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ECR Newsletter - March 2025
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The Culture, Employment, and Development in Academic Research Survey (CEDARS) - NOW OPEN!
Deadline : Monday 28 April 2025
This UK-wide survey is designed to capture the experiences, views, and needs of research staff and their managers in higher education institutions. It explores key areas such as research culture, employment conditions, professional development, and career aspirations. The opinions, ideas and experiences shared by you will go on to shape policy and practice at the University of Exeter and allow us to develop our already strong research culture. To have your voice heard click on the button below.
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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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Software Engineering Workshops
Intermediate Version Control (2 part):
17 & 24 March 2025 (1 pm - 4 pm) - Online.
Introduction to Regression with R
28 March 2025 (10 am - 1 pm) - In-person (Streatham)
Working with Data in R (2 part):
1 & 8 April 2025 (10 am - 1 pm) - In-person (Streatham)
Improve your R Code:
29 April 2025 (10 am - 1 pm) - In-person (Streatham)
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'Research Conversations: How to become a PI’ - seminar series aimed at ECRs
These seminars will help you navigate the funding landscape and provide a valuable opportunity to learn how to progress your research career towards independence. Please do feel free to register for one/some/all the sessions using the Microsoft Form below. All events will be held online and face to face, with a brunch/lunch provided at face-to-face events.
Preparing an Application
When: Wednesday 26 March 2025 (12.30 pm - 2 pm)
Recycling an Application
When: Wednesday 23 April 2025 (12.30 pm - 2 pm)
How to be a Co-I or PI
When: Tuesday 20 May 2025 (12.30 pm - 2 pm)
This activity is a Researcher-led Initiative that has been funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team.
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Revise and Resubmit Workshop
Friday 7 March 2025 (9.30 am - 11.30 am)
Hybrid - Council Chamber, Northcote House and Online
This workshop will provide colleagues with practical tips as to how to make the "revise and resubmit" process work for you.
As all of you know all too well, it is far more likely that first submissions of articles will be returned to authors for revisions before finally being deemed to be publishable or not. This so-called process of "revise and resubmit" is an art which is not often discussed among peers, so the aim of this workshop will be to provide colleagues with practical tips as to how to make the process work for you. We are fortunate that two Exeter scholars with a great deal of editorial and publishing experience - Judith Green and Muireann Maguire - have offered to lead an interactive workshop which should help all participants gain a clearer understanding as to what editors and journals are really asking for when they invite you to resubmit your work.
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Community Radio: Free Media Training for Researchers
Friday 7 March 2025 (11 am - 3 pm)
Room One, Higher Close, Dartington Hall, Totnes, TQ9 6EP
Soundart Radio is a community station based in Dartington, Totnes. As our production company Stelllaria Media, we specialise in building relationships between research and community media, including FUTURES on Air, a UKRI project with South West universities.
We are hosting a free workshop for researchers to find out how to collaborate with community media, gain public engagement experience and learn practical, creative skills for disseminating research.
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Finding Your Footprint: Academic and Broader Research Impact- Workshop Series
Tuesday 11 March 2025 - Research impact beyond academia
Tuesday 25 March 2025 - Practical workshops for mapping research impact
The sessions will be delivered in a hybrid format, allowing participants to join in person or online.
This interactive workshop series is designed for Early Career Researchers and Postgraduate Researchers to explore both traditional academic impact and broader societal, environmental, and economic impact.
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UKRSA In Person Meeting and EURAXESS meeting
UKRSA Meeting - Tuesday 11 March 2025 AM (times to be confirmed) - British Council, London
UKRSA can support the travel of 10 people (approx £60 per person) to attend this event. It will be great to see as many members as possible and have a strategic session about future goals of UKRSA, and how to grow this network and become more involved in improving research culture in all its forms for our researcher community.
EURAXESS Project Introduction Meeting - Tuesday 11 March 2025 (12.30 pm - 4.30 pm) - London
EURAXESS, the leading portal for opportunities in European research community will be relaunched in the UK this year with a new lead organisation and refreshed remit and scope. This and the agreement to Associate with Horizon Europe provides an opportunity for stakeholders and partners to consider the role of EURAXESS in the UK research landscape and shape its development for the next three years.
