Designed to foster academic excellence, collaboration, and professional development, the festival brought together PhD students in finance, accounting, management, marketing, and economics.

Attendees came from universities across the North East and beyond, including Newcastle, Northumbria, Durham, Teesside, Nottingham Trent, and York.

The event also welcomed faculty members and Master’s students, creating a vibrant environment for research exchange, career development, and networking.

Research, networking and professional development

This year's festival featured a diverse programme of activities, including:

• a keynote address by Professor Savvas Papagiannidis, Professor of Information Systems, Digital Innovation and Transformation at the Business School, who talked about AI and interdisciplinary collaboration
• "The Research Edge: PhD and Job Market Paper" session, which showcased cutting-edge research from PhD students
• a panel discussion titled "Future Ready: Jobs in the UK". Chaired by Dr Linda Song, the session offered practical career insights from Business School colleagues Tracey Wilson, Dr Ian Gregory-Smith, and Dr Mamiza Haq
• "NextGen Scholars Connect", which provided structured networking opportunities over lunch
• a session by Dr Mamiza Haq, Lecture in Finance, titled "Making Your Research Heard: Pitching for Academic Conversations", which focused on effective research communication
• a roundtable discussion called PhD Applications and the Journey, where doctoral students from different universities shared their experiences and advice. The session also gave Master’s students valuable first-hand insight into the PhD application process and doctoral life 

By bringing together current doctoral researchers, prospective PhD applicants, faculty members, and Master’s students, the festival created valuable opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and peer learning.

Participants exchanged ideas, expanded their professional networks, and strengthened connections across institutions, further reinforcing the festival's role as a growing hub for the region and wider PhD research community. 

Building a supportive research community

Dr Vu Trinh, Conference Chair, and Research and Impact Lead for Finance at Newcastle University Business School, said: "The second PhD Finance Research Festival has exceeded our expectations, both in terms of participation and the quality of engagement. 

"It was especially rewarding to welcome PhD students from universities across the UK, creating a vibrant and supportive environment where early career researchers could exchange ideas, receive valuable feedback, and build lasting academic connections. This festival reflects our commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative research community that supports doctoral researchers at every stage of their journey.”  

Speaking on their experience of the festival, Nishan Mallikarachchi, a PhD student in Accounting and Financial Management at Northumbria University said: "Participating in the second PhD Finance Research Festival 2026 was one of the most rewarding experiences of my doctoral journey so far.

"Presenting my working paper on asset-level physical climate risk estimation to a room of engaged academics and fellow researchers gave me a level of feedback and intellectual challenge that genuinely sharpened my thinking and strengthened the direction of my work.

"The festival struck exactly the right balance between academic rigour and a warm, supportive atmosphere. The roundtable discussions, networking over lunch, and the job market panel were equally valuable, offering a broader view of what a career in research and academia can look like.

"I will absolutely look forward to participating again in 2027, and I would encourage any PhD student in the North East to attend. It is a genuinely unique platform that not only showcases research, it builds a community."