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The PhD Common Room · Summer 2026

The Summer Showcase

An opportunity for members of the PhD Common Room to create and share a short video about your research. You sign up, join a workshop, record a short video of yourself explaining what you do and why it matters, and share it with the community.

There is no judging and no prizes. This is about recognising the quality and range of work happening across our community, and practising one of the most useful skills you can develop as a researcher: explaining your work clearly to people outside your field.

Apply to take part
Places are limited. Open to PhD Common Room members.
How it works

Four steps, one summer

Live now
Sign up
Register your interest via the form below. Once you sign up, we will share more details and next steps.
21 July · 12:00 - 1:30pm
Workshop: How to summarise your research
Max will walk you through how to explain your research clearly and accessibly. Bring your questions.
14 August
Submission deadline
Record and submit your video. It does not need to be polished or professionally produced. It just needs to be clear. If you would like feedback before you submit, book an office hours slot with Max.
26 August · 12:00pm
The Summer Showcase
A Common Room hour to showcase the videos and celebrate the work being done across our community.

Why take part?

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Practise a skill you will use everywhere

Explaining your research clearly, without jargon, to people outside your field. It comes up in job interviews, funding applications, conferences, and over dinner with family. You rarely get the chance to practise it in a low-stakes, supportive environment.

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Work out what matters most

Having to distil your research into a few minutes forces you to decide what you really want people to know. What findings do you want to share? What questions do you want to raise? This can be useful for your writing, too.

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Hear what everyone else is working on

If previous community events are anything to go by, this tends to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole process. You are all doing things nobody has done before, and together you are contributing to our collective knowledge.

What to expect

You sign up, join a workshop where Max will walk you through how to summarise your research clearly and accessibly, and then you record a short video. Just you, speaking to camera, explaining what you do and why it matters.

It does not need to be polished or professionally produced. It just needs to be clear. And it does not need to be a big time commitment. You know your research, and many of you will have presented it before. The workshop will answer your questions, and if you would like some feedback before you submit, you can book an office hours slot with Max.

As videos come in over the summer, they will be made available to the community. Then, at the end of August, we will hold a Common Room hour to showcase the work.

Questions you might have

Is this a competition? ▼
No. There is no judging and no prizes. The aim is to recognise the quality and range of work being done across the community, and to give you a chance to practise explaining your research clearly.
Does my video need to be professionally produced? ▼
No. Just you, speaking to camera, explaining what you do and why it matters. Clear is what counts, not polished. Your phone camera is fine.
Can I get feedback before I submit? ▼
Yes. You can book an office hours slot with Max to get feedback on your video before the 14 August deadline.
How long should the video be? ▼
A few minutes. Full details will be shared once you register your interest. The workshop on 21 July will cover exactly what to aim for.
Do I need to attend the workshop? ▼
The workshop on 21 July is there to help you prepare. Max will walk you through how to summarise your research and answer your questions. We recommend attending, but more details will follow once you sign up.
Who can take part? ▼
The Summer Showcase is open to members of the PhD Common Room. Places are limited. Register your interest via the form and we will share next steps.

Share what you do and why it matters

Register your interest and we will send you everything you need to get started. Places are limited.

Apply to take part
Open to PhD Common Room members