PhD life can be isolating, particularly post Covid after a lot of people switched to working from home. You arrive, find your desk, say a polite “good morning” to the person in the kitchen, and that is often as far as it goes. Researchers from different groups share the same floor for years without ever learning each other’s names, let alone discovering that they have overlapping interests.
Melissa Yeo, PGR student coordinator in EECS, noticed this. When students were stressed, she would take them for a walk around the local parks to talk things through. This led on to something more formal, the Walk and Talk initiative, a weekly programme of activities designed to connect PhD students, research associates, and staff across the school.
Since launching in November 2024, the initiative has run more than 20 weekly sessions, visiting parks, museums, and green spaces around the Mile End campus, including Stepney City Farm and Mile End Stadium. It is now coordinated by a committee currently led by Madhumitha Krishnakumar and Zhansaya Amangeldiyeva, with past contributions from Sofia Zahri, Yuli Sutoto Nugroho, and Dan Gill.
Walk and Talk
Every Friday at noon, participants set off from the QMUL Graduate Centre for an hour-long walk. The route varies, but the purpose does not: get away from your screen, move around, and actually talk to colleagues from other groups. It is a genuinely refreshing way to cross the invisible walls between research communities, and more than one collaboration has reportedly started on a pavement somewhere near Mile End.
Eat and Talk
Every Monday from 1 to 2pm, researchers bring their lunch and eat together mainly in the kitchens in Peter Landin. The premise is simple, communal eating is one of the oldest forms of community building, and this puts it back on the calendar.
Inter-Group Presentation Workshop
A voluntary session where students from different research groups come together to practice presentations in a friendly, constructive environment. Whether you are preparing for your viva, an important conference, or simply want feedback before a group meeting, this is a low-stakes rehearsal space with an unusually broad audience. Hearing how people from other specialisms respond to your work is genuinely useful.
Paint and Talk
Proposed by committee member Zhansaya Amangeldiyeva, Paint and Talk is a relaxed evening of creativity and conversation. No artistic talent required. Participants get creative with paint while chatting away in good company. It is a welcome change of gear from the usual seminar format.
Communal Jigsaw
Originally encouraged by Prof. Paul Curzon, a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle lives permanently in the Peter Landin 4th floor kitchen and in the Engineering block second floor kitchen. Drop by, work on a section, chat to whoever is there, and leave. It is a low-pressure, surprisingly sociable way to take a five-minute break, and the puzzle slowly gets done.
Basketball
The EECS basketball team meets on Tuesdays. Competitive players and complete beginners are both welcome. It is good exercise, good fun, and a reliable way to get to know people outside your immediate research circle.
Board Games
Occasional board game sessions offer another relaxed social setting, bringing together people who might never otherwise share an evening.
Hiking
Led by Yuli Sutoto Nugroho, hiking trips take the group to some of the best walking spots around the UK. A step up in ambition from the Friday lunchtime walks, these longer outings are a fine way to see the country while getting to know people properly.
Writing Up Surgery with Prof. Mark Sandler
Running monthly, this drop-in session with Prof. Mark Sandler is aimed at PhD students approaching the writing stage. This aims to give advice and help to PhD students intimidated with the task of turning their research into a finished thesis.