In this blog, we hear from Dina, a second-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Education, School of Chemistry, who won the best short talk at the BEAR conference 2026. Dina, conducted research that intersects chemistry education, technology, and ethnochemistry. Ethnochemistry is a multidisciplinary field that explores the relationship between chemistry and the traditional wisdom, practices, and … Continue reading “Using AI to Bring Indigenous Storytelling Character Figures into Chemistry Education”
Category: BEAR Conference
Learning from Nature: Using HPC to Design Efficient Jet Propulsion
In this case study, we hear from Yukesh Karki, a doctoral student from Aerospace Engineering in the School of Metallurgy and Materials, who used BlueBEAR to identify the optimal three-dimensional nozzle geometry for hydrodynamic jet propulsion. He is also the winner of ‘best talk’ at the BEAR Conference 2026. Nature has already evolved highly efficient methods … Continue reading “Learning from Nature: Using HPC to Design Efficient Jet Propulsion “
Bio-inspired FSI and HPC-driven aerodynamic optimisation
In this case study we hear from Hibah Saddal, a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering, who is using BlueBEAR to optimise aerodynamic performance. At the 14th BEAR Conference 2025, I had the opportunity to present my research carried out with my PhD advisor, Dr Chandan Bose, on bio-inspired fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems, where we leveraged … Continue reading “Bio-inspired FSI and HPC-driven aerodynamic optimisation”
Do restaurants care about consumers’ ratings?
In this case study we talk to Zhuangchen Wu, a final year PhD student in Economics, he is also the winner of the best presentation at the BEAR Conference 2025. Zhuangchen is investigating customer anger and consumer ratings. Consumer anger or fair pricing theory (Rotemberg 2005, 2011) proposes that firms have stable prices because they … Continue reading “Do restaurants care about consumers’ ratings?”
Reflections from the BEAR Conference 2025
The 14th annual BEAR Conference, a vibrant event organised by postgraduates for postgraduates, took place on 22 May 2025 at the Alan Walters Building—and what a fantastic day it was! With 55 attendees, the conference was packed with insightful talks, lively discussions, and a strong sense of community. Dietmar Heinke, Chair of the BEAR User … Continue reading “Reflections from the BEAR Conference 2025”
BEAR PGR/ECR Conference opportunity 2025
We are starting to plan for the 14th BEAR conference – an event originally created to give PhD students experience in running a conference, as well as provide a showcase for the fantastic research done on services provided by Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR). With previous support from the Graduate School and our suppliers, … Continue reading “BEAR PGR/ECR Conference opportunity 2025”
Reflecting on the 13th Annual BEAR Conference 2024
The following blog post has been written by Dr. Josephine Bates, who shares her thoughts on the BEAR Conference 2024. From the 23 to 24 April, 2024, the 13th annual BEAR (Birmingham Environment for Academic Research) Conference took place in the Chemical Engineering building at the University of Birmingham. The conference revolved around High-Performance Computing … Continue reading “Reflecting on the 13th Annual BEAR Conference 2024”
BEAR Conference 2024 Agenda
If you want to attend the BEAR Conference 2024, then please register via the BEAR Conference web page. Day 1 – Tuesday 23rd April Time Speaker Title 09:30 Coffees, Networking and Posters (Atrium) 10:00 Day 1 Welcome (G35) 10:10 Carol Sandys Head of ARC BEAR State of the Union 10:30 Keynote: Neil Ashton How HPC, … Continue reading “BEAR Conference 2024 Agenda”
BEAR PGR Conference 2023
Over two days in April (19-20), BEAR users came together to meet and hear about the fascinating research that Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) and academic staff are undertaking on the University’s supercomputer, BlueBEAR. The BEAR PGR Conference is an annual event where we give PGRs an opportunity to get experience in running a conference, gaining skills … Continue reading “BEAR PGR Conference 2023”
BEAR PGR/ECR conference opportunity
The BEAR conference has now been running for over 10 years and was originally created to give PhD students experience in running a conference, as well as provide a showcase for the fantastic research done on BEAR. With previous support from the Graduate School and our suppliers, we have been able to provide catering as … Continue reading “BEAR PGR/ECR conference opportunity”