Postdoc Training – It’s About Your Career Do you need career development support and mentoring in your postdoc position? PostdocTraining provides the online solution to accelerate your career and maximize your potential in academia and beyond.
One | 2018A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management mattersManaging the odds. A coalition of US universities is publishing job outcome data to help manage PhD student/postdoc expectations, given so few will get a tenure-track position. The Chancellor of one of the unis insists it’s not about putting people off […]
Three | 2017A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management mattersNurture your hybrids. A research manager/academic warns a lack of status and career progression are blighting the prospects of the ‘all-rounders’ who bridge universities’ academic and professional streams.Research as a volume business. A critique of ‘grant-counting’ management behaviours in research argues […]
Two | 2017A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management mattersThe risks in reviews. Two experienced external reviewers of academic programs say the review process can reinvigorate departments and fortify their cohesion and direction, but there are pitfalls to navigate.Isolated case or common cause? A survey of UK university academics and […]
One | 2017A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management matters‘Research excellence’: not so excellent? This article identifies major problems with the notion of excellence in research, and argues for an alternative and more meaningful rhetoric.What should uni faculty look like? A new book includes the results of an extensive survey […]
Three | 2016A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management mattersTransfer market tactics. A wide-ranging review is driving reform of the UK’s research excellence framework. It includes a recommendation to stop universities ‘gaming’ the system by poaching productive staff from other institutions and claiming their outputs. Will this idea catch on […]
Two | 2016A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management mattersFundraising: dollars and sense. A former VC advocates engaging with potential donors to secure benefits well beyond the money raised, including having to articulate a clear vision and strategy, and increasing an institution’s influence.Philanthropy extending its reach. A new partnership between […]
One | 2016A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Management matters‘Don’t follow me, I’m too busy leading…’: The latest survey from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education in the UK (summary of the results) confirmed a huge majority see a need for improved university leadership. Five main areas identified for attention […]
Four | 2015A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.Would research life improve if grants were awarded for overall research goals, not projects? The US’s Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award is testing the benefits of funding research programs instead of pre-defined projects. The program director and commentators believe it could increase stability […]
Three | 2015A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.The European Science Foundation’s 2015 career tracking study of doctorate holders offers interesting insights into career progression, geographical mobility and the effect on productivity of permanency in contract conditions. Recommendations include managing career expectations and the training of doctoral candidates in ways […]
Two | 2015 A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers. Do you mentor others, or train mentors? This useful piece examines the principles of effective mentor-mentee conversations, equally valid for face-to-face and virtual modes of communication.Managing others and creating effective teams are often a challenge in an academic environment. This […]
Finance is a relatively common career path for physical scientists and mathematicians. For more information, see this overview; written at a time of crisis in world markets, but the principles of first-class analysis never go out of date! This article focuses on initiatives and case studies of physicists moving
One | 2015 A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers. What actually goes on in institutions when they’re navigating a search for a new faculty member? This insightful article explains the typical thinking and decision-making processes and spells out the implications for the candidate. An interesting read for those involved […]
Pdf version of eclass Audio version of eclass, mp4 format – for itunes-based devices – Audio version of eclass, mp3 format – for other devices – In the last eclass we covered the many ways you can find funding for your project. Once you’ve secured the money, however, how
There is an awful lot to finding a job. Creating the right networks and connections; getting the attention of potential employers; and presenting yourself in the best possible light with your CV and in the interview so you can land the job… these are just the basics. But how do
Collaboration is the big buzzword in research at the moment and in theory the benefits are clear: your name on more papers, you learn from other groups and you expand your reputation. Why is it, then, that I hear so many postdocs and mid-career researchers complain bitterly about their collaborations?