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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

PROJECTS PORTFOLIO
October release

To apply as a Mentee of a Research Mentorship Project, visit our Mentee portal.

Research Mentorship Projects List

WORKING-CLASS POLITICS: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF 1960S BRITAIN 2

PROJECT TITLE 3

DOING RESEARCH IN A MULTIDISCIPLINARY SUBJECT (SUCH AS


CULTURAL DIPLOMACY) 4

POLICING AND CRIME PREVENTION IN SMART CITIES 5

EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF ECO-FRIENDLY IDENTITIES OF


EXTINCTION REBELLION ACTIVISTS AND GENERAL PUBLIC 7

LITERATURE REVIEW AND DATA ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE ON SELF-


HEALING INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS 9

DYNAMIC TEACHER-STUDENT MODEL FOR SEMI-SUPERVISED MACHINE


LEARNING OR AN ANALYSIS OF A NOVEL VISUAL ATTENTION MODEL FOR
COMPUTER VISION 11

PROJECT-BASED RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT 12

NON-LINEAR URBAN DYNAMICS: A QUANTITATIVE EXPLORATION INTO


THE IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT ON URBAN GROWTH 14

EXTRATERRESTRIAL RELATIONS: EXPLORING THE MEANING OF BEYOND


EARTH HUMAN HABITATION 16

DEVELOPING A SEGMENTATION PIPELINE TO CHARACTERISE AND


QUANTIFY RADIOMIC FEATURES OF NSCLC CT SCANS 17

ANDREW KNIGHT PROJECT TITLE 19

NAIF RASHED ALREHAILI PROJECT TITLE 20


RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

LEARNING HOW TO READ SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES CRITICALLY 21

Working-class politics: a social history of 1960s


Britain

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Alex Hill
History Department
PhD

10 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I'm interested in people's popular politics, and the way in which this intersects with their
racial, gender and class identities. I completed an MPhil at Cambridge Uni, investigating
Thatcher's trade union reforms.
My PhD investigates the popular politics of the future in Britain from 1956 to 1985. I want to
understand what kind of futures post-war Britons imagined, ranging from the bleak to the
beautiful. The bulk of my source material comes from sociological interview transcripts.
These sources give an unrivalled opportunity to investigate the ways in which 'ordinary'
Britons discussed their politics. They are a fascinating source base for anyone with a passion
for social history.

THE MENTORSHIP
I want to run an investigation into some interview notes with working-class Britons from
1958. The interviewees were quizzed on their politics. Our weekly meetings will first
examine the way that historians have worked with this kind of source material in the past. In
later weeks, we will turn to the interview transcripts themselves and try to understand the
dynamics at play. This project is an exciting opportunity to work on a specific source base,
developing insights into post-war British politics.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Mentees should be studying towards a degree in history.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
The mentee will be expected to complete roughly 2 hours of reading per week, in
preparation for a 1 hour discussion.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


This project would be excellent preparation for a historian who is beginning to think about
their undergraduate dissertation. They will be given guidance on working with source
material and preparing research questions.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Project Title

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Cassie Zhang
Institute of Education
PhD, Education, Practice and Society

4 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I am a third year PhD candidate at UCL Institute of Education. Before pursing my PhD study,
I received LLM in international business law where I received the Certificate of Academic
Standing issued by the Bar Standards Board. I am a conference committee member of the
Chinese Educational Research Association (CERA). I have work experience in Marketing
Communications and Social Media Management. My current PhD research examines the
emergence, evolution and institutionalisation of Chinese Education Recruitment
Consultancies. Due to my multidisciplinary education background and working experience, I
am particularly interested in mixed methods and interdisciplinary social science research. I
presented my research in several seminars, with audiences including representatives of the
Normal East China University; the Chinese Embassy in London.

THE MENTORSHIP
Lectures about doing literature review, about data analysis. doesn’t say what the
mentorship is about.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
I'd like my mentees have basic skills in quantitative research methods.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Apart from the academic activities, a student mentor is also to provide advice and guidance
to students living in the London a wide range of issues related to shared living and
accommodation, academic and learning, financial and general wellbeing when living and
studying in the London.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


The benefit of participating in my project is gaining both quantitative and qualitative
research methods.
Doing Research in a Multidisciplinary
Subject (such as cultural diplomacy)

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Firdevs Bulut
Center for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry
European Studies

12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I am a final year PhD student at European Studies. I am working on the concept of cultural
diplomacy, focusing on the UK and Germany's cultural policies in the 21st century. I am
looking at the British Council and Goethe Institute's cultural diplomacy policies, and how
these institutions transform government advice into arts and culture programs.