If you have any questions please email rachael.nicholas@vitae.ac.uk
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Free Webinar Series
The call for transformational, courageous anti-racist leadership in higher education – The Race Institute and UUK
This series is designed to inspire, empower, and equip university staff at all levels to champion anti-racist transformation. Join us online to explore how courageous leadership can dismantle systemic racism and reshape institutions, fostering a culture of equity, inclusion, and justice.
Today’s students, tomorrow’s Vice-Chancellors: Anti-racist leaders in the making
Wednesday 26 March 2025 (2 pm – 3 pm) Online
Discover how student leaders are shaping anti-racist change, holding institutions accountable, and fostering inclusive campus cultures. Read more and Register.
Reciprocal mentoring as a bridge for anti-racist leadership
Wednesday 30 April 2025 (2 pm - 3 pm) Online
Learn how reciprocal mentoring between early career professionals and senior leaders builds empathy, understanding, and transformational leadership. Read more and Register.
If you have any questions about these events, please do not hesitate to get in touch events@universitiesuk.ac.uk. Sign up to their Newsletter.
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SCI Masterclass Event - Interdisciplinary approaches to narrative empathy
Thursday 20 March 2025 (11 am - 1 pm)
Streatham Campus, Wellcome Centre boardroom, Queen's Building
The Societies & Cultures Institute invites Early Career Researchers and PGRs to join Suzanne Keen, award-winning literature professor, as she leads this masterclass exploring a range of topics including emotional congruence, sympathy and mimicry in literature.
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Shh… a Tender Act is coming to the Library in Penryn
Wednesday 26 March 2025 (5 pm - 7 pm)
Penryn Campus, The Library, Exchange Building
Join us for a silent disco like no other—tune into the unnoticed rhythms that shape the everyday soundscape of campus. Move through the space, listen deeply, and disrupt the quiet. Whether you come to sit, dance, stand, wander; this is a chance to hear your surroundings in a whole new way.
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Immerse yourself in sound
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Sit / dance / stand / wander
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Enjoy snacks and drinks on us!
Soundscapes produced by artists Georgia Gendall, Liam Jolly and Naomi Frears in collaboration with members of the SU Birdwatching Society, Life Drawing Society, Anime & Manga Society, Rugby Ladies and Puppetry.
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Top Tips for Successful Literature Views
'Make your Mark' Series - Prof Neil Vaughan.
Thursday 27 March 2025 (10 am - 11.30 pm) Online
This training will focus on essential skills to conduct effective and impactful literature reviews. These key skills can be applied in various disciplines within academic and professional research.
The course includes various types of literature reviews, such as systematic and narrative, covering the unique purposes and applications and aims to enable participants to efficiently identify and source relevant literature using search strategies and academic databases. This includes critically evaluating sources for credibility, relevance, and quality and also synthesizing and organizing information is included to identify key themes, trends, and gaps in the literature.
The course provides practical guidance on citation and referencing with accuracy and integrity and aims to provide a robust framework and practical skills to produce high-quality literature reviews that advance research goals.
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New GW4 peer support programme for neurodivergent Early Career Researchers - applications open!
Application Deadline - Wednesday 2 April 2025 (12 noon)
Are you a neurodivergent early career researcher or suspect you may be?
We're now accepting applications to join a new round of GW4 Connect; a cross-institutional peer support programme designed to recognise the unique experiences of neurodivergent ECRs.
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The 10-month scheme has been co-designed and will be facilitated by Joanna Hurry, a specialist in neurodiversity and employment, and created to allow ECRs to share experiences and build informal networks of support that will continue beyond the programme.
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Participants will have the opportunity to engage with peers and have open conversations about neurodiversity, research culture and academia, outside of institutional structures.
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The programme will start in June 2025, with availability for up to 16 participants, and is designed for different learning and interaction styles.
