour to be supervised by professor Osvaldo Simeone in the Engineering Department, who had a pivotal role in my PhD. Beyond introducing this field of study, his exceptional guidance had pushed me forward to achieve many of the goals set for this work. Being a member of the King’s Communications, Learning and Information Processing Laboratory (KCLIP) he heads, meant being surrounded by gifted group members and gave me access to brilliant global collaborators outside the university. I am grateful for the financial support of the European Research Council (ERC) and KCL Centre for Doctoral Studies that made my studies possible.

Prior to KCL, I have received BSc (summa cum laude) and MSc degrees from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technion — Israel Institute for Technology. I have gained real-world industry experience as a Communication Signal Processing Engineer. Nowadays, I am about to start a new R&D position in the industry and hopefully implement state-of-the-art schemes I have been exposed to during my years of study.

Kfir M Cohen google scholar

Dr Ling Wang, Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery, and Palliative Care

Thesis title: Prepare Chinese Healthcare Workers Cultural Adaptation and Feasibility Evaluation of Psychological First Aid Training Intervention to Manage Trauma and Stress in Front-line Care Settings

I am honoured and deeply grateful to receive this award, which would not have been possible without the extraordinary support and encouragement from those around me, including the brilliance, patience, and guidance of my supervisors, Dr Mary Leamy, and Prof. Ian Norman, instrumental in bringing my ideas to fruition. I am especially indebted to my Chinese colleagues, with

whom it has been a privilege to grow up and to my mentors in Xiangya who profoundly shaped my career path and academic journey.

My thesis explores the application of Psychological First Aid (PFA) beyond disasters into routine care, resulting in novel cultural and contextual understandings of how PFA could be integrated into clinical healthcare benefiting patient care as well as workforce wellbeing. Central to this work is a combination of cultural adaptation with implementation science methodologies applied to prepare healthcare workers to manage trauma exposure on the frontline. Supported by the National Psychological Branch of Disaster and Emergency Rescue Medicine, the research involved extensive public engagement and produced substantial outputs, including academic publications, national guidelines, a whole set of blended training programme material and particularly a series of clinical case studies shared through clinicians’ reflections.

With a background in clinical care and experience working with the regional government on emergency response, alongside six years of academic training in public mental health, I seek to mitigate the absence of mental health and psychosocial care on the ground. After completing my PhD, I currently work as a research fellow with colleagues from the UK public health rapid response team and global mental health centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to close the evidence-to-practice gap in integrating physical and mental health care across frontline, community, and primary care settings globally.

Dr Thornachanok Uerpairojkit, Faculty of Social Sciences and Public Policy

Thesis title: The deprofessionalisation of teachers in Thailand’s education reform

I am honoured to have been awarded an Outstanding Thesis Prize for my PhD in Education Policy. I am very grateful to my examiners, Prof. David Hall and Prof. Nelli Piattoeva, for nominating me for this award, and to my supervisors, Prof. Sharon Gewirtz, Dr. Diego Santori and Dr. Eleanor Gurney, for their scholarly guidance and unwavering support throughout my doctoral journey. I am also very thankful to King’s Centre for Doctoral Studies; my PhD would not have been possible without their generous support via the PGR International Scholarship.

My PhD was a continuation of my long journey to understanding the issues and complexities surrounding the education reform of my home country, Thailand. Working towards my BA in Social Sciences at Durham University, I explored the similarities and differences between Thailand’s education reform and policies borrowed from ‘the West’. For my MA in Policy Studies in Education from UCL Institute of Education, I further investigated this through looking at ‘gaps’ between envisioned policy and enacted practice, particularly how they were experienced by teachers. Afterwards, as a lecturer at the Faculty of Learning Sciences and Education, Thammasat University, I became inspired to utilise the explanatory power of research in making sense of highly complex social phenomena, and that led me to embark on my PhD journey.

My thesis, titled ‘The deprofessionalisation of teachers in Thailand’s education reform’, was an attempt to provide a holistic, in-depth and contextually grounded understanding of how teachers have increasingly experienced professional disempowerment over the course of the country’s three-decade education reform. Based on in-depth interviews with teachers as well as policy actors, the thesis examined eight distinct but interrelated ways that teachers experience deprofessionalisation, and identified five major ‘clusters’ of system-level mechanisms that self-reinforce and work in tandem to produce these individual-level experiences. The thesis also offered methodological insights into navigating cultural logics informing research processes, as well as theoretical contributions in alternative understandings of teacher professionalism and neoliberal education reform.

