Continuing its recent tradition, Queen Mary Centre for Undergraduate Research (QMCUR) participated in the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR), hosted by the University of Glasgow on 1st and 2nd April 2026.

The conference proved to be an exciting experience for the energised atmosphere typical of these events. The rich conference programme included outstanding keynote speakers, formative workshops, and a pleasant cultural visit to the Hunterian Museum.

A special mention must be given to the truly remarkable keynote presentation, 'Earthed. Neutral. Live: Folding the River of Research' by Prof Alison Phipps from the University of Glasgow, which explored the banality of evil and how it can be addressed epistemically and hermeneutically. Listening to this talk was an absolute privilege for all the lucky attendees; it was a rare educational message infused with intellectual depth and a highly refined sense of aesthetic morality. It should have been broadcast worldwide!

Subsequently, the conference showcased high-quality research and excellent presentations delivered by outstanding students from across the UK and several international institutions.

The QMCUR team presented four research projects out of the seven abstracts submitted and accepted, with some presenters unable to attend for personal reasons. The contributions included two oral presentations and two posters:

• Oral Presentation 1: “Seeing Through Touch: A Wearable Sensory Substitution System to Aid Navigation of the Visually Impaired”, presented by Bohdan Skulimovskyi (3rd Year Robotics Engineering), who is leading his team towards significant progress. His depth of knowledge and confident delivery were remarkable.
• Oral Presentation 2: “Miniaturising Pharma: Design and Early-Stage Development of 3D-Printed Microfluidic Lab-on-Chip Platforms”, presented by Rindhiya Shankhar (3rd Year Biomedical Engineering) supervised by Prof Julien Gautrot and Davide Carta, who handled a large audience and probing questions with impressive maturity, upholding her recent award at Posters in Parliament 2026.
• Poster 1: “Bioimpedance Measurements and Brain Tissue Phantoms for Cancer Neuroscience”, by Sheena Varghese (3rd Year Biomedical Engineering), supervised by Dr Chris Chapman, attracted considerable interest, prompting numerous questions driven by the audience’s interest on brain tumour detection.
• Poster 2: “Vision-Based Stiffness-Controllable Dynamic Range Force Sensor for Tissue Palpation”, by Hashir Hamid (3rd Year Computer Science) and Taima Holden (2nd Year Robotics Engineering), supervised by Dr Abu Bakar Dawood, presented new recent results that sparked insightful discussions on their significance and future directions.

The entire QMCUR team highlighted the excitement and memorable nature of their experience at the event.

The conference concluded with a pivotal moment for QMCUR: the official handover from the BCUR 2026 organising team to host the next edition at Queen Mary. This initiative received support from the Queen Mary Vice‑Principal for Education during the national bidding phase.

Planning for BCUR 2027 has now officially begun. The event will be hosted by QMCUR with the support of all its students, SEMS, the QM Events Team, the QM Marketing Team, other key figures from Queen Mary, and the advice of the BCUR National Executive Committee. Hosting this conference represents a significant legacy for undergraduate research and will enhance national and international visibility, not only for QMCUR and SEMS but for the entire university, in promoting research‑based education. QMCUR will strive to make it a memorable event for all participants.