Year 3 CDT Students Pitch Impact Plans

This week, as part of their Year 3 training, CDT students took part in a session where they pitched their Impact Plan—a proposal outlining how they plan to turn their research into real-world public engagement or impact activities after completing their PhD. Each student had 5 minutes to present their ideas, followed by 5 minutes of questions and feedback from a panel of experts and fellow CDT students.

A diverse panel of assessors and mentors joined the session:
🔹 Alex Lang (CDT Co-Director)
🔹 James Goulding (Director of N/Lab, Nottingham University Business School)
🔹 Sarah Martindale (Assistant Professor of Digital Innovation in the Creative Industries, Faculty of Arts)
🔹 Adrian Hazzard (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering)

Students shared a wide range of innovative, creative and socially-driven proposals, including:

Angela Higgins – A healthcare robotics roadshow to help older adults better understand AI through interactive demos and community engagement.
Victor Ngo – A touring robotic art installation blending performance, technology, and STEAM education.
Hannah Heilbuth – Writing and pitching an article to raise public awareness of gaming-related harm and design ethics.
Favour Borokini – An immersive exhibition exploring identity through avatars and tech across global cultures.
Pavlos Panagiotidis – An interactive performance in a responsive, emotion-sensitive space exploring trauma and smart architecture.
Kuzi Makokoro – A book for new parents exploring how parenthood transforms daily life, behaviour, and consumer choices.
Violet Nguyen – A hands-on workshop using persona card decks to help policymakers design more inclusive, human-centred policy.
Gift Odoh – An interactive demo showcasing adaptive robotic assistance based on real-time operator workload, bridging research and industry.
Anjela Mikhaylova – Co-authoring a policy briefing with leading ethical tech groups to guide local councils and smart city planners on privacy-conscious design.

Many of our students are already thinking ahead to post-PhD projects and have expressed interest in applying for the Horizon CDT Impact Grant, which supports larger-scale impact or knowledge exchange activities in their final year or post-submission. We’re excited to see these plans take shape and be put into practice!