Some of the findings from my thesis have already been published as a book chapter, and I am working towards further publications in academic journals as well as other mediums. Since completing my PhD, I have also been fortunate enough to continue working with one of my supervisors, Dr. Diego Santori, on a KCL-funded study that pilots a novel method in critical education research.

Social media: LinkedIn, ResearchGate

Other winners:

Dr Luke Jelen, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Approximately 4,500 postgraduate research students are registered at King’s, drawn from all parts around the world and researching across all disciplines. Each year, hundreds of PGRs complete their degrees and graduate with a doctorate, going on to become leaders in academia, research, industry, and beyond.

The King’s Doctoral College introduced the Doctoral Researcher Support Excellence award in 2023 to recognise all the members of staff who make important contributions to doctoral student success but aren’t one of a doctoral student’s primary supervisors.

This year’s winners of the Doctoral Support award are; Dr Lucien Heurtier (NMES), Professor Helen Fisher (IoPPN) and Boma Campbell (FoLSM). This year’s winners represent the broad range of staff at King’s who support doctoral researchers’ success, with a member of research (Dr Heurtier), academic (Prof Fisher) and professional services staff (Boma Campbell) all being selected due to their significant impacts on supporting doctoral students.

The winners receive £1000 to use on their professional development and a certificate signed by the Vice-Chancellor of King’s College London, Professor Shitij Kapur.

Below are some highlights from their nominations and comments from the winners.

Dr Lucien Heurtier, Research Associate, Physics (NMES)

A short quote from Lucien’s nomination:

“Beyond the realm of academic supervision, Dr Heurtier has demonstrated exceptional care to PhDs. His enthusiasm for the personal and professional development of PhDs is truly appreciable. His proactive engagement includes providing invaluable advice during job searches and teaching all PhDs in the group to build personal websites that enhance their professional profiles. His empathy and availability during challenging times ensure that PhDs feel valued and supported, contributing to a positive and nurturing academic environment.”

From Lucien about winning the award:

“As a postgraduate student and even as an early career researcher, I often lacked support from professors and colleagues when facing the many obstacles one encounters in academia. It always struck me that more experienced professionals usually forget how hard it was when they were younger and I promised myself to never forget, and to always help younger peers and share my experience with them as much as I can.  Beyond a simple academic distinction, this award thus means a lot to me: it is a token that I managed to never forget.”

Professor Helen Fisher, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology in the SGDP Centre and ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health IoPPN)

Some short quotes from Helen’s nomination:

“She is incredibly generous with her time and is proactive in her approach to supporting PGRs (those who she doesn’t supervise directly). This includes, for example, feedback on draft chapters, fellowship applications, job applications, and papers; a monthly ‘ask me anything’ initiative; signposting to development and other opportunities; SO many mocks (vivas, upgrade vivas, job/fellowship interviews); and a training programme that spans a wide range of topics – from impact and media engagement to grant writing and research governance – that’s freely 
available for all Centre-affiliated PGRs to attend.

Helen is a spectacular human being and team player. She is always looking out for opportunities for capacity building and to showcase students’ work and strengths to make them shine…Helen is key to creating a safe and supported learning environment for our PGRs at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.'”

And a short comment from Helen: “The absolute favourite part of my job is supporting junior researchers at King’s to thrive! Therefore, I’m extremely honoured to receive this particular award.”

Boma Campbell, Faculty Operations Officer (Research & Impact) (FoLSM)

Here is a short quote from Boma’s nomination:

“…Boma has been instrumental to bringing together support for PGR students within a very large and complex faculty that is FoLSM. She works very independently and reaches out to all the relevant teams across KCL to build relationships and get things done. Boma works with a continuous improvement mindset, consistently reviewing the processes for both students and staff – trying to streamline the processes to minimise the stress for both.

Boma makes a huge impact on the support we can offer to PGR students in FoLSM , from taking on safeguarding , managing support for study meetings and holding their hands during the induction process. She also heavily supports our clinical PGR with research passports and makes sure that PGR who need occupational health and/or DBS checks are supported in getting access to these facilities. This kind of activity makes a huge difference to individuals as they join the Kings PGR community.”

and a comment from Boma about winning:

“I was pleased to have been nominated for Doctoral Researcher Support Excellence award. To win has been a pleasant surprise and very encouraging. Thank you! I hope to continue to develop postgraduate research support across the Faculty and to work with central University teams to increase the profile of doctoral research.”

