Inspiring the SUPA Community
Friday 8 March, Linlithgow Burgh Halls, West Lothian
Taking place on International Women's Day, but this event is about so much more than women and gender. Come along to hear from people's lived experience, and explore the things we do well and the things we can improve on, in relation to gender, race, age, neurodiversity, and so much more.
Keynote: Dr Clara Barker, Materials Scientist at Oxford University and Inclusion & Diversity Representative for the IOP.
"Scattering Atoms, Ions and Perceptions"
Speaker: Prof Sonja Franke-Arnold, University of Glasgow
"Being a parent in academia"
Speaker: Sarah Bakewell, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, IOP
Sarah will talk about the latest IOP member diversity survey and the new Physics Inclusion Award (replacing Juno), which launches at the end of March. There will also be a discussion on intersectionality, what this means, and hear practical examples from the audience of how they have incorporated this approach into their work.
This event is a collaboration with and funded by IOP Scotland, with support and organisation from SUPA. A report will be written up after the event to collate the discussion, suggestions and hopes for the future.
Welcome Event
The welcome event for new SUPA students is held in October each year. This engaging day provides an opportunity to learn about the breadth and excellence of research in SUPA, to meet colleagues from other Universities and to receive advice from peers. The 2019 Welcome Event was held at the Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow on 17 October 2019. The 2020 and 2022 Welcome Events were both held online, returning to in-person in 2022 in Edinburgh. The 2023 Welcome Event was also online, with an additional session for students to meet others in their research theme.
Annual Gathering
The highlight of the year is the SUPA Annual Gathering, a showcase and celebration of physics in Scotland.
In 2023, the SUPA Annual Gathering took place at the TIC building on George Street at the University of Strathclyde. It was held on Tuesday, 16 May 2023.
Programme
| 09.00 | Registration |
| 09.30 | WELCOME & OPENING ADDRESS, Prof Alan Miller, SUPA |
| 10.00 | KEYNOTE: CAREER REFLECTIONS, Dr Graeme Malcolm OBE, M Squared Lasers |
| 10.50 | REFRESHMENT BREAK & POSTERS |
| 11:20 | SALTIRE RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS - ONE YEAR ON |
| Olivia Johnson-Love, University of Strathclyde Dr Abhinav Prasad, University of Glasgow Dr Teresita Suarez Noguez, University of Edinburgh Dr Lewis Hill, University of Strathclyde |
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| 12:30 | LUNCH - CAREERS FAIR & POSTERS |
| 14:00 | EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER HIGHLIGHTS |
| Kris Barr, University of Strathclyde Stephanie Campbell, University of St Andrews Dr Luke Rhodes, University of St Andrews Dr Giulia Marcucci, University of Glasgow |
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| 15:00 | REFRESHMENT BREAK & POSTERS |
| 15:30 | KEYNOTE: RESEARCH HIGLIGHT, Prof Cait MacPhee, University of Edinburgh |
| 16:15 | FEEDBACK (via digital devices) |
| 16:20 | CLOSING ADDRESS, Prof Alan Miller, SUPA |
| 16:30 | NETWORKING RECEPTION |
In 2022 the Annual Gathering was held in person, at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, with the talks streamed online and recorded.
The 2021 Annual Gathering once again ran virtually, from 25-27 May 2021, with Keynote talks from Prof Sheila Rowan, Prof Heather Lewandowski and Prof Martin Dawson; theme Showcases of research highlights; and a social gathering in Gather, where participants could network, revisit the Showcase posters, and talk to the organisations and companies in our Exhibition area.
In 2020, the in-person Annual Gathering was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, a Virtual Gathering took place from 26-28 May 2020 online, featuring guest lectures and a Showcase of research activities.
The 2019 Annual Gathering was held on Weds 29 May at the Technology & Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, with about 300 participants for talks, posters and an exhibition of physics impact.
2018 Gathering
2017 Programme and report
2016 Programme
Careers Events
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Prior to 2020, SUPA held an in-person Careers Event in January. SUPA researchers, students and post-docs, heard from speakers with a range of careers, all having started with a PhD in physics. Participants could chat to each speaker, whether from academia, industry research, defence, journalism, non-research industry roles or the civil service. SUPA researchers also had the opportunity to get advice on their CV.
The last in-person Careers Event was held at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, on Tues 14 January 2020. In 2021, we moved our Careers support online, with a fortnight of one-to-one CV clinics, followed by a fortnight of daily lunchtime talks from our speakers, culminating in an afternoon of networking using the platform, Gather.
Since the 2021/22 academic year, we have moved to monthly lunchtime webinars. By spacing out the support, we aim to engage more students, and have more timely discussions around placement opportunities, linking up with the right organisations at the right time. Details of the upcoming webinars, and recordings of previous speakers are available on MySUPA through the course "Careers Online at Lunchtime".
SUSSP - Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics
The Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics hosts a residential physics training course every year. Information on the SUSSP schools can be found on their website.
Public Engagement Forum
In 2021 the SUPA community met online to showcase exemplars of public engagement activity across SUPA and Scottish Physics. SUPA provided the opportunity to hear from, and network with, the key science festivals and science centres across Scotland. Full details of the event are available on the Public Engagement Forum webpage.
SUPA Workshop on Infrared Technologies and Applications
The aim of this one day workshop at Heriot-Watt University was to have a set of speakers highlighting different aspects of technologies and applications in the near to mid-infrared spectral range and to then discuss, along with industrial representatives, possible future collaborations or joint grant funding projects with EU and UK programs.
Morning and afternoon sessions on the 6 December 2017 on research and applications were followed by networking and discussions. Programme