1. Nomination. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to nominate a graduate student with a compelling research story to tell. Graduate students may also self-nominate.
2. Application submission. Graduate students (no nomination required) are invited to apply with a submission of their research and talk description and short video of themselves presenting their scholarship.
3. Selection and Semi-finals. Semi-finalists will be invited to give a live talk (no more than 5 min.) at a scheduled session(s) in mid-February. The selection panel will be comprised of faculty, graduate students and the Graduate School.
4. Final selections. Those selected to speak at the live event are expected to attend a number of training, practice, and mentoring sessions, including a rehearsal scheduled the day before the main event.
5. Research Matters. All talks from the final live event will be video recorded and will be featured on the Graduate School website.

• Nominations due December 19, 2025
• Semi-Finals TBD
• Final Selections TBD
• Final Event TBD

Research Matters talks should be geared towards a multi-disciplinary, non-specialist audience. Use the power of storytelling by focusing on specific examples, including both failures and successes, and seek ways to explain complex ideas clearly. Connect with your audience by framing your research in ways that make your audience care and let your passion for the subject shine through. Finally, rehearsal is essential: develop an outline of your talk and practice your performance in front of others to hone your content, clarity, and impact. 

Please contact: Vanessa Ryan, Senior Associate Dean of Student Development and Byrd McDaniel, Assistant Dean of Student Development at Graduate_Dean@brown.edu.

Nominations are due by December 19, 2025.

Have you been nominated? Are you interested in applying? Submit an application form by following the link below. Applications are due (TBD) and consist of the following: 

• A 350-word description of your talk and research project.
• A short video: Give us a sense of you speaking about your innovative idea and research project. This can be as short as one-minute, but no more than 3 minutes. You can use a smartphone or built-in webcam. Video quality is not the priority, as long as you are audible. We just want to get a brief sense of you as a speaker.

If you are unable to submit a short video, please email graduate_dean@brown.edu.

Watch videos from previous Research Matters events.