Early Career Researchers Hub   :   ECR Training and Development

Welcome to this month's ECR Newsletter where you will find key information on the following:-

Spotlight On ...

ECR Researcher Development Programme

Learning and Development Opportunities: University of Exeter and Beyond

Research Grants, Funding & Competitions

Research Culture

Research & Researcher Networks

Research & Researcher Blogs

Organising an Event & Need Help?

Health, Wellbeing & Support

Please direct any questions you may have to researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.

Previous copies of Newsletters can be viewed by clicking here. If you have something that you'd like to share in future Newsletters, click here for copy deadline dates as well as submission guidelines.

Deadline - Monday 23 September 2024

The Images of Research competition provides Early Career Researchers (ECRs) with the opportunity to gain valuable experience communicating their research to a non-specialist audience. This year’s competition will coincide with Postdoc Appreciation Week (16 - 20 September 2024), celebrating the great work of our ECRs. Entries will be displayed in several locations, including the Forum, Streatham Campus from mid-November. 

The competition has received hundreds of entries over the years, showcasing the breadth of research undertaken at the University through a single, visually-engaging image and short, jargon-free description.  Hear from Professor Krasi Professor Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova and last year’s winners about the benefits of the competition.

The closing deadline is Monday 23 September 2024 with prizes available for the top three entries, plus a commendation from the Arts and Cultures Team. Further information including how to enter and submission guidance can be found on our website.

The Images of Research competition is one of the ways we seek to support our Early Career Researchers. You can find out more about how we support a positive research culture on our Research Culture SharePoint site.

Our main programme has reached a natural pause for the summer, but there is still an opportunity to book career coaching appointments throughout August onwards. The autumn/winter 2024 programme will be released soon!  We are building in some exciting new workshops on being a strategic researcher, developing creative mindsets and mid-career researcher development.

1:2:1 Confidential Careers Appointments with Kenneth Howgill (ECR Careers Coach).

Deadline : Friday 16 August 2024 (may be extended).

The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Caucus (EDICa), funded by UKRI and the British Academy and based at Heriot-Watt University, have shared a study that they are conducting, focused on Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in the UK who are living with hidden conditions, including long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, neurodivergence, and sensory and communication conditions. They have recently extended the deadline and are looking to reach more participants.  Participants can sign up using the ink below.  You can also see and share their social media posts about this study here: Instagram / LinkedIn and read their flyer. This research has been approved by the School of Social Sciences Ethics Committee at Heriot-Watt University.

Deadline for abstracts/posters - Saturday 31 August 2024
Research Awards & Careers Symposium - Tuesday 12 November 2024 - London.

JPAG (Joint Pharmaceutical Analysis Group) is delighted to announce their annual Pharmaceutical Analysis Research Awards & Careers Symposium event which will be held on Tuesday 12 November 2024 at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) headquarters in Burlington House, London. JPAG has been hosting this event for pharmaceutical researchers and early career industrial scientists for several years and is now welcoming abstracts for presentations/posters for the 2024 edition. We are encouraging all early-career pharmaceutical scientists to submit abstracts for podium presentations or posters via the JPAG website before the deadline (Saturday 31 August 2024).  Selected abstracts will be entered into the prestigious Geoffrey Phillips Award for best podium presentation, with prizes for runner-up and best posters too. 

Monday 16 September - Friday 20 September 2024

The UK National Postdoc Appreciation Week (UKNPAW) is coming soon, and #NPAW2024 will start on 16 September (10 am - 2 pm)! This year we’re celebrating the 5th anniversary of the #UKNPAW flagship online free event, so keep an eye out for the event details in future communications, or on https://uk-postdoc-appreciation-week.webnode.co.uk/, or @UK_NPAW on X!

If you can't make it on 16 September, a recording will be available. If you would like to be part of the organisation team, please contact nationalpostdocappreciation.uk@gmail.com.

Here at Exeter, we are planning our own exciting activities to mark the week, including , including a motivational workshop delivered by external speaker Hugh Kearns on ‘The Strategic Researcher’ (18 September) and a separate workshop on how the University’s Concordat commitments can support researchers (19 September). More details, including booking links, will follow over coming weeks. 