For staff and students at King’s you can find more details about the award on the King’s Doctoral College hub SharePoint: Doctoral Support Award

Congratulations to the first round of winners of the 23/24 King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize!

Each year a limited number of awards are given to celebrate truly outstanding research and theses completed by King’s doctoral students. The prizes are nominated by the external examiners and are judged by a panel consisting of the College’s Director of Research Talent and the Chair of the Research Degrees Examinations Board. There are two rounds, in January and June, and these are the winners from the first round in January 2024.

Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine

Dr Alice Beardmore-Gray

My journey in research began with my passion for improving women’s health, particularly in regions of the world where the maternal mortality rate remains unacceptably high (800 women die every day due to pregnancy related causes, and 95% of these deaths occur in low and middle income countries). Specialising in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, I realised that research is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve our clinical practice, and ultimately save lives. I was lucky enough to meet my brilliant supervisors (Prof Andrew Shennan and Prof Lucy Chappell) during the early stages of my clinical training, and this led to my PhD which evaluated the best time to offer birth to women with late preterm pre-eclampsia living in India and Zambia. Our trial, The CRADLE-4 Trial, found that planned early delivery significantly reduced the risk of stillbirth in this population, and was published in The Lancet (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00688-8). We have produced a short film about the trial (https://vimeo.com/879385985), which has also recently been featured in The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/early-births-between-34-and-37-weeks-for-moms-with-pre-eclampsia-can-reduce-baby-and-mother-deaths-210301). I was awarded the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Harold Malkin Prize in 2023 in recognition of this work, and I’m excited to continue my journey in clinical academia, as I embark upon a King’s Health Partners Post-Doctoral Fellowship, aiming to better understand pre-eclampsia associated acute kidney injury in low income countries. I’m incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement I have received along the way, and very proud to be a member of the KCL community.

If you would like to find out more about Alice’s continuing research then you can find her on Twitter: @alicebgray

 

Dr Michelle Gibbs

I am honoured and grateful to have been awarded an Outstanding Thesis Prize for my PhD in Nutritional Sciences. With the rollercoaster journey that my PhD was, with multiple maternity breaks and the COVID-19 pandemic interruptions, I am incredibly proud of what I was able to achieve. I am eternally grateful for the guidance and unwavering support of my PhD supervisors. I also offer my heartfelt gratitude to the patients, dietitians and key stakeholders, who participated in this research to make it such a success. Thanks also to my funder – without the financial support of The Dunhill Medical Trust via their Research Training Fellowship scheme, my PhD would not have been possible. To my husband and our three children, thank you for being an oasis of unconditional love, support and inspiration throughout my PhD journey.

After completing my BSc, MSc, PGDip, and MRes, I knew I wanted to pursue a PhD and developed my research ideas while I was working as a Dietitian in clinical practice in the NHS. My professional interests in malnutrition and oral nutritional support led me to ask key questions about how, why, for whom, and to what extent dietetic consultations worked, how they were experienced by nutritionally vulnerable older adults and other key stakeholders and how their value was perceived. These questions led me to use a convergent parallel mixed method approach to develop a novel programme theory for dietetic consultations that explained their underlying causal mechanisms, contextual influences and how they worked to generate outcomes, as well as understand how oral nutritional support consultations were experienced by older adult patients, their carers and the consulting dietitians, in various clinical contexts.

Since finishing my PhD, I’ve been putting my research knowledge and skills to good use in my current NHS role. I also continue to support student dietitian training at KCL. I am grateful for the opportunity to advance my clinical academic career in dietetics, with exciting post-doctoral plans to advance the body of work I began during my PhD. Further to this, I am engaged in various forms of dissemination at both local and international levels. Overall, I am grateful to be able to do purposeful work, both within and beyond academia, that contributes to improving the lives of others.

