This Open University (OU) Graduate School ‘Bake Your Research’ competition took place recently, with Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) from a range of disciplines representing their research through the delicious medium of baked goods.

This year, Bake Your Research saw the OU research themes of Sustainability, Tackling Inequalities and Living Well reflected in the bakes. And this was also mirrored in the cakes that stole the show:

Staff Star Baker

Jude Taylor with her cake 'Antimicrobial agents from English churchyard lichens.'

PGR Star Baker runner-up

Meng-Chin Tsai with her lovely matcha layer crepe cake explaining her research into urban greening measures!

PGR Star Baker

Melanie Rimmer from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with her incredibly detailed fondant Lego cake linking to her research on the power relations between people with learning disabilities, carers, and professionals.

Bake Your Research is a popular Graduate School initiative that has now been running for six years and gives postgraduate researchers an opportunity to engage in an inclusive way – whether based on campus or at home. It is also a great opportunity for PGRs to practice communicating their research to a lay audience and explain to friends and family what they are researching and its impact. By sharing their research (whilst they show off and share their cakes) they strengthen local support networks, which are particularly important for PGRs.

Congrats to Melanie, Meng-Chin and Jude!

Find out more about the winning cakes and other entries.