One | 2022
A selection of current news items for managers of Early Career Researchers.
Management matters
Assessment under scrutiny. The Royal Society’s Résumé for Researchers initiative has added fuel to the debate about what review structures and criteria are most equitable, efficacious and likely to sustain high quality research.
Co-operative spirit. An academic perspective on the role that collegiality should play as a criterion in universities’ assessment processes.
Assessing greatness. A senior scholar argues great researchers should teach as well as research, and that good teaching should be better recognised.
Spotlight on teaching. Thoughts on the tricky but highly beneficial business of recognising great teaching.
Dual-hire dynamics. There are big potential benefits in employing academic partners, but they can be hard to deliver.
Early-career ‘gig economy’. Institutions can do much more to address the hardships and uncertainties of the ECR ‘precariat’.
Cross the gap. There are many ways to ‘do’ research, say research support professionals, who also argue the scholar/support divide is artificial and unhelpful.
Glue for work and life. Training in career development is what frames and binds employability skills and work integrated learning.
Connection and belonging. Thoughts on building community and strengthening support for ECRs, at little or no direct cost.
Admin aces. A round-up of behaviours and characteristics likely to make for good leadership in academia.
Teach with Tango. If you’re tired of having to explain over again how to fill out an admin form, a Chrome plug-in offers a handy way to create screenshot-and-text instructions for computer-based tasks.
Research matters
PhDs at work. An EU-funded report on PhD-holders’ paths post-graduation and views on the value of their doctoral programmes.
PI pinch-point. Career-outcome studies suggest the PI track continues to narrow but also highlight the availability of many alternatives for PhD candidates and postdocs.
Once more for the record. A new ‘Institute for Replication’ is setting out its stall and offering resources to support the systematic reproduction of research findings published in leading journals.
Compliance with open science. Points in the debate about whether grant applications should include a plan for managing and sharing data.
Beyond the Academy. New US-based BtA is looking to spread effective models for promoting inter-disciplinary, cross-institutional, applied research.
Measures of influence. Demonstrating research impact of different academic activities involves a combination of metrics, testimony and narrative.
Recipe for success. Research into the mindsets and habits of eminent scholars identifies some defining characteristics.
The nuts and bolts of research. There’s a lot to like in this Max Planck Director’s description of what makes for successful research groups and programmes.
A small change with big impact. Research programme leaders share their tips for sidelining negativity and creating productive group dynamics.
Shame on the shamers. Resilience against criticism is a make-or-break characteristic of success in academia, but does it have to be this way?
Tasking tools. Not everyone likes or needs project management software, but as project complexity and collaborations increase, it’s worth keeping an eye on how the latest tools compare.
Personal press
The cost of opportunity. The ability to weigh up invitations carefully and prioritise the most impactful commitments plays a big part in productivity and career progress.
Making the whole ‘you’. A career specialist explains why spare time, and what you do in it, really matter.
From frying pan to fire. There may be all sorts of good reasons for leaving a position, but the consequences of a rushed exit can be long-lasting.
Elegant exits. When leaving a position, it pays to think carefully about how to do it.
Risk for reward. So, what - if anything - do people most often regret about their careers?
Bridging a gap. As career breaks become increasingly common, LinkedIn’s Profile section can explain a career-path hiatus.
Toot your own trumpet. If LinkedIn sometimes seems like a brag-fest, thoughts on how to view it to best advantage.
Getting back on track. Four ways to rediscover positivity in troubled times.
Serious research
Printers with personality. With the rise and rise of home-office working it is not unlikely you have had some, or all, of this conversation with your own printer…!!
In this difficult academic job market, career training is very much on the minds of graduate students and postdocs. We are seeing some highly motivated people in our online courses and live workshops!
If you would like to add to your training offerings around this topic for your higher degree students and/or postdocs, please get in touch to discuss how we may be able to help.