Lero runs a doctoral symposium for all postgraduate students and researchers on an annual basis. The doctoral symposium gives students the opportunity to present their research to a panel of reviewers and to colleagues. Student supervisors do not attend. Reviewers evaluate and provide valuable feedback to students.

The 4^th Lero Doctoral symposium was held in Athlone as part of the 9^th Lero Researchers Workshop October 5th 2011. The occasion brought together the majority of Lero Ph.D. students throughout the country, some in the final phase of their research while others having just joined the ranks. It was a great occasion for the students to meet each other but also to gain exposure to the various research areas within Lero.

The symposium followed the traditional format which saw a distinguished panel of experts preview the research and provide valuable and constructive feedback following the presentations. The panel consisted of returning panel members Prof. David Bustard (University of Ulster) and Prof. Pete Sawyer (Lancaster University) and new panel members Dr. Isabelle Perseil (Telecom ParisTech), and Prof. June M Verner (Keele University) already familiar to many from her visit to Lero@UL.

Eight students were chosen to present for 20 minutes, and their research focus covered a wide range of areas (see table). The relationship between some presentations was evident, something one of the panel said was good to see. Each presentation was followed by specific questions and comments from the panel. The day closed with a general group discussion and some parting words of wisdom from the sages.

We wish to extend our thanks once again to the panel and presenters for a valuable and enjoyable experience.

The Third Lero Doctoral Symposium took place during the seventh Lero Researcher Workshop on November 26^th and 27^th 2009 at the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone. Seven students were selected to present their research to an audience comprising a panel of expert reviewers and other research students. The goal of the Doctoral Symposium is to provide a forum for the Lero postgraduate students to obtain feedback on their research from experienced world-class academic researchers. The Doctoral Symposium also presents an excellent opportunity for the students to get to know each other, as they are geographically based in the four different locations of Lero (DCU, TCD, UCD and UL).

During this symposium, presentations were delivered by Howell Jordan (UCD), Veronica Gacitua-Decar (DCU), Rebecca Yates (UCD), Paul Clarke (DCU), Hasham Shokry (UL), Serena Fritsch (TCD) and Arshad Muhammad Beg (UL). The review panel consisted of Prof. David Bustard (University of Ulster), Prof. Jeff Magee (Imperial College London) and Prof. Pete Sawyer (Lancaster Univeristy).

The selected students were at different stages of their doctoral research, ranging from six months to three years. Each session consisted of a 20 minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes of feedback and Q&A by the review panel. The session concluded with an open Q&A discussion during which the review panel responded to individual questions.

The focused feedback provided by Prof. Bustard, Prof. Magee and Prof. Sawyer was hugely beneficial. 

Previous Symposiums

2008

2007