THE MENTORSHIP
The mentorship is mostly about social science research, and it will offer guidance for
mentees as to how to create their own research processes. I will mostly give examples from
my own research area (European Studies) but I will try and accommodate their needs.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Students of social sciences, preferably working on qualitative research are welcome. Apart
from my own department I can be of help to Translation, Literature students because I have
background in both.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Mentees should engage in data collection, literature review, critical and discourse analysis.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


My mentees will learn research skills in diverse and multidisciplinary subjects of social
sciences.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Policing and Crime Prevention in Smart Cities


Julian Laufs
Department of Security and Crime Science
PhD in Security and Crime Science

10 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I hold a BA in International Relations from Malmö University in Sweden and an MSc in
Countering Organised Crime and Terrorism from UCL. Between my studies I worked in the
German Embassy in Washington D.C. as well as the Delegation of the European Union to
Uganda. My research interests include smart cities, future crime, police demand, and
policing during pandemics such as COVID-19.
My main project focusses on the social acceptability of smart surveillance technologies for
crime prevention in the future. In addition, I am working on a number of other projects,
including one on policing during pandemics and one on ethics and smart surveillance.

THE MENTORSHIP
If you become a mentee on this project, you will work closely with me on either of the
above-mentioned projects. Details of this can be discussed.
Mentorship will include several (virtual) meetings with me and the team, data analysis
(don't worry, everything you need to know will be explained to you), as well as other tasks.
Depending on your level of commitment, you may be able to help us with publishing some
results of the studies. Other tasks can be discussed and depend on the level of involvement
and skill of the individual mentee.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
 A strong command of the English language is required.
 Interest in crime and crime prevention, surveillance, and related fields.
 German language skills are a plus but not required.
 Studying towards a social science degree may be beneficial but not required.
 Previous experience in quantitative or qualitative research is a plus.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
 Data analysis.
 Literature review.
 Other tasks to be decided ad-hoc and to be discussed.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


 You will get insights into some very interesting and timely research in the field of Crime
Science.
 You will gain new research skills.
 Work with leading researchers in the field of Crime Science and make valuable contacts
for the future.
 Depending on your level of involvement and skill, you may co-author a publication.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Exploring Psychological Drivers of Eco-Friendly Identities of


Extinction Rebellion activists and General Public
Laura Zaikauskaite
Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology
PhD in Psychology

11 weeks

10 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


 3rd year PhD Psychology student; MSc Industrial, Business and Organisational
Psychology Demonstrator; PGTA for 2 BASc modules (eco-sociology).
 Research focused on the psychology & cognitive neuroscience of eco-(un)friendly
behaviours.
 Interdisciplinary methods: qualitative, quantitative, EEG, fMRI.

THE MENTORSHIP
The project that we will be working on is set to explore the social identities related to
environment-friendly behaviours and pro-environmental consumption. The study aims to
better understand the psychology of eco-behaviours, and why people might interpret the
same environment-related information in a different manner. Our target audience is
Extinction Rebellion activists and the general Public, and we will be using semi-qualitative
approach to overcome biases that people might have when interviewed on eco-friendly
behaviours. We will be using interviews, followed by a Q-sorts methodology which provides
a subtle access to a range of attitudes that people hold towards eco-(un)friendly actions.
We will go through the research project from start to finish. The meetings will include all the
information necessary to complete the research project and/or address issues at hand.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Interest in:
 Exploring the psychology of eco-friendly behaviours.
 Qualitative methodologies and willingness to collect interview and Q-sorts data
according to given instructions.
 Learning data coding and analysis.
 Searching and reviewing relevant literature.
 Social science and figuring out the unknown.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
 Literature reviews.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

 Learning Qualitative (thematic analysis) & Q-sorts methodologies.


 Data collection
 Data analysis.
 Data interpretation.
 Learning the psychology of pro-environmental consumption.
 Learning to conduct social identity & attitude research.
 Searching for participants and running an experiment online with at least with 2
participants (materials will be given and the procedure will be explained).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


 Insights into the psychology of eco-friendly behaviours.
 Practice in building theoretical frameworks from existing literature.
 Research design, data collection, analysis & interpretation skills (Qualitative, Q-sorts).
 Hands on experience in running and handling the experiments.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Literature Review and Data Analysis of


Literature on Self-Healing Infrastructure
Systems

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Lauren McMillan
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
PhD in Anticipatory and Self-healing Infrastructure Systems

8-12 weeks (flexible)

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I'm a PhD student in the Infrastructure Systems Institute, with current research interests in
self-healing algorithms, resilience, and digital twins. I have an MEng in Civil Engineering, and
currently work as a TA in my department.
Infrastructure systems, which include energy, water, transport and telecommunications
networks, are vital to our societies. When there are failures, whether a burst pipe or a
landslide blocking transport, it's crucial we get systems running again as soon as possible.
My research focuses on building a model that can hopefully assist in anticipating when and
where failures might occur, before they happen, as well as helping the network to heal itself
in the smartest possible way. The effects of policy changes or low-carbon incentives could
also be modelled. This has potential use cases in urban planning, disaster management, and
decarbonisation initiatives.

