The winners of this year's Picturing Research competition were announced during the Durham Research Methods Centre (DRMC) Christine Merrell Annual Methods Lecture.
Run annually by the DRMC, the competition invited research staff and postgraduate (PGT and PGR) researchers to represent their research in a single image, accompanied by a short description.
The competition aimed to showcase the creativity and impact of research across Durham University and focused on three key themes:
- Interdisciplinarity
- Innovative research
- Engaging community
Winning entries
The three winning entries were selected through a public vote. Together, they highlighted the breadth of research taking place across the University.
This year's submissions formed a striking visual collection of research from across disciplines.
The winning entries were:
Cared by the forest by Amandine Visine (Department of Psychology)
Captured in the Congo Basin, this image shows BaYaka hunter-gatherer mothers balancing childcare with foraging during a rainforest trip. While men climbed trees to shake edible caterpillars from branches, the women below were harvesting them, with infants cared for nearby. The scene highlights how care, work and subsistence are closely intertwined in everyday forest life.
Making rollies: how she makes smoke by Adam Christopher Snow (Department of Anthropology)
This ethnographic work explores the everyday act of rolling tobacco through film and photography. The image forms part of a reflective, collaborative process where participants respond to and reinterpret their own representation. It demonstrates how meaning can be made through embodied everyday behaviours across time.
Micro-Architects of the Energy Transition by Joel Lozano (Department of Earth Sciences)
This Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image reveals the hidden microscopic structures within Permian Rotliegend sandstone. At this scale, quartz grains and carbonate cements shape how fluids move through the rock. These tiny structures influence large-scale processes linked to carbon capture and hydrogen storage, helping to understand and predict subsurface behaviour.
Opening research to wider audiences
The competition encourages researchers to communicate complex ideas in accessible and engaging ways. It also helps open up research beyond traditional academic settings.
The DRMC Picturing Research competition invites researchers to rethink how they communicate their work. Through photography, participants bring their research to life, expressing ideas in new and creative ways, moving beyond traditional formats. In doing so, they unpack complex concepts and connect with wider audiences visually. It is inspiring to see colleagues at all career stages engaging with this challenge. I am always amazed by the breadth of research perspectives. The competition not only showcases this diversity but also creates a record of the rich and varied research taking place at Durham University.
Exhibition and celebration event
The winning images, alongside other submissions, will remain on display in the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) until the end of Easter term.
A celebration event will take place on 8 June, bringing together winners and contributors to mark the success of this year's competition and exhibition.
Visual showcase
The submissions formed a wide-ranging visual collection of research from across the University. Each image offered a distinct perspective on Durham's research.
