Celebrating Student Achievement Through the Wartski Overseas Travel Award in 2025

Harry Searle‑Webb, a Masters by Research (MScRes) student in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, has completed a successful field season in Malaysian Borneo thanks to support from the Wartski Overseas Travel Grant. Harry, who previously completed his BSc in Zoology with Herpetology at Bangor, has a long‑standing passion for reptiles and amphibians and a growing commitment to conservation research.

The bursary enabled Harry to undertake crucial fieldwork for his MScRes project on the systematics and taxonomy of the Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) in Sabah, Malaysia. Working alongside collaborators at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, he surveyed five sites across a wide elevational gradient, from lowland rainforest to cloud forest habitats. The aim was to locate rarely observed high‑elevation populations that may represent a distinct—and potentially highly threatened, montane species. Fieldwork in the Crocker Mountains proved challenging, with the target species being both scarce and prone to sleeping high in the canopy. After a month of intensive night surveys, Harry successfully collected samples from nearly all sites, including an unexpected discovery of both lowland and montane forms sleeping on the same tree—yielding particularly valuable genetic material. In total, 15 samples were collected and will be used to assess evolutionary relationships across elevation zones.

Harry described the experience as both scientifically rewarding and professionally transformative. Collaborating closely with local researchers strengthened his taxonomic skills, expanded his professional network, and offered first‑hand insight into the practicalities of international research—such as navigating permits, developing field methodologies, and adapting to new ecological environments. These skills, he noted, will be essential for his future academic career.  Reflecting on the opportunity, Harry said the Wartski Overseas Travel Grant played a vital role in making this fieldwork possible and encouraged other students to apply for similar schemes: "A well‑prepared application can open doors to life‑changing research experiences. The time invested is absolutely worth it."

Ann Monnereau, a doctoral researcher in the School of Law has significantly advanced her research into cultural justice and intellectual property after being awarded the Wartski Overseas Travel Grant. The funding enabled her to participate in the Research Committee on the Sociology of Law Annual Meeting in Rabat, Morocco (6–11 July 2025), one of the leading international gatherings for socio‑legal scholarship. Her participation contributed directly to the successful submission of her doctoral thesis.

Her research explores how legal frameworks shape creative practices particularly in music and how these systems can reflect deeper historical, cultural, and economic inequalities. By challenging Western‑centred understandings of authorship, her work seeks to expand intellectual property debates to include collective, oral, and culturally embedded creative traditions. 

During the conference, she presented a comparative study of copyright protection in France and Morocco, highlighting disparities in the treatment of artistic works between former colonising nations and former colonies. The presentation generated productive dialogue with scholars working across law, culture, and post‑colonial studies, further enriching her analysis.

Direct engagement with academics and legal experts based in Morocco proved especially valuable. These conversations enabled her to broaden the scope of her research and integrate southern perspectives that had previously been underrepresented in her work. The experience strengthened her arguments, expanded her cultural understanding, and enhanced her confidence as she completed her degree. Alongside the academic benefits, the visit offered opportunities to discover Morocco’s vibrant cultural heritage, including its souks, museums, and coastal landscapes.

PhD in Psychology and Sports Science student, Thipkanlaya Jaiaue has advanced her work on the determinants of mental fatigue thanks to support from the Wartski Overseas Travel Award, which enabled her to present her findings at two major international conferences in a single research trip.

Thipkanlaya’s project investigates how mental fatigue develops during demanding tasks, particularly the roles played by cognitive control and real‑time adjustments in task difficulty. Her research introduces an innovative adaptive protocol that automatically responds to participant performance—helping to distinguish mental fatigue from related states such as boredom and providing a more ecologically valid method for studying performance in high‑pressure environments including sport, emergency response, and military operations.

With support from the Wartski Award, she delivered an oral presentation at the 30th European College of Sport Science Annual Congress (ECSS 2025) in Rimini, Italy, followed by a poster presentation at the 22nd World Congress of Psychophysiology (IOP 2025) in Krakow, Poland. Presenting at both conferences provided invaluable opportunities to gain feedback, foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and showcase Bangor University’s growing contribution to research in sport science and psychophysiology.

The award also played an important role in Thipkanlaya’s professional development. Engaging with international researchers expanded her academic network, opened new collaboration opportunities, and strengthened the visibility of her work on the global stage. She is now preparing manuscripts based on the studies presented and plans to make the project’s adaptive cognitive tasks openly available to support replication and promote Bangor University’s commitment to open science.

Reflecting on the impact of the bursary, Thipkanlaya expressed sincere gratitude, noting that the award “significantly enhanced both the quality and visibility of her research, and provided opportunities that will continue to shape her development as an early‑career researcher.