Scholarship success for CRADLE PhD candidate!

11 April 2019

Congratulations to CRADLE PhD candidate Abbas Mehrabi, who has received a Stuart D. B. Picken Grant and Full Scholarship to attend this year’s Asian Conference on Language Learning (ACLL2019) in Tokyo, Japan and present his paper ‘Developing Evaluative Judgement Skills of Academic Writing: A Step towards Fostering Independent Writing Skills’.

“I’m honoured to be one of the recipients of such a competitive scholarship,” says Abbas. “Receiving grants and scholarships, especially for PhD students like me who might not otherwise have financial resources to achieve their research and academic goals, is both exciting and encouraging.”

A limited number of Stuart D. B. Picken Grants and Full Scholarships are awarded each year by the International Academic Forum (IAFOR) to PhD students and early career academics who have submitted an abstract to a relevant IAFOR conference, and whose work is judged by the Organising Committee to demonstrate academic excellence. The scholarship covers Abbas’ full conference registration fee, and also includes a grant towards his travel and accommodation.

Abbas’ presentation will also be highlighted in the conference program, and receive valuable promotion via IAFOR’s website and social media. “My paper critiques existing teacher-centred educational practices in academic writing programs,” explains Abbas. “It discusses how we can reframe teaching and assessment activities to shift the focus towards a more student-centred approach.”

ACLL2019 runs from 16-18 May, and scholarship recipients will be officially recognised on the opening day of the conference during the main session.

“This scholarship provides me with an excellent opportunity to attend a leading conference in my field of study to present my research, test ideas, be challenged, receive feedback and participate actively in a professional network,” says Abbas. “It will be a rewarding experience and a stepping stone towards my academic goals for an early career academic like me.”

Well done Abbas!