Postgraduate Research Conference 2019
At the end of June, 44 postgraduate (PGR) students gathered from around the world to attend the annual postgraduate conference hosted by Trinity and Bristol Baptist College.
From 19-21 June, the students presented research papers, met with their supervisors, and attended seminars that included ‘Academic Writing: A Practical Approach to Improving Your Writing’ with Trinity tutor Prof Steve Walton and ‘After the PhD’ with Director of Postgraduate Research Dr Justin Stratis. In the evenings, they enjoyed the option of pub nights out together and a farewell dinner on Friday night.
The week’s keynote speaker, Old Testament Professor Rev Dr Lissa Wray Beal from Providence Theological Seminary in Manitoba, Canada, spoke on ‘Foreign Gods, Foreign Lives, Foreign Land: Indictment and Repentance in Jeremiah 5’. At the end of the week, she shared these remarks about Trinity’s PGR programme: ‘The programme is clearly situated in the church’s grand tradition of scripture and prayer, with Christ at its centre. It provides a supportive community to recognise, enable, and affirm research strengths. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the conference. The faculty was welcoming, strong in their love of Christ, and clearly passionate about their vocations of theological education.‘
On Saturday, PGR students had the option to participate in a trip to the British Museum in London, where Prof Steve Walton led a tour through the museum’s ancient artefacts. Those students still in Bristol on Sunday joined together for an afternoon barbecue at Trinity.
‘The annual research conference has become one of the highlights of my year and a central part of my life as a student,’ says research student Michael Rhodes. ‘As a distance student, it has been an incredible gift to be able to return to Trinity each year to a community of fellow students and scholars genuinely invested in one another’s work. Doing research can be lonely, but the annual conference has been a tangible, experiential reminder that we work for the glory of God and as members of his body.’
The week’s paper prize was won by research student Allen Hill, who presented a paper on ‘The Implications of New Creation for a Christian Understanding of Time: Galatians 4:9-10’.
‘Once again, I am blown away by the quality and creativity of our students’ research,’ says Dr Stratis. ‘I am proud to be part of a faculty which invests so intentionally in students’ development as emerging scholars.’