If you’d like to see more about Michelle’s current research you can follow her on Twitter here: @drmichellegibbs 

Dr Mathieu Ruthven

I am delighted and honoured to receive a King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize. I am grateful to my PhD thesis examiners Prof António Teixeira and Dr Chris Carignan for the award nomination, my supervisors Dr Andy King and Dr Marc Miquel for their guidance and support throughout my time at King’s, and Health Education England (HEE) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for funding my PhD.

Prior to starting a PhD, I worked as a medical physicist specialised in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at Barts Health NHS Trust. As a health and care professional, I was eligible to apply for a HEE-NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship which enabled me to undertake a PhD while continuing my professional practice and development. My PhD was clinically focused and multidisciplinary, at the interface of MR imaging, artificial intelligence (AI) and clinical assessment of speech. Its ultimate goal was to improve the clinical management and treatment of patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency. The main contributions of my PhD towards this goal were the development of AI-based methods to automatically extract clinically relevant information from MR images of the vocal tract, and creating and making publicly available a dataset to enable others to develop similar methods. More information about the methods and dataset is available in the following journal articles: Ruthven et al. (2021), Ruthven et al. (2023a), Ruthven et al. (2023b).

The outputs of my PhD laid some of the foundations for a successful research funding grant application to Barts Charity. This funding has enabled further research to refine and extend the techniques and bring them closer to clinical translation.

If you would like to find out more about Mathieu’s research you can find him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthieu-ruthven/

Dr Maria Ibrahim

I am honoured to have received this Outstanding Thesis Prize from King’s. My PhD looked at deceased donor kidney transplantation in the UK. I examined how organs from deceased donors with perceived higher risk characteristics were utilised by UK transplant clinicians, and subsequent patient outcomes using UK transplant registry data. Globally, this is an important issue, as deceased donors become older, with more co-morbidities, thus posing a risk of poor long-term outcomes to potential recipients.

I am a nephrologist by training, and though this gave me an insight into the clinical application of my work, I learnt statistical skills and coding in order to analyse data from the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) registry.

My thesis has resulted in three first author publications (PMID 31758833, 32690721, and 36706063) and I was able to contribute to a further five papers (PMID 36066902, 35185366, 33870619, 33756062, and 34514110).

During the course of my PhD, I was able to identify that many perceptions around ‘higher risk’ organs are inaccurate, thus encouraging the broadening of the deceased donor pool and better outcomes for patients awaiting a transplant. I helped develop transplant outcome prediction tools, used extensively by UK transplant clinicians to support patient decision-making.

I have received the support of many individuals throughout the course of my thesis and am especially grateful to my examiners for their nomination, to the statistics and clinical studies team at NHSBT for their continual guidance, and to my supervisors Chris Callaghan, John Forsythe and Rachel Johnson for their unwavering faith in me.

Following my research time I am back to full time clinical work but hope to use the skills I have developed to pursue dual clinical and academic roles in the future.

 

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience

Dr Johanna Keeler

I am thrilled to have been awarded a King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize and would like to thank my brilliant examiners for the nomination and for their thoughtful engagement with the thesis, my supervisors Dr Hubertus Himmerich and Professor Janet Treasure for their endless support and guidance, and the Medical Research Council for funding my research.

Prior to my time at KCL, I studied Psychology (Bsc, University of Exeter). Prior to that, my first job as an 18-year-old was working as a support worker in neurosurgical theatres, which sparked my interest in the workings of the brain and particularly in neuropsychology. My interests in neurobiology were further cemented during my undergraduate studies where I was fortunate to undertake some fantastic research placements that utilised methods and study designs including MRI, neuropsychology, and service evaluation/improvement work. Here I also co-founded an eating disorders peer support group for students. The experiences I had progressed my interests in the mind-body interface, translational research, and lived/living experience involvement, which had a huge influence on my PhD project.

My PhD thesis integrated several methodologies such as structural MRI, neuropsychology, investigations of inflammatory markers and growth factors, and qualitative methods, to examine brain changes in anorexia nervosa. A highlight of my research was translating basic research findings to the lived experience using qualitative methodology. I have disseminated these findings through delivering NHS training to a wide range of clinicians and am hoping to develop some psychoeducational resources for service users, clinicians and carers of people with eating disorders.

Several of the studies I conducted throughout my PhD were part of the groundwork that supported a grant application for a randomised controlled trial looking at the potential of oral ketamine to alleviate depressive symptoms in people with AN and treatment-resistant depression. We recently received funding for this project from the Medical Research Council, and I am currently employed as a postdoc at KCL to prepare the study which is scheduled to start in 2025.

