Operations and Supply Chain Management PhD students bag Fenwall Prizes in PGR Awards 2024

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Postgraduate research students Busra Bayrak and Louise Postema from the Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) Group each bagged The Fenwall Prize, the top award in this year’s University of Liverpool Management School PhD Conference held on Wednesday, 17 July.

Sponsored by the University of Liverpool Alumni, late Dr Andrew Douglas, The Fenwall Prize of £1,000 is an annual award presented to one or two outstanding first-year doctoral students.

Busra’s recognition comes after the successful publication of her paper, "Diffusion Control in Closed-Loop Supply Chains: Successive Product Generations", in the ABS 3-rated journal, International Journal of Production Economics – a remarkable achievement for a first-year student.

Busra also received commendations for her work as a student helper at the PhD Summer School on OSCM.

Reflecting on her win, Busra said: "Receiving this prize inspires me to strive for greater contributions to my field of research throughout my PhD journey."

"I am very grateful for this support, which will undoubtedly enhance my ability to fully engage in my studies.”

Also significantly boosting the University and School’s research reputation, Louise earned international visibility and impact in her first year after being invited to speak at the 2023 United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai for her contribution to the "Bundling Private Sector Innovation and Climate Action, Together" event.

"Being awarded the Fenwall Prize is a great honour and it's energising to get appreciated and noticed as a first-year student," said Louise.

"I am currently preparing to undertake fieldwork in Africa as the next stage of my research, and this prize plays an important role in enabling me to make the most out of that.

"For this, I am very grateful."

ULMS PGR Awards 2024

Alongside The Fenwall Prize, ten other PhD students who demonstrated research excellence and notable contributions to their respective fields were also awarded the ULMS PGR Awards 2023-2024:

"I am incredibly proud of our PhD students' hard work and achievements this past academic year," said Director of Postgraduate Research Programmes, Professor Nick Papageorgiadis.

"We've seen a record number of students presenting their papers at top conferences and publishing co-authored papers with supervisors in world-leading international journals.

"Many of our students have also made significant contributions to the broader research community at the School, University, nationally, and internationally.

"Their success in publishing, participating in conferences, and contributing to research highlights the vibrant academic environment we strive to create at University of Liverpool Management School (ULMS)."

The doctoral awards ceremony is part of the half-day ULMS PhD Conference 2024 which addressed the challenges of the peer-review process in top journals.

The sessions provided ULMS PhD students with an in-depth exploration and valuable insights into the peer-review process, enhancing their ability to work with supervisors and successfully navigate academic publishing.

"This year's annual ULMS PhD conference offered our students a valuable opportunity to understand the peer-review process from the perspectives of editors, reviewers and authors," said Nick.

"Over 50 PhD students attended sessions where ULMS colleagues, experienced as editors of top journals, and those who have successfully navigated peer reviews as reviewers and authors, shared their insights.

"These sessions provided essential knowledge to help our students engage more effectively with peer reviews and succeed in their research and publication efforts."