The new profiles system, launches externally on Tuesday 17 September. There are bookable and drop-in support sessions available in September across all campuses including the opportunity to have a new professional headshot taken at our in-person sessions.

There are also workshops coming up in September, starting with ‘Presentation Skills Training' (in-person) taking place at Reed Hall (on the Streatham Campus) on 10 September 2024. These sessions are aimed at ECRs and PGRs. 

Take a look at the website to book on to the training sessions and to see the guidance available.

Tuesday 17 September 2024 (2 pm - 3 pm) Online

This workshop will encourage Early Career Researchers to consider the career choices open to researchers beyond academia. We will explore the career paths and destinations of researchers outside of higher education, and how to find and identify opportunities. The workshop draws on robust research about the career destinations of doctoral graduates.

Join our 4 day InnoPlay Studio course in October 2024 to immerse yourself with design thinking, playful pedagogy, and storytelling. Together we will explore and practice how you can remove barriers and create relational safety to inspire motivation and engagement.

Ultimately, this course will empower you to make positive changes in your daily practice, unlocking intention, imagination and connection.

Space is limited. Please find out more on www.innoplay.co.uk or apply below.

1 & 2 March 2025

The Adventure Tourism industry is valued at £360 Billion... Join Human Performance Scientist Nikki McLeary and Coach Jon Fearne on Dartmoor 1 and 2 March 2025 for the coolest course you'll ever attend. Learn secondary skill sets to work with adventure sport athletes and expeditioners in the field. Contact nikkimcleary@theperformancescientist.com for further details.

The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is a leading global research university network dedicated to addressing global challenges through international collaboration.

The Research Development Fund (RDF) offers grants of up to £10,000 to promote research collaborations among academic staff at WUN partner universities.

The RDF supports projects focused on addressing problems within the broad context of sustainable development; especially those where international collaboration offers unique advantages. Applications led by Early Career Researchers are particularly encouraged (WUN defines this as 'a researcher who is in the final year of their terminal degree program (eg, PhD) or has completed fewer than seven years* of their first appointment as a member of faculty/academic staff').

Please note that for Exeter-led project proposals, there is a two-stage application process, as the University of Exeter is limited to two lead RDF applications per call. However, there is no limit on the number of applications where Exeter is listed as a co-investigator.

Expressions of Interest Deadline - Saturday 14 September 2024.
Full Application Deadline - Friday 11 October 2024.

Engaged and Participatory Research Funding Scheme is now open for the 2024-2025 academic year. The fund focuses on supporting public involvement and engagement, and participatory research. A total fund of £70,000 is available and applicants can apply for funding from £500 up to £10,000. Complete an Expression of Interest form before 14 September 2024, speak to a member of the engagement team (per@exeter.ac.uk), and then complete the full application by 11 October 2024.

Applications from academic and professional staff from all levels are welcome. Postgraduate students will be required to have a member of staff as a co-applicant. Also welcome are applications from members of the community, but the application must include a co-applicant from the University of Exeter. 

Opens : Wednesday 1 January 2025
Deadline : Thursday 20 February 2025

Leverhulme Trust Fellowships can be held at UK universities with research degree awarding powers.  The Fellowships are intended to assist those at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, and it is hoped that the appointment would lead to a more permanent position for the individual, either within the same or another university.

Andrew Cunliffe has created this Funding Finder platform which signposts hundreds of funding opportunities that will be of interest to current community members looking to undertake research, fieldwork, conference visits or exchanges with our partner organisations worldwide.  It has easily searchable listings and awards ranging from £100 to £10,000,000.

We are pleased to announce there are three new ECR Representatives who have joined Dr Rebecca Whear to sit on the University’s Research and Impact Executive Committee (RIEC), representing the ECR community. This means there is now a full team of four reps, as follows:

Tom Horton (Cornwall)
Faryal Khalid (Cornwall)
Dimitar Vlaykov (Exeter)
Rebecca Whear (Exeter)

Thank you to everyone who participated in the process to find new reps.

An enormous vote of thanks goes to MD Sharma and Clemens Ullmann who are both stepping down from their roles as ECR Reps to RIEC (Cornwall campuses). MD and Clemens have played a vital role in shaping the structure of ECR Representation, and have served the ECR community for much longer than would usually be expected. Your dedication to the interests of ECRs is greatly appreciated MD and Clemens!