You can find more about Johanna’s current research via her Twitter (@jhnnklr) or that of her team (@kingsedresearch) or via her research gate (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Johanna-Keeler) or Pure profiles (https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/johanna-keeler).

 

Dr Laura Sichlinger

I am honoured to have received the Outstanding Thesis Prize for my PhD research. My thesis, “A developmental perspective on ZNF804A gene function,” delved into the mechanisms of schizophrenia susceptibility and gene function in neurodevelopment. Under the guidance of Prof Deepak Srivastava and Prof Anthony Vernon, I explored the fascinating world of human-induced pluripotent stem cells and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, shedding light on ZNF804A’s contribution to synaptogenesis and local protein translation in neurodevelopment. I am immensely grateful for their mentorship and support throughout my doctoral journey.

Prior to pursuing my PhD, I completed an MSc in Neuroscience at KCL and a BA in Phonetics and Speech Processing at the University of Munich. These experiences laid the groundwork for my passion for neuroscience and brain disorders.

Currently, I am privileged to be a member of the Heller lab (lead by Prof Elizabeth Heller) at the University of Pennsylvania and the ENDD team at the Children’s hospital of Philadelphia, where we are dedicated to advancing gene-targeted therapies for rare neurodevelopmental disorders such as STXBP1 and SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability.

Beyond my research, I am committed to fostering inclusivity and equality in STEM. During my PhD I had the honour to be co-president of Women of the Wohl, a student-led equality network, advocating for the rights of womxn and marginalised groups in the scientific community. I believe that diversity is not only essential for scientific progress but also enriches the fabric of our society.

If you want to see more about Laura’s current research then you can find her on Twitter via @LSichlinger

Faculty of Law

Dr Farnush Ghadery

I’d like to thank the committee for awarding my PhD project the KCL Outstanding Thesis Prize. My research rests on the intellectual labour and commitment of feminist scholars and activists who paved the way and continue to struggle for freedom and equality across the world. In my thesis, I developed ‘transnational legal feminism’ as a methodology that argues for the contextualisation of international feminist legal praxis by being informed by local communities and forms of knowledge, which are often excluded from international fora. Focusing on Afghanistan, I attempted to demonstrate the important work that Afghan women’s rights activist have undertaken on the ground following the 2001 military invasion and how international legal and feminist practice should interact more with these actors and their practices. Completing the Transnational Law LLM at KCL before my PhD was instrumental in equipping me with the critical skills needed to undertake this work. The PhD was further made possible through the generous Dickson Poon Postgraduate Research Scholarship. I now work as a Senior Lecturer in Law at London South Bank University where I continue my research highlighting and challenging colonial, racialised, and gendered hierarchies in international law. I am currently working on my monograph based on the thesis. Most recently, I co-founded the Feminist Third World Approaches to International Collective which seeks to amplify scholarship and practice at the intersection of critical feminisms and international law as well as create a space of solidarity and support for those working in this field. I remain committed to the struggle for gender equality and have been active in the ongoing Woman, Life, Freedom movement for equality and freedom in Iran.

If you’d like to find out more about Farnush’s current research then please check out her LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farnush-ghadery/

 

Faculty of Natural, Mechanical and Engineering Sciences

Dr Gergely Bodo

I feel honoured to have received the King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize for my research on Stochastic Analysis for Cylindrical Lévy Processes. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the exceptional guidance and support from my supervisor, Markus Riedle (Department of Mathematics).

Moreover, I am immensely grateful to my thesis examiners, Rama Cont (University of Oxford) and Stefan Geiss (University of Jyväskylä), not only for nominating me for this award, but also for showing a genuine interest in my research by providing insightful suggestions on possible directions for future work. Their mathematical expertise and careful reading of my thesis led to a rather stimulating discussion during my defence.

In my thesis, together with Professor Riedle, we laid down the theoretical foundations necessary for the successful application of cylindrical Lévy processes as models of random perturbations of infinite-dimensional systems. By developing a comprehensive theory of stochastic integration with respect to cylindrical Lévy processes, our work allowed for the generalisation of fundamental tools in stochastic analysis such as Itô’s formula or the stochastic dominated convergence theorem. These results paved the way for the consideration of stochastic evolution equations driven by cylindrical Lévy processes.