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Connecting Single Cell and Spatial Sequencing Researchers
Wednesday 2 April 2025 (1 – 4 pm)
St Luke’s Campus, South Cloisters 3.06
Register by Thursday 27 March 2025.
Do you use single cell or spatial sequencing techniques and data in your research? Join us at this networking event to meet other Early Career and Postgraduate Researchers and discuss opportunities and challenges in this field. The event is open to both experimental and computational researchers using these methods across the university. Contact Ann Babtie (a.babtie@exeter.ac.uk) with any queries.
This activity is a Researcher-led Initiative that has been funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team.
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Opening Doors - Tips on Creating your Own Opportunities
'Make your Mark' Series - Dr Amicia Phillips
Thursday 1 May 2025 (12 noon - 1.30 pm) - Penryn Campus, DM Seminar Room M
This interactive session will foster open discussion on taking initiative for career advancement. Participants will explore strategies for identifying and pursuing employment and funding opportunities, including those not publicly advertised. The session will also delve into ways to initiate research stays, placements, and collaborations. Through real-world examples of successful and unsuccessful attempts to create career opportunities, the course will provide practical guidance while encouraging participants to share their experiences and insights in an open environment.
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Writing Journal Articles : The Need to Knows
'Make your Mark' Series - Prof Neil Vaughan.
Tuesday 6 May 2025 (11 am - 12.30 pm) Online
This course will cover the essential skills to write and publish academic journal articles. This will include a thorough breakdown of the key sections of a journal article - abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion - and their specific functions.
The course will cover adhering to journal submission guidelines and formatting references in styles such as APA, MLA, or Chicago and will include techniques for presenting and interpreting data effectively using tables and figures to enhance the clarity of their findings.
Additionally, the course provides practical insights into navigating the peer review process, including strategies for responding constructively to reviewer feedback. To enhance productivity, participants will explore approaches like time management and dedicated writing sessions.
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The Future of AI and Its Impact in Mathematics Symposium
📅 Date: Wednesday 7 May 2025 (10 am - 4 pm)
📍 Location: Streatham Campus, Laver 320
This Conference will feature thought-provoking discussions led by renowned speakers, including:
🎙 Speakers:
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Prof. Yang-Hui He, Royal Institution, London
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Dr Sander Dieleman, Google DeepMind, London
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Prof. Ricardo Silva, UCL, London
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Prof. Chico Camargo, University of Exeter.
These experts will share their insights on AI-driven advancements in Mathematics. It will be a great opportunity to engage with leading researchers, exchange ideas, and explore the evolving intersection of AI and mathematical sciences. For more details, please see the attached poster.
Please note that registration is mandatory; however, it is free. You can secure your spot by registering via the button below.
This activity is a Researcher-led Initiative that has been funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team.
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Key Challenges and Sources of Support for Female Early Career Academics
'Make your Mark' Series - Dr Hannah Collis
Thursday 8 May 2025 (1.30 pm - 3 pm) Online
This online session will discuss the experiences and challenges faced by women working as early career academics, as well as the various ways in which they can be effectively supported. This session is based on an on-going research project, supported by British Academy/Leverhulme, which explores this topic across Business/Management Schools across the UK. While the data focuses on the experiences of women, we encourage all genders to attend the session to understand the challenges faced, which are both gendered and universal in nature, and it is the responsibility of everyone to support all early career academics as they embark within this industry.
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'Make your Mark' Series - Dr Helen Foster-Collins.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 (1 pm - 3 pm)
Streatham Campus, Old Library, Training Room 4
NVivo is a software program used for qualitative and mixed-methods research, to support the organisation and analysis of unstructured text, audio, video, and image data (eg, commonly used for projects which involve analysing interviews, focus groups, in-depth qualitative surveys etc).
This hands-on in-person workshop will introduce you to this software, and how to use it for coding during qualitative analysis, for methods such as thematic analysis, content analysis, grounded theory, and so on.
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Be Part of the University’s 2025 Gender Equality Conference
The University of Exeter’s first annual Gender Equality Conference is happening in May 2025, led by the Gender Equality Group.
