NRPDTP 2023 Summer Conference

On Thursday 15th June the NRPDTP doctoral candidates came together for the annual Summer Conference held in the JIC Conference Centre at the Norwich Research Park. The audience of about 160 included NRPDTP students Collaborative Training Partnership students and others affiliated to the programme. Representatives from UKRI-BBSRC, the NRPDTP Management Board and our External Review Panel also attended.

The topic of the conference was Bioscience for Renewable Resources and Clean Growth, and the day involved scientific talks by experts on: Precision fermentation as an approach to fixing our broken food chain (Dr Kate Royal, Better Dairy); Unlocking biodiversity for a safer and greener world (Dr Sibyl Baty, BactoBio); Steps towards bioproduction of high-value chemicals from the sea (Prof Jonathan Todd, The University of East Anglia); Phage-based biopurification of wastewater in low-middle income countries (Dr Hannah Pye, Quadram Institute); and Policy for net zero in the civil service (Dr Billy Aldridge, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero).

The afternoon included a workshop on ‘Policy and Strategy’ where students were tasked with creating a policy engagement plan for a fictional organisation.

During the day there was the opportunity to network and view and vote for posters from the third-year cohort poster competition. The first prize went to Deirdre Lynch (JIC), second to Kayleigh Goddard (UEA) and third to Maria Ramos (QIB).

Professor Dave Evans, the Director of the DTP said “It was a fantastic day and a great opportunity for all NRPDTP students to come together. The programme, put together with a student organising committee from the third year, was extremely interesting and relevant in relation to the on-going climate emergency.”