During my time as a PhD student at King’s, I was presented with numerous opportunities to explore the mathematical landscape by giving talks at international conferences, attending summer schools and going on research visits. I would like to thank the Department of Mathematics for making all of these financially feasible.

After finishing my PhD, I joined the stochastics group of the Korteweg-de Vries Instituut of the University of Amsterdam, where I am currently a postdoctoral researcher under the guidance of Sonja Cox.

Dr Yannic Rath

I feel very honored, and I am immensely grateful to be receiving the 2023/2024 King’s outstanding thesis award, which I very much see as a recognition of all the great work done in the group of my PhD supervisor Dr George Booth. I explicitly want to thank him, but also all other past and present collaborators, for providing outstanding support and a stimulating research platform to pursue highly interesting research questions. I also want to extend my gratitude to Prof. Andrew Green and Dr Stephen Clark for the examination of my thesis and nominating me for this award. 

My PhD at King’s College allowed me to build upon my great interest in studying scientific phenomena with computational approaches, which I developed in previous Physics and Computer Science courses at the Leibniz University Hannover and at Imperial College London. My PhD research focused on the development of novel computational tools to simulate the intricate interplay of particles on the quantum scale underpinning the characteristics of various types of matter. The sheer complexity of the quantum physical laws of nature limits accurate computational simulations, making suitable approximations necessary for tractable applications. Complementing a broad variety of algorithms tackling this long-standing task on various levels of abstraction, we were able to introduce a novel numerical toolbox expanding the predictive abilities of numerical simulations by bridging physical intuition with modern machine learning techniques. 

Building on the wonderful experience of my time at King’s College, I continue to follow my research interests as a computational scientist. I recently joined the National Physical Laboratory, where my focus remains the development of algorithms for the description, study, and utilization of quantum physical principles. I am looking forward to continuing studying interesting scientific questions, developing practical computational tools, and communicating research highlights to a broader community. 

 Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care

Dr Lesley Williamson

I am delighted and honoured to have been awarded one of the 2023/24 King’s Outstanding Thesis Prizes. I am hugely grateful to my examiners, Professor Susan Shenkin and Professor Bridget Johnston for their nomination, and my PhD supervisors, Professor Katherine Sleeman and Professor Catherine Evans for their support, guidance, and patience.

My thesis was generously funded by the Alzheimer’s Society, Cicley Saunders International, NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, and The Atlantic Philanthropies. It focuses on the determinants of emergency department (ED) attendance among people with dementia approaching the end of life. Mapped against the phases of a health programme planning model, I conducted a cohort study of routinely collected hospital and mortality data, a qualitative interview study with people living with dementia and current and bereaved caregivers, and a mixed methods integration to develop a conceptual model and key components of an intervention programme aiming to safely reduce ED attendance among people with dementia.

My PhD was informed by my longstanding commitment to improve dementia care, influenced by my background in psychology, medicine and clinical leadership, and my work as a psychiatry trainee, former National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow, and more recently, King’s Parliamentary Research intern. My thesis was greatly enriched by the valuable contributions of members of an expert panel of public representatives affected by dementia and the support of Alzheimer’s Society Research Network Monitors.

After submitting my thesis, I led the development and Parliamentary launch of a policy brief calling for better palliative and end-of-life care for people affected by dementia. I continue to promote the brief, which includes successfully submitting it to the World Health Organisation’s Global Dementia Observatory Knowledge Exchange Platform (GDO KEP).

I continue to research dementia and end-of-life care as a Research Associate at the Cicely Saunders Institute and NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit. As a Dem-Comm fellow, I am also one of the Dementia Community Research Network (DCRN) coordinators, working with public, community and research partners to reduce inequalities in research involvement among people from minoritised ethnic communities.

 

Far and away the most important relationship during your PhD is with your primary supervisor.

 

Many successful academics were launched into their careers by a fantastic supervisor. However, it’s not a given that everything runs smoothly.

We know how important good supervision is and are part of a UK-wide project to develop the very best continuing professional development for research supervisors.

Having worked with numerous PhD students and supervisors in various guises since I finished my own PhD in 2003/4, here are my top 10 tips for getting the best from your supervisory relationship.

