Christina Brennan

Christina talks about her postgraduate research placement with FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) Liverpool.

The placement

My placement at FACT provided a valuable opportunity for me to develop a series of events for young visitors to a cultural organisation based upon my research interests in science fiction.

Organising the series, called Science Fiction Films to Challenge the Future, challenged me to think about how I could present my research in a way which would encourage young people to talk and think about a range of contemporary themes in science fiction cinema (including climate change).

Applying for the placement was a rigorous process which enabled me to think about how my PhD project could support FACT's educational event designed to accompany their summer exhibition called The New Observatory.

What I took away from my placement

Through the placement, I was able to collaborate with cultural and arts professionals and develop my organisational and project management skills.

I found it particularly exciting to see how my research and teaching experience could be applied outside of the university environment.

PhD students often forget the unique skillset they can bring to organisations outside of HE and the placement - from approaching FACT to applying for funding and delivering the workshop series - encouraged me to broaden my ideas of a post-PhD career.

To round off my placement, I successfully applied to present at the poster exhibition hosted by the annual conference for the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

I presented and discussed my exceptionally useful experiences on the NWCDTP placement scheme and endorsed the scheme to representatives from other consortiums and universities.