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ECR Newsletter - August 2026
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Spotlight On ... Images of Research Competition 2026
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Calling all Early Career Researchers: Images of Research Competition 2026 – opens Friday 31 August 2026
Deadline for Entries : Monday 5 October 2026
It’s that time of year again to dig out that image that perfectly encapsulates your research and share it with the wider world! The picture to the right is last year's runner up (ECRs) = Nicholas Clifton & Alice Franklin - 'Synergy'.
Our Images of Research competition provides Early Career Researchers with the opportunity to gain valuable experience communicating your research to a non-specialist audience.
The competition has received hundreds of entries over the years and showcases the breadth of research undertaken at the university through a fantastic array of images and short, jargon-free descriptions. You can view past entries and the winners, as well as gain some inspiration for entering this year’s competition, in our Images of Research booklets.
Entries will be displayed online and at the Forum, Streatham Campus early in the New Year, and winners promoted through social media. We are also hoping to display in Cornwall.
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.
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Research Staff Development Programme
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Time to Celebrate our AMAZING Postdocs!
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Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026
Monday 21 - Friday 25 September 2026
Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026 (PAW) is a celebration of the fantastic contribution postdocs and researchers make towards research and academic life in general. It's a special time to showcase, recognise, and celebrate their efforts, and thank them for all they do and we look forward to celebrating with UoE.
National Event being held on Monday 21 September 2026 (10 am - 12 noon) 'The Changing Landscape of Postdoc Careers' ONLINE.
Join us for some great events that we hope you'll enjoy and you can find out more by reading the sections below.
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How to Manage Your Career
Tuesday 22 September 2026 (11 am - 12.30 pm) Online
Led by Kenneth Howgill, Careers Coach, this course offers practical and interactive career management advice for Early Career Researchers (ECRs). The tools and techniques introduced in this session will be applicable to managing a career within research, but also to those participants wishing to investigate a broader career path outside academia.
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Discover your Leadership Voice
Tuesday 22 September 2026 (1.30 pm - 3 pm) Online
This session, led by Steve Foster of Foster Leadership, will help participants to understand and celebrate who they are as individuals, team members and leaders, alongside celebrating the contributions they make to their academic field. By using a framework that transforms how individuals and teams communicate, a culture can thrive where all personalities and voices are celebrated.
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Visual Literacy – How to Read and Construct Images
Wednesday 23 September 2026 (10.30 am - 12 noon) Online
We carry cameras with us everywhere, and nearly 5 billion photos are taken daily! But how many of those photos are well constructed and tell a great story? This session, led by experts Sarah Campbell and Clare Hearn, will introduce you to the basics of how images are structured, drawing on historical artworks and contemporary advertising, and then offer practical guidance on strengthening the communication impact of your own images.
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Championing The Researcher Concordat - a contract to support your career development
Thursday 24 September 2026 (11 am - 12 noon) Online
Join Prof. Angus Buckling, Dr Chris Wood and Dr Peter O'Rourke in this informative workshop on the Researcher Concordat! This is an important tool in the armoury
of researchers as it sets commitments to YOUR career development in stone. The University of Exeter is signatory to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, and this session will champion how the Concordat can provide researchers with leverage and direction.
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Careers Beyond Academia – Alumni Panel Session
Thursday 24 September 2026 (2 pm - 3.30 pm) Online
We are delighted to be joined by an exciting line-up of Exeter Alumni working in diverse fields!
Chaired by Dr Peter O'Rourke, hear from four Exeter doctoral alumni who have gone on to use their researcher skills in a diverse range of jobs and sectors including Biological Safety Officer, founder of a consultancy firm, founder of a quantitative research and AI company and a Research & Programme Officer.
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Dr Harriet Bare (PhD Molecular Biology, 2016).
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Dr Georgina Crossman (PhD Politics, 2010).
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Dr Jordan Moore (PhD Mathematics, 2021).
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Dr Jane May Morrison (PhD Human Geography, 2022).
Each panellist will give a brief overview of their career steps after completing their research degrees at Exeter, and reflect on how their research backgrounds and skills have led to their current positions. There will be time for Q&A.
