Conferences
Conferences are a great opportunity to stay up-to-date with current research, present your latest research, and meet new collaborators from other research groups. As a PhD student or post-doc, you're expected to attend at least 3 conferences or workshops a year. If you're a first-year PhD student then you're not expected to present. More experienced students or postdocs should apply for a poster or an oral presentation. If you find a conference that looks relevant to your research, email Alex with details of why you'd like to attend. Alex will also suggest potential conferences throughout the year.
Once you've identified a conference and discussed it with Alex, remember to register as soon as possible. Most conferences have limitations on the maximum number of attendees and offer discounts for early registration. Also, pay attention to the deadline for poster and oral abstract submission so you don't leave it too late. Discuss your abstracts with Alex before submitting them. Don't wait until the last day, plan your trip in advance, and book accommodation and tickets as necessary.
Expense Claims
Fill out the Expense Claim form. Ask Alex for the account code (cost centre and activity/project number). Both you and Alex need to sign the form. When everything is done, send the form to Ajimal, Perminder and CC Ganose, Alexander M. Make sure you collect the receipts for each of these and then email them along with the spreadsheet.
The following are items that can be expensed:
- Conference registration fee
- Accommodation
- Subsistence (meals)
- Transport costs: trains, underground, buses, flights, etc
Make sure you follow Imperial's guidance for expense claims which details the maximum price of meals and hotels.
Abstract submission
The deadline for submitting the abstract to a conference is usually several weeks before the registration closure time. Please check in advance and keep in mind to submit the abstract for an oral presentation or poster in time. The abstract review process might take several weeks before the result is announced. Those abstracts that fail to be selected as an oral presentation will normally turn into a poster by the end. In this case, we would suggest everyone try to go for a talk, but remember, you do not need to submit for both a presentation and a poster.
Examples of previous abstracts could be found in the Group Ondrive. Ask PhDs in the group for some suggestions would also be a possible way to get some feedback on your abstract content and wording.
Poster Printing
Before you proceed to the actual poster printing procedure, please double-check the following two things:
- Did you receive the confirmation from the conference organiser?
- What is the size requirement? A0 or A1?
If you answer "yes!" for the above two questions, congratulations! It's the time for your first poster!
Here we will provide two printing house for you to choose from, but also feel free to make your own choice. Remember to ask for the receipt for expense claim later.
The Printing Centre is a commercial printer site near UCl, 39 Store St, London WC1E 7DS. This could be your first choice if you prefer fabric posters. They offer A1 size fabric poster printing at £45 [updated at Nov 2023]. Send your poster in PDF format to the Printing Centre through email at least two days before your collection date.
This is the internal printing centre at South Kensington campus. Similarly, send your poster together with the requisition form (template found in Group Ondrive) through email to Paragon. The poster service takes 24 hours from when they receive your submission. They do have an express service which is usually within 4 hours, and this is an added £10.00 + VAT. Requests placed after 16:00 will require the express service if collection is required the following working day. If you require a poster tube, please note this in the special instructions section of the requisition form.
Opening Hours: 9:00am – 17:00pm, Monday – Friday
Collection Hours: 10:00am – 16:00pm, Monday – Friday