Professor James O’Sullivan from University College Cork delivers the opening remarks at the 4th CASCADE training camp
1 September 2026
Structure and Activities Camp 4 took place at the University of Sheffield on September 1st 2026 – immediately prior to the 2026 Digital Humanities Congress at which all 10 CASCADE ESRs presented their latest research findings. Kicking off the event, Professor James O’Sullivan of University College Cork presented a detailed report on collective CASCADE research outputs along with a fascinating network analysis of the project which revealed that our CASCADE colleagues at the University of Saarland are the most collaborative within the group! As the day progressed we had sessions on post doctoral routes to academia; future employability and career pathways; understanding how to pitch academic research to non-expert audiences, and hands-on writing and problem-solving sessions. A highly productive day was wrapped up with a communal meal which doubled as an informal team-building and information sharing opportunity for the ESRs and project research leads.
Training Camp 4 Programme Format This training camp consisted of three different types of activities:
Introductions and training sessions where selected members and partners will provide input to topics related to Working with Industry and the Public, followed by discussion.
A panel discussion chaired by a project partner on the topic of post-doc routes to academia.
Hands-on practicals, whereby ESRs worked on computational and communications challenges designed by project partners.
CAMP 3 Working with Industry and the Public – Schedule of Events – 1 September 2026
9:30 – 9.45 Welcome and Orientation – Prof. James O’Sullivan, UCC
● Introduction to aims and outcomes ● Overview of the day
09.45 –11:15 ‘So you’ve got your PhD – now what?’ Information session with Mervyn Levin, Digital Technologies Consultant.
11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 13.00 Panel Discussion: Post-doc routes to Academia Chair: Mike Pidd, Director of the DHI
Panellists: Prof. Susan Fitzmaurice, Prof. James O’Sullivan, Prof. Dirk Speelman and Prof. Stefania Degaetano-Ortlieb
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:00 Parallel Sessions:
Parallel session I: Supervisory Board meeting
Parallel session II: ESR Activity: Writing for a non-specialist audience.
15:00 – 16:45 Hands-on: Solving Commercial Insurance Data Problems Session Lead: Mike Pidd, Director of the DHI
A panel discussion on post-doc routes to academia with the CASCADE team of ESRs and Supervisors
The fourth and final CASCADE Training and Research Camp took place on 1st September at the University of Sheffield. In the impressive surrounds of the Sir Frederick Mappin Building, the CASCADE ESR cohort and their PhD supervisors convened to engage together in a programme of activity focused on the theme of ‘Working with Industry and The Public’. Covering topics ranging from post-phD employment pathways to writing for a non-specialist audience, the programme included a comprehensive presentation from Digital Technologies Consultant Mervyn Levin titled, ‘So you’ve got your PhD – now what?’ (during which Mervyn uncovered what seemed like every single employment opportunity in sectors ranging from EdTech to HR that our ESRs could potentially aim for!); a frank and lively panel discussion on post-doc routes to employment within academia, chaired by The Digital Humanities Institute Director, Mike Pidd, and a hands-on data problem solving session focused on the commercial insurance sector. The ESRs also had an opportunity to flex their writing skills with a practical session dedicated to research communication and the dissemination skills needed to demonstrate the broader value of their work. Watch this space for updates on CASCADE-related articles appearing in a publication or two of note!
ESR Maria Flores Alejo during her panel presentation at ICEHL-23
The ICEHL or the International Conference of English Historical Linguistics is a biannual conference started in Durham in 1979. Its second most recent installment was hosted by the University of Sheffield in 2023. ICEHL has evolved from a regional meeting to a leading international forum dedicated to the study of the history and development of the English language, attracting researchers worldwide. Specifically, the 23rd ICEHL’s 4-day programme was jam-packed with over 140 presentations and 3 plenary talks by scholars across Europe, America, and Asia.
This 23rd edition of the conference was hosted by Universitá degli Studi de Milano in a building known as the Ca’ Granda. This large venue has played a prominent role in the history of the city that dates back to the 15th century. Its main purpose was to serve as a hospital and community center, hence the name which can be translated to ‘Big House’. This was certainly a fitting place to come together, as Milan offered us a very warm welcome that was both literal and figurative. However, the heat was no impediment for the attendees to participate in the stacked program which offered over one hundred parallel sessions and some intriguing plenary talks, with just enough time between them to catch-up with others while sipping espressos in the courtyard.
Beaming with excitement: The secondment started with a campus tour, led by Michael Pidd, the Director of the Digital Humanities Institute (University of Sheffield)
One of the greatest perks of being an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) within CASCADE is the uniquely designed secondments at renowned institutions. For my PhD project, The ‘Spirit’ in the Chamber: Capturing Zeitgeist in UK parliamentary debates, I had an invaluable opportunity to engage in an intensive 11-week secondment at the University of Glasgow from 30 October 2025, together with my fellow Sheffield ESR, Maria. I enthusiastically dived deep into the quirky yet fascinating history of parliamentary reporting, stories of data mining throughout the years, and hopeful prospects of yet another captivating research story of the UK parliamentary discourse.
Main conference room at EACL 2026 in Rabat, Morocco
Travelling to the Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (EACL) in Rabat, Morocco was one of the highlights of my PhD so far. It was my very first paper presentation at my very first big conference, so naturally I arrived with equal amounts of excitement, nerves, and the vague feeling that I should try very hard not to look too obviously starstruck.
Last November was a busy month for me. I had the chance to attend two major events back-to-back: the FCAI AI Day in Espoo and the Nordic AI Meet (NAIM) in Sweden. I gave the same talk at both events: “Detecting Latin in Historical Books with Large Language Models.” This represents the core of my PhD work during my first year. I also presented a poster at NAIM.
It was Tuesday, August 19th,2025, and we were travelling to the third CASCADE MSCA Doctoral Network training camp. This time around, it was taking us to Helsinki, and the trip to the airport reminded me of how far we would be going this time (until now, the KU Leuven team had travelled by train for every meeting). What would we learn? What sights would we see? What connections would we strengthen?
Camp Day One: Wednesday, August 20th
Training camp opening session, led by Helsinki’s Mikko Tolonen. Photo by Emer Yip
As everyone slowly started coming down from their hotel rooms, ready for breakfast and our first day of training sessions, I started seeing familiar faces. Over breakfast with a few of my fellow ESRs, we excitedly discussed travel mishaps, current and past projects, and our expectations for the days to come. After eating, we all met in the hotel lobby (ESRs and supervisors alike) for what has now become a tradition: walking together to where the camp would take place. On this occasion, it would be the main building of the University of Helsinki.
Monday, November 25th On a crisp November evening, we arrive at Manchester Airport, joining the hustle of holiday travellers before heading to Sheffield for the first training camp of the CASCADE doctoral network. As an early-stage researcher (ESR), I’m both excited and (more than) a little nervous – but ready to meet the nine other PhD students and supervisors. After a quiet train ride through the supposedly-scenic Peak District (by that time, it was too dark to tell), we finally reach Sheffield. Our home base for the training camp is a stunning four-star hotel in a historic building on Leopold Square. Nestled among chic bars and restaurants, the vibe is quirky yet refined, offering a comfortable setting for both work and relaxation.
