USJ’s Doctoral School Holds 2025 Doctoral Symposium “Multi-Inter-Transdisciplinary Research”
USJ's Doctoral School Holds 2025 Doctoral Symposium "Multi-Inter-Transdisciplinary Research"
14
Nov
14/11/2025
The 2025 Doctoral Symposium held under the theme “Devising Multi-Inter-Transdisciplinary Research” provided a dynamic platform for researchers and doctoral students to address contemporary challenges through collaborative inquiry.
The University of Saint Joseph (USJ)’s Doctoral School successfully hosted the 2025 Doctoral Symposium from 4-7 November 2025. Held under the theme “Devising Multi-Inter-Transdisciplinary Research” and with the sponsorship of the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), the event provided a dynamic platform for researchers and doctoral students to address contemporary challenges through collaborative inquiry.
The event kicked off with an “Early-Bird Day” on 4 November, featuring the Presentation of the Doctoral Research Topics 2025. This pre-event, held at the Kent Wong Exhibition Gallery on the USJ Ilha Verde Campus, provided an excellent platform for doctoral students at their foundation year to introduce their research areas and engage in early discussions before the main programme.
On 5 November, the first day of the symposium, it started with a welcome address by the Rector, Prof. Stephen Morgan, and the Dean of the Doctoral School, Prof. Adérito Fernandes-Marcos. The opening session featured a keynote by Prof. Gilbertto Prado (University of São Paulo, Brazil), who spoke on the “Reconstruction and Updating of Digital Artworks.” The day continued with insightful preliminary findings in Religious Studies and Global Studies by two doctoral candidates, alongside presentations by international speakers Dr. Sayma Arju (Stamford University, Bangladesh) on generative AI in education and Dr. Mohammad Anisur Rahaman (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Bangladesh) on early social bonding.
Day two featured compelling presentations from international speakers, including Dr. Priscila Arantes (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brazil) on “Media Art in Brazil” and Dr. Liza Sharmin (Daffodil International University, Bangladesh) on new teaching-learning paradigms. The session also showcased the preliminary findings of three doctoral candidates in the fields of History, Government Studies, and Business Administration.
The final day placed a special emphasis on Macau’s identity and history, highlighted by a keynote presentation from Prof. Priscilla Roberts, Head of the Department of History and Heritage at USJ. Her talk, titled “Resistance and Refugees: Macau and South China During the Anti-Japanese War,” fostered an understanding of Macau’s historical role and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The day also included two presentations of doctoral findings in Business Administration and Psychology.
The 2025 Doctoral Symposium concluded with a closing session led by Prof. Adérito Fernandes-Marcos and Prof. Alexandre Lobo, Vice-Rector for Academic Research and Innovation, encouraged students with practical advice: to work on timely topics such as Artificial Intelligence and stressing the importance of academic publications. He concluded the symposium by advising students to enjoy the learning process and maintain their own pace on their research journeys.
