Welcome to the first IGNITE Cohort!
What a busy and exciting week for our brand new IGNITE Postgraduate Researchers. The IGNITE-specific induction kicked off on Monday, the 29th of September, with presentations from our Director of IGNITE, Professor Rachael James, the Doctoral Training Partnership Manager, Ru Prescott, the IGNITE Training Lead, Dr Hector Marin Moreno, and was rounded off by our IGNITE Placements Lead, Dr Ryan Reisinger. As well as providing students with necessary information about the programme, the IGNITE induction aimed to help our cohort get to know each other better.
After a brief break for lunch, the students took part in a relaxed board game social event along with afternoon tea. A particular highlight was the conclusion of an oceanic game of Finspan that lasted a solid 2 hours.
On Wednesday, the IGNITE researchers were invited on a tour of the Southampton waters aboard the Research Vessel Callista. The R.V. Callista is a purpose built fully operational research vessel owned by the University, and based at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton in Empress Dock. Gary Fisher, Kush Sharma, and Paul Shawyer did a fantastic job demonstrating the capabilities of the Callista and offering a guided tour of Southampton waters.
On Thursday, our Hosting Partner Representatives from the National Oceanography Centre, the Natural History Museum, the Marine Biological Association, and the British Antarctic Survey provided overviews of their organisations and the opportunities available through them. The Hosting Partner Representatives gave our IGNITE researchers an illuminating account of the history of these organisations, their current structure, research focuses, and plans for the future. A student-led team building day was planned in the afternoon and held at the Cowherds pub, which is situated on the edge of Southampton Common. Lunch and dinner was provided with students taking part in a range of fun collaborative games and activities.
Finally, the week was rounded off with a fun and engaging Escape Room experience at Locked in a Room, West Quay, on Friday 3 October 2025. This event was designed to help our first cohort of IGNITE Postgraduate Researchers to get to know each other in a relaxed, informal setting while working together to solve puzzles and escape the room! This event was also shared with the new cohort of Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships Programme for Interdisciplinary Resilience Studies students. Everyone seemed to have a fantastic time, and we can confirm that all our researchers safely escaped!
We plan to build on the success of this year’s Induction Week when we come to welcome Cohort 2 in 2026!