Attending my First Conference

By Puravi Panda (@oxfordingmyway)

Studying at Oxford brings with it many first experiences: my first time studying overseas, my first time living miles away from family, my first time cycling on the road…and the list goes on. However, one of the first experiences I was most excited about was attending my first-ever international conference! While there are loads of opportunities presented to DPhil students, attending an international conference will forever remain one of the top highlights of my academic journey so far.

I was very fortunate that, in my second year of my DPhil, I was able to attend and present at the Gordon Research Conference on Lysosomal Diseases held at Pomona, California, USA. This conference is held once every two years and is widely regarded as the most coveted conference in my field of lysosomal storage disorders. In addition to attending the main conference, I also participated in the Gordon Research Seminar, which was held the weekend prior. The seminar is particularly suited to early-career researchers and postgraduate students, and it gave me the opportunity to learn more about adjacent diseases in the field, as well as hear from experts about cutting-edge translational research that has implications for patient health.

I was also delighted to receive two travel grants to support my attendance: the Biochemical Society’s General Travel Grant and NPUK’s William French Memorial Award. These grants covered the hefty registration fee and my return flight to the US. One tip I would strongly recommend is to search for and apply to multiple travel grants offered by academic societies and charitable organisations. Most applications are quite similar and typically require a total cost estimate, a breakdown of travel expenses, and a letter of support from your supervisor. Some Oxford colleges also offer travel or academic grants that offer a small sum of money that can support conference attendance.

The conference lasted almost a week since I attended both the seminar and the main conference, and it provided a truly immersive learning experience. All the content was concentrated in the field of lysosomal diseases, and I had the chance to hear from leading experts. One aspect of conferences that is often overlooked is just how tiring they can be. Some days started at 9am and ended at 9pm, with only a lunch break and an afternoon poster session in between. This meant listening to nearly six hours of talks daily – undoubtedly valuable, but also a little brain-draining.

That said, I had a wonderful time overall. I was also able to explore the California Botanic Garden with my supervisor and lab mates, and I met graduate students from all over the world. We made great memories over shared lunches and dinners, and I hope to see many of them again at the next conference in two years' time!