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Other Learning and Development Opportunities: University of Exeter and Beyond
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Research – Industry Networking Event: Transforming Ideas into Action
Friday 25 September 2026 (10 am - 1.30 pm)
Streatham Campus, Creative Quadrant
Opportunity for Early Career Researchers to meet business professionals who are actively seeking research-informed solutions to address industry challenges.
This free event is funded by Research England, (travel costs and lunch/cakes covered). If you're an ECR in the following areas, please consider registering your interest.
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Sustainable practice;
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Leadership and culture;
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Marketing;
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Digital transformation;
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Business strategy.
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Exploring the Future of Digital Identity in Healthcare
Thursday 8 October 2026 (11 am - 2 pm)
Mastek UK Head Office in Reading
FREE & lunch/travel included!
The Developing Business Aware Academics (DBAA) project is partnering with Mastek, a leading digital engineering company, to host this researcher workplace visit and networking opportunity. The event is open to researchers with relevant interests.
The development of digital health identity will be explored via discussion on:-
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Future directions for UK health policy.
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Healthcare law and regulation - boundaries for implementation and compliance across organisations.
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Clinician and patient perspectives - trust and sensitivities.
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International precedents for digital health identities and lessons from other sectors.
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Black Research Connections Conference
Wednesday 18 November 2026 (11 am - 5 pm)
Blackburne house, Liverpool - tickets from £50 with a number of concessionary tickets available.
This first ever event, hosted by Liverpool John Moores University Diversity & Inclusivity Team, will spotlight the brilliance, influence and future-sharping contributions of Black researchers across the UK.
Find out what the Black Researcher Consortium is all about, drop in to the free online community session on Tuesday 20 October 2026, to find out more and meet some of the community.
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ACCELERATE Secondment Opportunity – Express Your Interest
Deadline: Rolling — apply early to secure place.
Applications are open for secondments with the MSCA-funded ACCELERATE project, advancing UAV/drone and AI applications in environmental, social, and heritage research.
Eligibility: Open to Early Career Researchers (including postgraduate researchers) at Exeter in all subjects, and particularly in archaeology, history, anthropology, geography, heritage studies, engineering, data science, or AI. Interest in drones, impact assessment, or interdisciplinary research is encouraged.
Secondments: One month (extensions possible) at partner institutions across the EU, starting as early as Autumn 2026–27.
Funding: €2,300/month for travel and subsistence, reimbursed via receipts.
To apply: Submit a CV (max 2 pages) and a 500-word expression of interest (research summary, motivation, expected benefits, preferred host).
Queries - Contact: Prof Ioana Oltean or Prof Marisa Lazzari.
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Looking for ECRs Who Prominently Use Social Media
Are you an Early Career Researcher who uses social media prominently to support research dissemination? We are looking to run a few sessions to help researchers who utilise online resources as a way of increasing their presence, running specific bespoke support to enable even greater social media presence for your work.
If you think this is you then please contact Dr Simon Strange (researchdissemination@exeter.ac.uk).
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Call for Participants: What’s your workplace culture? YOUR experience, YOUR voice.
⏳ Survey Closes : Monday 10 August 2026
UKRI’s funded EDI Caucus (EDICa) is running a short survey of research & innovation workplaces – capturing data from technicians, researchers, PhD students, professional service, administrative, managerial, operational, and support staff.
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Research Professional Futures Survey
The national Research Professional Futures project aims to reshape how research is delivered across the UK by exploring the role and future needs of Research Professionals (RPs). This diverse group of specialists, referred to at Exeter as research-enabling colleagues, plays a vital role in areas such as research development, governance, systems, public engagement, knowledge exchange, commercialisation, and library services.
As part of the project, Research Professionals working in UK Higher Education Institutions are invited to share their experiences, insights, and perspectives through a survey. The survey seeks to understand the work RPs do, the skills and networks they rely on, and the opportunities and challenges they anticipate over the next five years. Responses will help define the current landscape and inform the project's future recommendations and outputs.
Developed and delivered by Research Consulting, the survey takes around 30 minutes to complete. Research Professionals are strongly encouraged to participate and contribute their valuable perspectives.
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Research Grants, Funding & Competitions
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Epilepsy Research Institute - Now Open for Preliminary Applications!
Preliminary application deadline for all award types : Monday 28 September 2026 (4 pm)
We’re welcoming proposals across a broad range of epilepsy research areas, and we have different award types to support researchers at all career stages.
