Students highlight their exciting research in Parliament

Two Middlesex University students showcase their projects at prestigious exhibition 

Middlesex University students displayed their projects in neuroscience and architecture to politicians and policy makers at Westminster as part of a national spotlight on innovative undergraduate research. 

Annie Lawrence, a BSc Psychology student, and Farah Tahini, a BSc Architectural Technology student, presented their work at the annual Posters in Parliament which brings together the best student research from across the country in an academic poster exhibition at the House of Commons. 

They were among 50 students from 29 institutions who were given the opportunity to display their work, while Annie was thrilled to see her project also selected in a shortlist of the top eight posters. The initiative supports students to develop skills in communicating research by asking them to consider how they would explain their projects to a lay audience and especially to MPs, Peers and policy makers. 

Annie said: “The whole process from entering the competition to attending the event was fantastic. I was challenged to communicate my research to a range of professionals and non-experts through verbal presentations, answering questions, and producing abstracts as well as creating the final poster. 

“It was such a valuable experience which has strengthened my confidence, presentation skills, and professionalism. As an aspiring researcher, I felt a huge sense of achievement. It was also wonderful to network with other passionate undergraduates from a variety of fields and universities.”

Farah said: “Sharing my research with policy makers and MPs is something I’m genuinely proud of. There’s something powerful about seeing what began as a simple university project find its way into such a public and influential space."

"I’m deeply grateful to Middlesex University for creating opportunities like this and for giving students a platform where their ideas can be seen, heard, and taken seriously.”
Farah Tahini, BSc Architectural Technology student

Annie’s poster explained her work investigating brain activity when we voluntarily choose when to focus on something compared with being prompted by an external cue. Her results showed that the brain processes visual information differently depending on whether our attention to time is guided externally or internally. Future research using brain scans could help identify the exact brain areas involved in these two types of attention.

Annie said: “The idea for my research arose from recent studies showing a distinction between attention, depending on whether it is externally instructed or internally prompted. So far, this distinction has only been explored in the dimension of space, as in looking around your visual field, and not in time, such as the ability to judge timings or durations.

“In future, I would love to train as an operator of brain scanning equipment to continue with this investigation, as well as explore other topics in the field of cognitive neuroscience such as perception and decision-making.”

Farah Tahini’s poster entitled ‘Beyond Shelter: Homes with Identity’, looks at the architectural challenge of providing enough homes while ensuring they improve quality of life. 

She said: “As architects, engineers, and clients, we carry responsibility for the environments we create, and my project argues that a house should not simply provide shelter; it should support dignity, identity, and wellbeing.

“I hope my poster reminds attendees that we have full agency over the environments we create, and that we should recognise that quality of life is inseparable from the spaces we design. Access to ample daylight and good ventilation is a fundamental right within any home. My hope is that this prompts decision makers to reflect on the long term impact of their choices and to prioritise environments that genuinely support wellbeing.”

Dr Homeira Shayesteh, Programme Leader for Architectural Technology, has been coordinating Middlesex University’s involvement in Posters in Parliament for eight years. She said: “Posters in Parliament is a powerful platform for demonstrating the positive impact of undergraduate research beyond the University. 

“I am incredibly proud of Annie and Farah for the intellectual ambition and social relevance of their work. Their projects exemplify the quality of enquiry we champion at Middlesex University and show how student research can contribute meaningfully to national policy conversations.”