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ECR Newsletter - June 2025
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ECR Representative Committee
Tuesday 1 July 2025 (9.30 am - 11 am) - Online
ECRs are welcome to join the next online Representative Committee meeting which is an opportunity for ECRs to have their voices heard and to raise issues that can be brought to higher University committee for deliberation. This meeting is also an opportunity to hear about what the University is doing for ECRs. If you wish to be added to the meeting circulation list, email researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk and you will be sent an invitation along with joining link.
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Research Staff Development Programme
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Learning and Development Opportunities: University of Exeter and Beyond
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Overcoming Barriers to Writing & Goal Setting
Monday 9 June 2025 (2 - 3 pm) Online
This session addresses obstacles to writing and introduces 'obstacle thinking,' a reflective process to identify and confront these barriers. Participants will learn practical strategies for making time to write, a common challenge for many.
Learning Outcomes:-
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Identify personal writing barriers and use 'obstacle thinking' for effective responses.
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Apply strategies for writing amidst a busy schedule.
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Track writing behaviors to understand progress.
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Develop personalized strategies to maintain writing habits.
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Utilize tools to sustain momentum and progress, even when motivation wanes.
This session is for academic writers and authors at all levels.
Presenters: Bec Evans & Chris Smith from Written Academy.
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ECR Town Hall - St Lukes Campus
Theme : ECR strategy: what does it mean for me?
Tuesday 10 June 2025 (10 am - 11.30 am)
St Lukes Campus, South Cloisters, Room 306
A must for any Early Career Researcher who is interested in the University's ECR Strategy and what it will mean to them!
Discussions will include:-
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Personal, professional & career development;
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Vibrant, inclusive & supportive research culture;
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Recognition of your work and role in the university community.
Speakers: Fiona Pac-Soo, Assistant Director Research Services
Dr Chris Wood, Head of Researcher Development and Research Culture
Light refreshments served!
The Early Career Researcher (ECR) Town Halls take place termly and provide an opportunity for ECRs to meet in-person to build community, share experiences and network. The Town Halls are open to any Early Career Researcher (including research-only / education & research / education & scholarship staff & postgraduate researchers).
Anyone interested in attending must register via this form beforehand.
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ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science at Lancaster University
Wednesday 11 June 2025 (12 pm - 12.50 pm) UK time: Communicating Corpus Findings Effectively; Reading: Brezina (2025: pp. 83-85)
Wednesday 25 June 2025 (12 pm - 12.50pm) UK time: #LancsBox X: A New Vision; Reading: Brezina (2025: pp. 86-89)
The ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science at Lancaster University is offering some free informal meetings to explore key issues in corpus linguistics. This summer term’s theme is: “How Not to Be Replaced by AI: Corpus Linguistics Reflections.”
Sessions combine theoretical insights with practical applications, drawing on selected readings and current debates in both AI and corpus linguistics.
Reading: Brezina, V. (2025). Corpus linguistics and AI: #LancsBox X in the context of emerging technologies. International Journal of Language Studies, 19(2), 75-90.
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Writing World Leading & Impactful Research Papers
Thursday 12 June 2025 (2 pm - 3.30pm) - Online
Reporting your research as a publishable article involves 'packaging' your research in a form that is enticing to editors and reviewers, and ultimately, to your target readers. This interactive online webinar considers how to do just that!
It offers tools, techniques and strategies to help you plan, write and complete a REF paper, whether working on your own or with co-authors.
This webinar, delivered by Dr Chris Wood, also offers strategies for targeting your work at the most appropriate journals, so increasing your chances of being published successfully whilst making the process easier and looking at the essentials of writing a world leading and impactful research paper.
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Peer Reviewing Research Papers
Wednesday 18 June 2025 (2 pm - 3.30 pm) - Online
As your publishing gains pace, so will your research reputation. You will be approached by peer review journal editors to review other's submissions for publication. Join this interactive webinar to find out how to do this efficiently and effectively. Peer reviewing is an integral part of academic practice, but it can be fraught with conflicts and issues.
This online course, delivered by Dr Chris Wood, will critically evaluate your role as a peer reviewer. We will look at what the reviewer has to do and what they should be considering when fairly reviewing a paper.
By examining a number of `check-lists' we will also propose a structured approach to addressing the needs of both the authors of the paper and the editor of the journal.
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Networking Mini-Series for Early Career Researchers
Thursday 19 June 2025 (10.30 am - 3.30 pm)
Streatham Campus - venue details are on Register button below
Transform your research into action with the DBAA networking mini-series!
Are you an early-career researcher at the University of Exeter interested in collaborating beyond academia? Join us for a pair of workshops exploring how to connect beyond academia to unlock the potential of your research. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Jargon-free communications for networking beyond academia
Actively engage in practical activities designed to help you identify, develop and deliver messages tailored for non-academic audiences.
konfer collaboration clinic
Discover the konfer digital platform for networking between academics and businesses. Learn how to respond to calls for collaboration and promote your own opportunities to potential collaborators.
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Design and Facilitate Effective and Engaging Workshops
Monday 23 June 2025 (9.30 am - 12.30 pm) - Online
The ESI-ECR team is excited to invite you to our upcoming workshop facilitation training, led by Fast Track Impact. This half-day online session is designed to equip you with the basic skills and confidence needed to design and facilitate effective and engaging workshops.
Suitable for: ECRs, academics and professional services staff who organise and facilitate research workshops
This interactive online session will provide you with practical tools to enhance your facilitation skills, manage power dynamics, and handle challenging situations. You will learn techniques to make your workshops more efficient and enjoyable, ensuring they generate real-world impacts from your research.
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Sustaining Momentum & Building Lasting Writing Habits
Monday 7 July 2025 (2 - 3 pm) - Online
This session encourages reflection on writing experiences to identify consistency strategies. Participants will explore long-term writing habits and practical tools for sustainable progress.