We are pleased to confirm the dates of the next in-person ECR Town Halls:

Cornwall Event - Tuesday 10 September 2024 (11.30 am - 1 pm)
- Penryn Campus, Daphne Du Maurier Bldg, Seminar Room L

Exeter Event - Wednesday 11 September 2024 (3.15 pm - 4.45 pm) - St Luke’s Campus, South Cloisters, Room 306

The Early Career Researcher (ECR) Town Halls take place termly and provide an informal opportunity for ECRs to meet in-person to build community, socialise, share experiences and network. The event is open to any researcher at the university who identifies as early career (including research-only staff, education and research / education and scholarship staff, and postgraduate researchers).  Anyone interested in attending must register beforehand.  Light refreshments will be served at the event.

We want research assessment to be fair for all, with everyone’s contribution recognised. Signing the San Fransisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DoRA) in 2020 means that everyone at our University, involved in research assessment, is committed to not using journal-based indicators.

DoRA has more recently extended their guidance to cover Indicators and wider core principles which complement our own Guiding Principles and Indicators Guidance (see ‘Further information’). Together these documents help anyone involved in assessing others’ research ensure they are assessing responsibly and fairly, using a range of appropriate measures and indicators, and most importantly expert (ie, peer) judgement. This is also relevant to researchers earlier in their career and not yet involved in undertaking research, as it will help you to understand how to convey the value your research brings.

Find out more about responsible metrics and their importance in making research assessment fairer for all.

Monday 2 September 2024 (11 am - 12 noon) - Zoom

By attending, you will learn more about the Network, meet and engage with other Early Career Researchers and address any questions or concerns you have about the Network.  The BA is also keen to learn more about your motivations for joining the Network and your expectations from the Network.

We are looking for PhD and Early Career researchers to contribute to Exeter’s Research & Innovation blog and write posts that are based on three questions about your work.  If you would like to find out more please email digitalteam@exeter.ac.uk.

If you're organising an event and don't know where to start, take a look at the Corporate Events webpage where you will find lots of useful information and advice including an Events Planning Toolkit!  If you would like to contact the Events Team for further advice email eventenquiries@exeter.ac.uk.

Colleagues can access advice and guidance from Occupational Health before or at the start of their new role at the University by completing the new starter health questionnaire. Managers are advised to encourage new starters in their team to complete the new starter health questionnaire.

Alternatively, if you, or a member of your team are looking for support to manage a new or undisclosed condition or disability at work, you may wish to consider making a referral to Occupational Health. 

A toolkit of support is also available for managers of and colleagues with disabilities on the OH Webpages.

Join a lunchtime group for a power walk - meet outside Washington Singer Labs, Streatham Campus.

When: 12.30 every Thursday.
What: Brisk 20 mins power walk around the university grounds.
Who: Open to all – staff, students and even their dogs!
Why: Get active, socialise, enjoy fresh air and natural beauty, improve PM productivity

This concept was selected by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Group to receive funding assistance from the Wellness Creation fund.

The University is committed to supporting colleagues who maintain caring responsibilities alongside their job, and resources are available to help you with this. The University of Exeter Parents and Carers Networks provide a space to catch up and discuss relevant issues. You can join the MS Teams communities for Exeter and/or Cornwall. For information about our family-friendly policies, different types of leave and childcare facilities, please visit our dedicated Parents and Carers webpages. Our EAP Spectrum Life is hosting an online event focused on Juggling Work and Family Life on 07/08/2024 at 13:15-14:00. You can watch live or catch up after the event on the Spectrum Life Wellbeing Studio.

According to flexible-working advocate, Anna Whitehouse, ‘flexible working is a fundamental shift in how we work. It’s about giving humans – all humans – the flexibility to do the job they need to in a way that works for both employer and employee’. At the University, we support a variety of flexible working options, including flexitime, annualised hours (a contract where the employee agrees to work for a specified number of hours each year), part-time working, teaching restrictions (where teaching is not scheduled at particular times), compressed hours, homeworking and job sharing. You can find out more on the flexible working web pages.

Find out how the University can support Early Career Researchers.  The page includes support from the University, Spectrum.Life as well as a list of networks to support staff wellbeing.