You can find full details about our grants below
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Dr 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.
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New Pivot-RP Searches for the ECR Community
As part of ongoing work to develop our university-wide support for fellowship applicants and active fellows, we have established two curated Pivot-RP searches targeted at this ECR community that can be readily accessed and tailored to individual’s needs. Guidance on how to do this can be found on the button below.
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Research & Researcher Networks
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DICE Network+ ECR Community Event
Friday 4 September 2026 (9.30 am - 3 pm)
Loughborough University - Free event and funding is available to contribute towards travel costs.
Are you an Early Career Researcher working across digital innovation, circular economy or related disciplines?
Join DICE Network+ ECR Community Event to build industry connections, develop practical career skills and explore how your research can create real-world impact.
The day will include:
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Visits to Intelligent Energy and R3VTech Ltd.
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Networking with fellow ECRs and industry partners.
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A challenge-based workshop on digital innovation for a circular economy.
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IP and commercialisation training from Loughborough University’s Research and Innovation Office.
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Practical career insights from speakers on navigating different pathways.
Participants can also join an online workshop ahead of the event on bridging research and industry cultures, delivered by Developing Business-Aware Academics.
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The Exeter Wellbeing Network is a social group for staff and PGRs run by volunteers, hosting a variety of events to help colleagues based at Streatham, St Luke's or online to connect with one another. Recurring events include StaffCraft, Volleyball, Walk and Talk and Fika; find the full list on our webpage.
You can also contact us at wellbeing-network@exeter.ac.uk.
If you are looking for information about activities at Penryn, Falmouth and Truro, please visit the Cornwall Wellbeing Network webpage.
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British Academy ECR Network Southwest South Wales
The Southwest & South Wales (SWSW) cluster of the British Academy’s ECR Network provides opportunities for ECRs to enhance their competitive edge through skills development, support, networking, access to funders and experts, and exclusive funding opportunities. Our event programme pauses in July and August but we will be back in September: a tentative schedule is indicated below.
Upcoming opportunities:
SWSW Connect - a monthly online gathering where we connect, exchange knowledge, support and inspiration.
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Tuesday 8 September 2026 (12 noon - 1 pm) ‘Demystifying the recruitment process - postdoc’ tentative topic.
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Tuesday 13 October 2026 (12 noon - 1 pm) ‘Demystifying the recruitment process – research lectureship’ tentative topic.
SWSW Webinar Series - aims to bring knowledge and skill-based content relevant to our community every month, with engaging expert speakers.
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Autumn dates tbc ‘AI in Research’ and ‘AI in Assessment’ Dr Rachel Bynoth, Bath Spa University.
SWSW Book Proposal - We are assessing interest in contributing chapters to a book proposal on ‘AI and Identity’. For queries or to express your interest, email Dr Samreen Ashraf: sashraf@bournemouth.ac.uk using subject line ‘Book Chapter Contribution – AI and Identity’
Join the Network here. Contact Dr Linda Lanyon for more information.
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ECR Community on Viva Engage
Have you noticed the University community for ECRs on Viva Engage? Lots of ECRs have already been added and if you are not on there, you can join. This is a collaborative online space to share and discuss ideas, ask questions and keep up to date with the latest activities, events and opportunities.
Have your voice heard and shape our community and ECR culture. Join the conversation now by sharing your first post!
This page is maintained and moderated by the Researcher Development team.
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Research & Researcher Blog
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Organising an Event & Need Help?
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Health, Wellbeing & Support
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Support Available for Academic Colleagues
Following the announcement regarding the consultation with academic colleagues, we appreciate that this may be an unsettling time and we would encourage you to seek support if needed:
Trade Unions.
Colleague Wellbeing.
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Supporting Colleagues with Connections to Conflict-Affected Regions
The University understands that this may be a particularly difficult and uncertain time for colleagues with loved ones in regions affected by conflict, violence, and humanitarian crises around the world.
Please remember that wellbeing support is available to you if you need it. Our Employee Assistance Programme, Spectrum Life, is accessible 24/7, offering free and confidential support, advice, and counselling to all colleagues and their dependants over 16. You will also find a range of useful resources for support on our Colleague Wellbeing webpages.
The University's Global Incidents webpage will be updated with further advice for colleagues as appropriate.
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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.
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