Learning Outcomes:-
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Identify personal writing barriers and use 'obstacle thinking' effectively.
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Apply strategies to write consistently, even with a busy schedule.
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Track and reflect on writing behaviors for insight.
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Develop personalized strategies for lasting writing habits.
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Utilize tools to maintain momentum and progress when motivation dips.
This session is for academic writers and authors at all levels.
Presenters: Bec Evans & Chris Smith from Written Academy
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Guidance on Research Dissemination is Now Available on RIME for all Research Staff and PGRs.
This resource provides tutorials, tips, and practical guidance to help you plan and implement an effective dissemination strategy, ensuring your research reaches the right audiences. It includes a pre-publication checklist, advice on using academic networking platforms, social media, and engagement events, as well as tips for creating engaging content—such as infographics—and strategies for reaching policy, industry, and other stakeholder groups.
By understanding the most effective platforms, methods, and audiences for sharing your research, you can enhance its visibility, accessibility, and impact. Effective dissemination can also strengthen your academic profile, support future funding applications, facilitate advancing your career, and help you to build valuable networks and collaborations.
For further support or queries, contact our Research Dissemination Librarian at b.c.knight@exeter.ac.uk.
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Inspire the Next Generation of Researchers!
The Doctoral College is working with the Career Zone on an “Inspiring Future Researchers” project to encourage students from *under-represented groups to consider research as an achievable career choice.
We’re looking for Postdoctoral Researchers (ECRs) and Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) from similar under-represented backgrounds to share their stories (the highs and the challenges!) to illustrate that research is an attainable goal.
We’ll be using various channels to share stories including online profiles and prerecorded podcasts. If you’d like to find out more and get involved in the project, please complete the following short registration of interest form button below.
*Under-represented groups include those students who identify with at least one of the following indicators as defined by the University of Exeter’s Access and Participation plan 2025-29 :- socio-economically disadvantaged background, 1st generation in family to access Higher Education , Bursary recipient, mature , Disabled (physical, mental health condition social and communication or multiple disabilities), ethnic minority, care experienced or estranged from family.
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Research Grants, Funding & Competitions
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UKVRN Doctoral Training Programme
Deadline : Wednesday 23 July 2025
Fight for Sight is bringing together some of the UK’s brightest and most promising vision loss researchers with the launch of the UK Vision Research Network (UKVRN).
In a UK-first, the UKVRN will accelerate the translation of early-stage research into clinical breakthroughs by encouraging dynamic, multidisciplinary collaborations and attracting increased funding - fully unlocking the UK’s potential as a global leader and innovator in vision research.
We'll be asking the main supervisor to collaborate on the application with a co-supervisor from a different UK organisation, and ideally a different discipline. Both will co-supervise the doctoral student selected for their project.
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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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The University is a subscriber to PIVOT-RP, a comprehensive searchable online database of research funders and schemes, accessible to all colleagues and postgraduate researchers. To get started look at the Training and Guidance. Users can search for external and internal calls; create tailored searches, set up funding alerts, track opportunities, share, and collaborate with colleagues, and search for conference / paper calls
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Research & Researcher Networks
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SWSW Connect: Online Connection and Inspiration Each Month
Tuesday 10 June 2025 (12 noon – 1 pm) - Zoom
The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) - Southwest & South Wales (SWSW) invites ECRs across humanities and social sciences to a monthly ECR-driven online gathering where we get to know each other, exchange knowledge, support and inspiration. Meetings combine thematic content with time for networking and fostering new connections across the region.
June’s topic: Career Coaching
We will be joined by University of Exeter ECR coach, Kenneth Howgill to talk about careers and what comes up for ECRs in coaching.
Kenneth is a qualified and experienced career coach, lecturer and learning and development professional with over 20 years’ experience within the corporate sector, universities, further and adult education. He has held management roles in the public, corporate and not for profit sectors, leading professional development, coaching programmes, and recruiting graduates. Kenneth is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and holds a business degree, a master's in music and a professional career coaching qualification.
For more information, email Linda Lanyon.
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Raising the Value of Your Work with a Clear Professional Identity
Thursday 19 June 2025 (12.30 pm - 2 pm) - Online
John Niland, Self-Worth Academy
The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) - Southwest & South Wales invites ECRs across humanities and social sciences to its Webinar Series.
How do you talk about your work? In the Age of AI and of geopolitical turmoil, perception of value is changing all the time.
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What is professional identity and why is it important?
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Common pitfalls to avoid, when talking about your work
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The four biggest benefits of a clear identity at work
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The key steps to nurture an outstanding professional identity
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Why self-worth is vital, particularly during transitions
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Tips to illuminate the value of your work with other people
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Shifting from Growth-Mindset to Renaissance-Mindset
Contact Linda Lanyon for any enquiries.
The 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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Empowering Futures: Celebrating the Success of the Geography ECRN Career Event!
We’re excited to share the fantastic outcomes of the Geography Early Career Researcher Network career event, organised by our 2024 award holder, Dr Nina L Friggens. The two-day gathering was a resounding success, bringing together early career researchers from diverse backgrounds.
The event was meticulously organised to foster networking and collaboration. It featured engaging panel discussions with experts from both academia and industry, providing invaluable insights into various career pathways. Attendees participated in interactive workshops focused on CV enhancement, funding opportunities, and entrepreneurship, ensuring practical skills were at the forefront. Many expressed how inspiring and supportive the environment felt, highlighting the importance of such gatherings for early career researchers.
We invite you to visit our blog to read more about the award winners and their experiences from this impactful event Join us in celebrating their achievements and the vibrant future of early career researchers in geography!
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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 and Research Culture team.
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Health, Wellbeing & Support
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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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