Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, Professor Paulette Bynoe

The University of Guyana's School of Graduate Studies and Research (UGSGSR) will host its Fourth Graduate Research Symposium from September 30 to October 2, 2026, under the theme  "Resilience for the 21st Century: Navigating Complexity Through Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Collaboration."

The hybrid symposium will be held at the Ramada Princess Hotel in Guyana and is open to graduate students, researchers, and academics from Guyana and across the Caribbean. It offers emerging researchers a platform to present their work, engage with policymakers and industry stakeholders, and contribute to evidence-based solutions to some of today's most pressing challenges.

Hosted biennially by the UGSGSR, the symposium is designed to strengthen graduate research while fostering collaboration across disciplines.  

Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, Professor Paulette Bynoe, said the Graduate School was formally established in 2021 to oversee graduate programmes, promote excellence in research, and strengthen critical thinking skills across the University.  "We also promote research by encouraging our students to engage in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration to broaden the scope of their inquiry and produce very high-quality research," Professor Bynoe explained.  

"Over the past three or four years, we have been facilitating a number of graduate seminars for our students... We talk about the research process, qualitative methodology, mixed methodologies, research ethics, analysis of results, and writing abstracts. At the end of the day, we try to build the capacity of all graduate students," she added.  

The School conducts seminars regularly to complement, rather than replace, the formal research courses offered within the University's faculties, Professor Bynoe noted. She further explained that they form part of the School's broader commitment to maintaining academic quality and supporting postgraduate success.

While attributing the genesis of the symposium to her predecessor, Professor Judith Rosales, Professor Bynoe reflected on the opportunity it has created for graduate students to showcase their research nationally, given the financial constraints of attending international conferences. Recognising that many students are unable to attend international conferences because of financial constraints, she added,  "We always say “charity begins at home, so why not start at home, at your own university?"

According to the UGSGSR Dean, this year's focus on resilience is deliberate and highly relevant given today's global environmental, social and developmental challenges.  "We selected this theme to ensure that all the academic units across the campus that offer graduate programmes can participate," she said.  Professor Bynoe further noted that climate change, biodiversity loss, flooding, drought and sustainable resource management all require integrated thinking across engineering, agriculture, health sciences, social sciences, governance and many other fields. The symposium therefore seeks to encourage multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration, and to demonstrate how research can inform practical solutions.

The symposium's broad thematic focus allows participation from graduate students across numerous disciplines. According to the call for abstracts, sub-themes include:

· Knowledge, Culture and Creative Expression in Building Resilient Societies;

· Human Health, Well-being and Systems of Care in a Changing World;

· Engineering, Technology and Digital Innovation for Resilient Infrastructure and Futures;

· Sustainable Food, Agriculture and Forest Systems for Climate-Resilient Development; and additional multidisciplinary areas aligned with resilience and sustainable development.

The programme will feature keynote presentations, expert panel discussions, graduate student research presentations and competitive three-minute and five-minute research presentations, providing participants with multiple opportunities to share ideas and engage with peers and experts. The symposium will accommodate approximately 150 in-person participants, while allowing significantly larger participation through its virtual platform.

Invitation was extended to students from regional institutions, including The University of the West Indies, the University of Belize, the University of Technology, Jamaica, and Anton de Kom University of Suriname, further strengthening the symposium's regional collaboration.

The invitation was also open to other researchers, professionals, and interested persons and closed on July 31 2026.

The symposium is supported by several organisations and partners, among them the Ministry of Natural Resources, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Conservation International, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), World Wildlife Fund Guiana Shield (WWF Guianas), and Mike's Pharmacy.

The University of Guyana, through its students, faculty and research institutes, has consistently produced path-breaking research which continues to add to the existing body of knowledge in various areas of academic research. To learn more about UG’s research, please visit:

https://researchandinnovation.uog.edu.gy/

Conference attendees are invited to register here: https://forms.gle/1xZKsEt4GumeSc5S7  

For more information on the conference please visit:  

https://sgsr.uog.edu.gy/graduate-research-symposium-2026