THE MENTORSHIP
As my research is looking at all types of infrastructure systems, as well as self-healing
methods (including but not limited to algorithmic approaches), meetings would typically
involve a presentation on methods/challenges/examples for a particular sector (transport,
energy etc.) or existing work on resilience. A mentee might then be tasked with researching
a new approach (genetic algorithms, drones, machine learning etc.) and we would discuss
their findings. The project could also take a data analysis perspective, based on interest.
Data analysis methods would be introduced, for analysing results of a literature search. As
I'm at the literature review stage, your findings will shape the methods chosen for future
modelling.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
A STEM or geography background would be beneficial, particularly with an awareness of or
interest in algorithms. Some knowledge of data analysis tools would be helpful but is not
essential. Any experience with Gephi or similar visualisation tools would be a bonus, as
would any knowledge of bibliometric tools like Bibexcel or VOS viewer. This is not at all
essential, although a mentee for this task should have some confidence with data analysis,
and not be afraid of trying new software.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Primarily reviewing literature, with the potential for data analysis. Data analysis would be in
the context of a literature search, e.g. co-citation analysis, clustering.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


Guidance in reviewing literature, covering how/where to search, document your search,
critically review and present findings, giving you more confidence in conducting your own
research. If desired, you would gain data analysis experience, helpful for academia and
industry. The chance to learn about emergent research in the field of infrastructure.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Dynamic Teacher-Student Model for Semi-


Supervised Machine Learning or An
Analysis of A Novel Visual Attention Model
for Computer Vision
Moucheng Xu
Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
PhD in Medical Imaging

8 weeks

3 mentees (flexible)

ABOUT THE MENTOR


My research interests are: artificial intelligence and its applications on healthcare; computer
vision; representation learning. I have publications at major computer vision, machine
learning and medical imaging conferences.

THE MENTORSHIP
AI-enabled medical imaging is the key to advance the future healthcare, especially for
computer-aided diagnosis. Currently, training an "AI doctor" has limitations such as not
enough available labelled data, high-quality labels, et al. The aim of the project is to tackle
one of those problems that current AI systems are struggling with. Mentees will be able to
choose between the two proposed projects in the title. The meetings will have: 1) literature
review and tutorials; 2) group discussion and presentation.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Self-motivated students are strongly encouraged to apply. Physical science students (e.g.
mechanical/biomedical/electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics and physics)
will be preferred. Students from other background will be considered, if strong
programming skill is demonstrated.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Programming, data visualisation, statistical analysis.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


Hands-on research experiences on the state-of-the-art of artificial intelligence; critical
thinking in research environment; potential publications at top international conferences.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Project-Based Research Development


Olushade (Shade) Adepeju-Joseph
The Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management
PhD, Project Management

12 weeks

6 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I have about two decades of combined experience in marketing and project management;
with exposure and competency in implementing technology strategy and governance. I am
hoping to explore the implication of trust governance on public policy in the planning and
development of smart cities. My doctoral research aims to respond to the need for a trust
governance framework in the planning of smart cities; focussing on the implication of such a
framework on public policy and urban planning strategy.

THE MENTORSHIP
 Bi-monthly workshops to teach critical thinking and communication.
 Monthly skill building group tasks to teach collaborative problem solving.
 Supporting mentees' learning in the development of sound research objectives through
comprehensive bi-monthly literature review tasks.
 Inspire and nurture mentees in the area of my study which is about public policy,
strategy and governance in the planning and development of smart cities.
 Have my mentees work as research assistants under a project shadowing scheme to
expand their horizon and competency outside their core areas of knowledge, such as in
project management, governance, and marketing.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
 An interest in project management.
 An interest in technology management or policy development.
 Skills in Public Policy; Cybersecurity; Infrastructural Financing; Urban Planning; Web
Programming; Graphics Design; Data Analysis/ Statistics.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Literature Review Exercises; Critical Thinking and Communication; Data Analysis;
Participation in Group Tasks; Graphic Design and Programming; Website Development;
Presentations of Audio and Video Content.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


