ATOD Celebrates Three Awards and Eleven Presentations at LUBS Doctoral Conference 2026
Researchers from ATOD made a strong showing at this year's LUBS Conference, delivering eight oral presentations and three poster presentations, with three of the event's major awards.
Mawaddah Ghazali received the PGR Best Paper Award for her presentation "When the Same Quote Means Different Things: Interpretation and Analytical Reasoning in Qualitative Research," which examined how different researchers can draw contrasting conclusions from identical qualitative data. Inge Giesolf was recognised with the PGR Teaching Assistant Award, reflecting her commitment to supporting undergraduate and postgraduate taught students alongside her doctoral research on digital literacy in smart cities. Professor Chee Yew Wong received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision, an honour that recognises his dedication to mentoring and developing the next generation of researchers.
The department's presentations spanned a wide range of topics, from AI-supported decision-making and digital workforce participation to migrant labour exploitation and organisational learning in the age of generative AI. Oral presentations were given by Mawaddah Ghazali, Anas Khitou, Wei Wen, Yao Wang, Ying Zhang, Inge Giesolf, Aritad Choicharoon, and Ahmad Alhamidi, while Ruofan Song, Feng Rui, and Gloria Wu presented posters.
"Seeing eleven of our PGRs present their work at this year's conference, really shows the breadth and depth of the research taking place across our department," said Dr Xingjie Wei, Director of Postgraduate Research for ATOD. "What makes days like this possible is the research culture we've built together. Our supervisors and colleagues don't just guide their own students; they turn up, ask questions, and support the whole PGR community. That kind of environment is what helps our researchers develop the confidence and skills to share their work on wider stages."
The annual Doctoral Conference, organised by the LUBS Graduate School, brings together postgraduate researchers from across the Business School's departments to present their work, exchange ideas, and build connections across disciplinary boundaries.
