Two students from Lancaster University’s STOR-i Doctoral Training Centre have showcased their work in the Houses of Parliament after reaching the final of a national competition.

Carla Pinkney and Matt Speers were selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide to reach the final of STEM for BRITAIN organised by the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee.

As part of the unique event, the students presented their research to expert judges and MPs. Carla and Matt were motivated to apply for STEM for BRITAIN due to the past success of other STOR-i students in the competition. Also underpinning this decision was the belief that their projects have the potential to have real relevance in their field of research.

Distinguished Professor Jonathan Tawn, Director of STOR-i, was enthusiastic about the student’s participation.

He said: “we are so proud of Carla and Matt for being selected to present their research at Parliament. It is an immense privilege to participate in this competition across all areas of STEM and over all universities in the UK. This is a great achievement to have two students from the STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training being awarded the opportunity. This selection recognises the high-quality research outputs of importance to society and the students’ ability to communicate their work to broad audiences.”

Carla’s research is in collaboration with STOR-i academic partner, University of Washington. Carla has been working on developing exciting new statistical methods to help us understand how large numbers of neurons in the brain interact.

Carla’s supervisors are Dr Alex Gibberd and Dr Carolina Euan.

Dr Alex Gibberd said: “Carla is a rare student who is both technically gifted and an excellent communicator. It was no surprise to us (as supervisors) that she was successful within the STEM for BRITAIN competition as she has already used her skills to help develop collaborations between statisticians and neuroscientists (working between the UK and US). Carla's participation in STEM for BRITAIN further demonstrates her eagerness to communicate her research to a broader, non-specialist audience.”

Matt’s supervisors are Distinguished Professor Jonathan Tawn, Professor Phil Jonathan and Dr David Randell from Shell. Matt’s work is in the face of increasing trends in extreme weather, which is an essential step in improving safety and reducing risk to the ocean environment.

Professor Phil Jonathan said: “it’s great that Matt got to the final of STEM for BRITAIN at the Houses of Parliament. From talking to Matt afterwards, he enjoyed being able to meet such a variety of people at the event, and being able to share his research in a very different environment! Really well done to both students for putting themselves out there and flying the flag for STEM.”

For both students, presenting their work to a much wider community was a new experience. The skills developed through this experience could have far-reaching effects that extend beyond their PhD.

Matt said: “Being selected to present my work at the STEM for Britain final has been a major highlight of my PhD so far and I am very proud to have been involved with the event. It was a privilege to be able share my ideas with the MPs and scientific experts who attended and I greatly appreciate all of the interest I received. I also really enjoyed hearing the work of other early career researchers, and I am very grateful to the committee for considering me alongside so many incredible finalists.”

Carla said: “I was delighted to have been selected as a STEM for Britain finalist. I feel really lucky to have been given the opportunity to present and discuss my research with expert judges and Members of Parliament. It was a great experience, and a highlight of my PhD journey so far. I also enjoyed learning about the fascinating work of other early career researchers.”