 Mentees will learn new skills in collaborative, strategic and management thinking.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

 Mentees will utilise their core competency within assigned group tasks featuring real-
world cases, and receive certificates of proficiency upon completion.
 Mentees will receive recommendation needed to enrol in a desired project management
certification course, such as the project management professional (PMP) certification.
 Mentees will receive personalised mentoring in professionalism and leadership.
 Mentees will receive life-long learning techniques.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Non-linear Urban Dynamics: A


Quantitative Exploration Into the Impact
of Development on Urban Growth

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Sepehr Zhand
Bartlett School of Architecture
PhD Architectural Space & Computation

12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I have been trained as an architect and practiced as a designer and development planner. I
have also taught in Iran and the UK, and currently I am a PhD candidate at the Space Syntax
Laboratory, where I am using data science methods to understand how cities grow in an
unprecedented way. I am particularly interested in conducting research within domains that
are traditionally done through speculation and philosophization and bring about evidence-
based methods.
My research looks at the cities in the developing countries and tries to question whether the
development policies that are meant to improve the conditions of everyday lives are doing
so or not. In my research I would argue that most of the deterministic policies in this context
are failing and therefore cities grew in a way to resuscitate this condition.

THE MENTORSHIP
I am specifically interested to engage with individuals who seek to cross their discipline and
develop skills and knowledge in areas where they think is not present in their current field.
we will have weekly meetings to develop a coherent and mutually beneficial research
methodology, and evaluate it on a monthly basis. the evaluation of the method is in itself a
discussion session which can benefit the research. I will also guide on the evidence-based
methods and the efficient ways to reach results. the mentorship here is tailored on the basis
of the students knowledge and willingness to engage with a subject.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
A basic understanding of data methods would be ideal. What matters to me the most is to
engage with individuals who are willing devout a portion of their time to do a mutually
interesting project. I would like them to have some kind of idea on what they are interested
and are eager to share and learn their learnings. It would also be great for me to learn from
students of other disciplines, especially computational social sciences.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
I would expect engagement with the research and willingness to develop skills and learn
through doing in the field of spatial data analysis and GIS.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


A practice into spatial data analysis and its application into the wide range of practical
research.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Extraterrestrial Relations: Exploring


the Meaning of Beyond Earth
Human Habitation

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

William Stewart
Department of Geography
MPhil/PhD Human Geography

8 weeks

1-3 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I am interested in political geography and my background and experience is related to this. I
am probably one of the older PhD students (mid-30s) and have practical experience in the
field. My related interests are around popular culture--specifically sci-fi and fantasy--and
geography as well as outer space. My research explores the geopolitics of the ISS through
the use of assemblage and actor-network theories. I am interested in the blurring of
boundaries and cooperation that led to the creation and continued operation of the ISS.  I
aim to contribute to scholarship extending the remit of human and political geography
beyond the confines of the Earth.

THE MENTORSHIP
I have two things I hope to create: 1) my scholarly written work, and 2) a more public-facing
project that incorporates music, art, and/or non-academic writing (depending on the skillset
and interest of the mentee, of course). Our meetings will consist of an initial meeting to
discuss the goals of the mentee and what they hope to achieve through this experience.
From there, we will develop a plan to achieve those goals and discuss a tangible product we
hope to create as a result of the mentorship. We will the develop a plan of action and
achieve great things! (Or at least have fun).

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Passion; self-direction; interest in the ISS or outer space.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
This is for you! We are creating something together but it is dependent on you to know
what inspires and drives you to engage with this area of research. We will harness and
develop your skills.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


You will get to create something! We will learn together. We will contribute to a growing
body of work at UCL that explores the ISS in new and exciting ways.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Developing a Segmentation Pipeline to Characterise and


Quantify Radiomic Features of NSCLC CT Scans
Zihao Fang
Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
Mphil/Dphil Medical Physics and Bioengineering

9 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I have gained both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Medical Physics at UCL prior
to the start of my PhD study, with 3 years’ experiences in healthcare industry and research
institution. My current research at UCL focuses on establishing an automatic segmentation
pipeline to uncover radiomic biomarkers of NSCLC cancer.