1. Discuss expectations and agree ways of working early on

It’s not a given that a student and supervisor’s expectations of how to work effectively together will match. You might be fortunate, but don’t make assumptions. Ideally in your first few supervisory meetings you should discuss how you’re going to work together and what you can expect of each other.

Your faculty should have a template document to guide you and your supervisor in this conversation. You can also download our template to get you started.  If you didn’t have that conversation at the start, don’t worry, have it now!

2. Review ways of working regularly

It’s also important to revisit the expectations conversation every now and then. As you progress in your PhD, your needs will change and the support your supervisor provides will likely change too. So revisit that conversation.

3. Remember your supervisor isn’t perfect!

It sounds obvious, but some students definitely have an unrealistic view of their supervisor. Remember they are human and likely have many other draws on their time, whether other students or other responsibilities, at work and at home. Be careful of slipping into bad habits – submitting work at the last minute and expecting a speedy response, for example.

4. Ask for help when you need it

Most PhD students are highly successful, hard-working people, used to getting top grades. Seriously! That’s you! As such, a PhD can be a challenge. You’re (suddenly) expected to be self-directed and you may come up against all sorts of issues. Your ideas are critiqued and pulled apart. Seemingly fruitful avenues of enquiry turn out to be dead ends. Experiments don’t work, archives don’t yield the information and insights you hoped for, fieldwork takes twice as long to plan as you’d imagined! Something happens in your personal life. You’ll need help. It’s normal.

5. If there are problems then raise them, don’t let them fester

Just ask for help sooner rather than later! There’s no shame in it. You’ll probably address the problems more quickly if you nip them in the bud. We’ve all been there, I can assure you.

There are lots of routes you can go depending on the issue:

• Is there a PGR officer in your dept? Someone in Professional Services who can help with practice things.
• Maybe you need to speak to your academic PGR Coordinator.
• There may be confidential advisors or personal tutors, depending on your faculty.
• There is also the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies, your faculty PGR lead.
• And there is lots of support through Student Services – for mental health and wellbeing, counselling, money & housing advice and more
• Our PGR Wellbeing Hub has all the links and information com/pgrwh
  

6. Make use of your second supervisor

I hope you know who your second supervisor is! There’s no one shape for what a second supervisor can offer. Just make use of them. Have regular meetings even if they’re not that frequent. They might be a sounding board for new ideas. They might have a specific skill/interest/expertise that will enrich your research/thesis. They might be very experienced and therefore be a fount of knowledge or provide access to networks. Like I say, there’s no one type.

7. Manage upwards

If you’re not getting what you need from your supervisor then you may need to be more assertive. We can help you with that… book for our workshop

Getting the Best from your Supervisor (PGR324)

This course will help you to understand your supervisor’s perspective and expectations and will highlight areas for autonomy and supervision throughout a doctoral journey. Learn how to be assertive and persuasive in the way that you communicate with your supervisors to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

8. Celebrate your supervisor if they’re doing a good job!

A lot of supervisors put a lot of time and energy into supervision. If that’s your supervisor then I can assure you that a kind word of thanks goes a long way.

If your supervisor really is excellent then you might like to nominate them for one of our Supervisory Excellence Awards.

9. Remember it’s your PhD!

I’m probably speaking more to scientists and lab-based researchers here but fundamentally the PhD is yours! In some disciplines your supervisor may play a very close guiding role, especially the start, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of dependence. You will have to defend your thesis in the final exam. So don’t be afraid to try things you think are important and to discuss options robustly with your supervisor(s). As you progress in your research you should be becoming an expert, so don’t give way to critique too quickly.

In other disciplines, you may be only too aware that it’s your PhD! So…

10. Draw on as many sources of wisdom and support as you can

It can be easy to get stuck in a rut. So don’t!

Seek out other sources of support, find a mentor or two. Attend seminars in other related departments. Approach other researchers and academics. Make the most of being at a comprehensive research-intensive institution. Time spent thinking about bigger issues, the broader research context is rarely wasted and may yield information, stimulate new ideas and help you move forward.

I wish you all the very best in your doctoral research.

Nigel Eady
Director of Research Talent

Who are the people who are helping you to be successful? Are you making the most of that support? Is there more support you could draw on?

 

 

I’ve been watching a lot of the Athletics recently. My father loved running and whilst he wasn’t ever close to being national standard, he had friends who were pretty close to it. When I was young, the TV would always be on if there was a big event happening, especially the Olympics or European Championships.

I think athletics is a pretty good analogy for the journey of the PhD.

We tend to think of athletics as an individual sport, but it struck me how many of the athletes talked about all the other people who had enabled them to be successful – family, friends, coaches, other current athletes, former athletes, the list went on.

When it comes down to it, like the athlete in the championship on the race track, there’s only one person who writes the thesis and goes through the oral exam.

Yet also like the athlete, to be really successful, you need a whole host of people supporting you and cheering you on.

Thirty or more years ago, a PhD was a solitary pursuit. You did everything on your own, with just the guidance of your solitary supervisor. However those days should be long gone. It’s well recognised that effective training of inexperienced researchers requires much more than one person! So who is on your team? Every athlete draws on a slightly different group of people, or perhaps draws on some people more than others.

Here is a Top 10 of people whom you might draw on. There’s no ‘one size fits all’. However, I’d dare to suggest if you’re not making use of most of these possible supporters, then you’re giving yourself an unnecessary handicap!

1. Supervisor

Certainly the most crucial person in your team. How well are you working together? When I’m discussing challenges with doctoral researchers, it’s often the case that there are mismatches in expectations between student and supervisor. Maybe you discussed expectations when you started your research degree but things change. If you’re in the final phases of the PhD and writing up, you’re likely entering new territory in your relationship. What can you expect from your supervisor then? What do you think you need? Have you had a proper conversation about writing the thesis or is it all based on assumption, what you’ve heard from others? Use your time effectively by having a clear discussion with your supervisor about what you think you need and what they can offer you. And this is true throughout the PhD.

2. Second supervisor

Hopefully you know who your second supervisor is! How often do you meet them? What do you discuss? Every second supervisor will be a bit different. Maybe yours brings a particular interest or skill to the table. Maybe their research interests are related but in a somewhat different area. What do you need from them? Maybe it’s just general discussions about how to tackle the PhD. Do you know their strengths? What can you learn from them? How can they add either to your research or your skills?

3. Other academic colleagues, researchers/staff at different levels

Sometimes you just need someone who gets the academic and research environment but isn’t connected to your project. Someone else in your department or even in another School or Faculty. Maybe you share an interest outside your research. Maybe you’ve had an interesting conversation in a dept seminar and they seemed like someone you’d get on with. It’s great to have a few people around you who understand your world and can offer advice, contacts or experience.

4. Mentors

Do you have a mentor? There are many ways to get a mentor – formal schemes and informal approaches. A mentor can be invaluable for navigating complex environments or for considering what next. Having run mentoring schemes in the past, I think you get the most value from a mentor when you, as a mentee, are in the driving seat, making sure the mentoring is providing what you need.

5. Peers

I hope you have a few people around you who know exactly what you’re going through now. You may be fortunate and have lab colleagues or peers in your dept who share an office with you. Downloading your woes to someone who understands can definitely be cathartic (as long as you promise to be that person for them when they need you!)

6. Staff who support doctoral students – academics and professional services

You should have a PGR Coordinator or equivalent in your department, whose role is to support and advise doctoral researchers. You may also have PS staff who support PhDs. They may be the people you ask very basic questions about the PhD and the process, they may be the ones who can guide you if problems arise, whether complex ones or very simple ones.

7. One-to-one expert support

Did you know you can meet one-to-one with a careers consultant to discuss any career related issue or question? You might have no idea what to do next or what you want to do? They’ll help you to start working that out. You might need advice on a job application or an interview. You can also meet one-to-one with a professional writer to help you with your writing. Maybe you’re struggling to get words on paper. Maybe you’ve got the words down but you’re struggling for clarity or to communicate your argument.

8. Support services

In a similar vein, there is lots of support at King’s – start with Student Services (housing, money and more), who will point you to the relevant team. Ask for help before it all gets too much.

9. Friends

Sometimes you just need someone to tell you to forget your research for a few hours or a weekend and do something completely different. As a friend of mine says, “Have breaks, make breakthroughs!”

10. Family

I know not everyone is close to their family, but if you are, they are clearly a great resource. Perhaps your family are far away? If so, why not plan ahead – put a home visit in the diary, something to look forward to.

Like I say, different people need different help at different times. Just don’t suffer in silence!

Nigel Eady
Director of Research Talent