THE MENTORSHIP
The aim of this project is to characterise and quantify radiomic features of non-small cell
lung cancer (NSCLC) on CT scans. Mentees will have the opportunity to explore the use of
clinical data such as medical images and clinical reports, and gain a better understanding of
how to apply image processing and deep learning techniques to capture radiomics
information from the clinical dataset. Objectives of the project will involve literature review,
algorithm development, data analysis and co-authoring with peers/supervisors.
The mentorship will entail an hour of tutorial/meeting per week, and the mentee/s are
expected with an additional 1-hour commitment for reading and completing the assigned
research tasks. Questions outside of the meeting will be answered via email.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Mentees are expected to have a minimal knowledge in statistics/mathematics, a strong
interest toward writing/publishing. Experience with programming, especially
python/MATLAB is essential. Mentees with a STEM background and have experiences in
computer vision/artificial intelligence is preferred. Mentees will gain experience on
establishing an AI based image processing tool, and enhance skills in programming, data
analysis and data visualization. A piece of publishable writing will be achieved, with supports
provided.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
 Critically review relevant journals and conduct a meta-analysis based on the existing
works.
 Develop a pipeline that investigate the stability of features for reproducibility and
repeatability on the available data.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

 Establishing an analytical framework that captures the statistical relationship among


radiomic features.
 Final writing up, with support provided.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


Mentees will gain experience on establishing an AI based image processing tool, and
enhance skills in programming, data analysis and data visualization. A piece of publishable
writing will be achieved, with supports provided.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Andrew Knight Project Title

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Andrew Knight
Bartlett Development Planning Unit
PhD in Development Policy

8 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR


I am a professional aid worker with extensive experience in the Middle East, Africa and
Europe currently conducting a PhD on the local/humanitarian encounter in Lesvos, Greece.
With a background in international relations, I am interested in forced migration,
humanitarian studies, development studies, human geography and anthropology.
The aim of my research is to understand the encounter between (loosely-defined) ‘locals’
and ‘humanitarians’ in Lesvos, Greece. As these actors live, work, consume and interact with
and alongside each other, this research applies an actor-oriented approach and an
ethnographic methodological framework to understanding the changing relationships and
socioeconomic dynamics that emerge from this encounter. The findings will be of interest to
scholars in forced migrations studies, humanitarian studies and area studies, and of benefit
policymakers, practitioners and displaced populations through its direct and indirect bearing
upon humanitarian practice.

THE MENTORSHIP
Meetings will consist of discussions of methodologies, data analysis and literature,
presentations and feedback (yours and mine), and will provide specific space for mentee-
specific interests.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Research skills. An interest in critical race studies or Greek language skills would be useful
although certainly not pre-requisites.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Data collection and/or preliminary analysis and/or literature review (depending on interest
and skills of mentee).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


Gaining tangible work experience and insights on an exciting research project with a
researcher/humanitarian professional; additional support for your own studies where
appropriate.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Naif Rashed Alrehaili Project title


Naif Rashed Alrehaili  missing research interests
Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction
Ph.D in Risk and Disaster Reduction

12 weeks

3 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


My research interests are strategic planning, crisis disaster management, emergency
management, and emergency planning. I obtained two master's degrees, one in education
and the other in crisis and disaster management.

THE MENTORSHIP
The Role of Strategic Planning for Disaster Management in Service Sectors. The main aim of
the research is to present a model for strategic planning for disaster management within the
organizational structure of General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Mainly, literature review.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


You will learn about steps, methods, and approaches, of academic research.

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Learning How to Read Scientific Articles Critically

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Virginia Rutten
Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit
PhD in Computational and Experimental Neuroscience

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RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

4 weeks

1 - 2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR


Hi. I’m a third year PhD student in computational and experimental neuroscience. I began as
a medical student; after preclinical school I switched to engineer to gain the analytical skills I
felt I lacked at the time. I love getting to understand things at a deeper level - “opening black
boxes”.
My main research focuses on understanding gut-brain interactions. In parallel to this I work
on developing bayesian analysis methods for data modelling. My latest projects focuses on
leveraging the fact that most of our behaviours are non-time reversible, and using this
statistical property as metric to guide data compressing (dimensionality reduction) in order
to retain behaviourally relevant information.

THE MENTORSHIP
Learning how to read, scrutinise and question scientific papers is a skill that I feel is under-
appreciated and yet so key to becoming a good scientist. The mentorship would involve a
guided literature review on a topic surrounding gut-brain interactions. A few papers will be
covered in depth (covering experimental methods and data analysis/stats) in what should
be an intellectually challenging and fun way.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Inquisitive mind! Some background in the natural sciences.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Literature review, potentially some data analysis (depending on interest of student/specific
subject selected).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?


Develop a critical frame of mind when interrogating papers. Be challenged to go further in
your understanding in a fun and interactive way (and learn some cool things about how our
body works along the way).

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