There are lots of ways University of Exeter staff and students can get involved:
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Attend conference events
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Showcase your gender equality focused research, projects, and/or networks online or at our events
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Host/organise an event focusing on gender equality (please use our event tracker to let us know and we will list it on our website)
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Suggest further events, resources, support or networks to promote on our website.
If you have anything you would like to promote, or you want to organise or be part of an event, please email EDI@exeter.ac.uk.
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Free Online Resources for Researchers Interested in Planning Creative Projects
Developed by the Arts and Culture team, the 'Get Creative' toolkit has been specifically designed to offer researchers guidance around planning creative projects at the University of Exeter. It is a great place to start for those researchers who are new to working with creative practitioners or who are developing a research bid with a creative element. The toolkit playfully takes you through a series of questions to help you start to plan and develop your creative project. Alongside the planning section is a series of 'How To Guides' providing practical advice on the delivery of creative projects covering things like planning an exhibition, commissioning creative practitioners and planning communications.
Supporting all of this are four new signposting directories which provide opportunities for you to explore the creativity that already exists across the University's campuses.
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Introduction to Mixed Methods Research 2025
Monday 20 October 2025 (10 am - 4 pm) Online
£200 for PhD students, £300 for post-docs and other researchers
Want to learn more about mixed methods research? Join us for an online course delivered by mixed methods experts, Dr Sarah Jasim and Dr Ruth Plackett, both senior researchers at LSE and UCL.
This course will guide you through the essential principles of mixed methods research, practical applications, and tips on how to start writing up your research. It’s an excellent opportunity for PhD students, post-docs, and other researchers to enhance their skills.
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Research Grants, Funding & Competitions
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CHAI New to Causality Funding Call
Deadline : 8 May 2025
Total fund for Round 1: £250,000 (3 - 5 projects)
Funding: 80% fEC (in line with EPSRC guidance)
Duration: 6 - 12 months (starting in 2025)
Academic researchers are invited to apply for funding to lead collaborative and interdisciplinary proof-of-concept research projects.
Projects should explore causal AI methods in areas like machine learning, large-scale causal discovery, and decision support. Research must apply these methods to healthcare challenges, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and mental health. Ethical risk monitoring and policy applications are also encouraged.
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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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ECRN Enhancement Awards 2025 - Winners Announcement
We are pleased to announce the winners of the ECRN Enhancement Awards 2025. These awards are designed to foster the growth and enhancement of Early Career Researcher Networks (ECRNs) at the University of Exeter. The selected projects have demonstrated remarkable contributions to strengthening collaboration, promoting career development, enhancing research culture, and building community within the ECR community. Congratulations to the following winners:
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Tackling blocks, avoidance, and rejection sensitivity: developing a neurodivergent and accessible writing community of practice in European Centre of Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) - Dr Chloe Asker
ECRN: European Centre of Environment and Human Health (ECEHH)
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Developing microbiology research skills day - Dr April Hayes
ECRN: European Centre of Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) / Microbiology
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Foundation of an ECRN committee to organise the First Superintelligence Conference - Dr Cédric Mesnage
ECRN: Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence ECRN
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AI Can’t Do My Research … Yet … and Career pathways - Dr Dimitar Vlaykov
ECRN: ECRN Math & Stats
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Mini-conference ECRN day - Dr Christiana Lekka
ECRN: Clinical and Biomedical Sciences (CBS) ECRN
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Grant writing and mental health: a toolkit for Early Career Researchers to apply to two contrasting, but uniquely related, challenges - Dr Tom Horton
ECRN: Marine ECRN
These winning proposals exemplify exceptional dedication to enhancing the Early Career Research Network. We congratulate the award holders and look forward to witnessing the positive impact of their projects on the ECR community. For more detail of the awards, please visit our ECR webpage.
We are also excited to share recent ECR blog posts from Dr Chris Kerry and Dr Melika Janbakhsh both of whom won an ECRN Enhancement Award in 2024. These posts are part of our revived ECR blog and we look forward to sharing more posts about previous winners. This ECR blog is also designed for you to showcase your work, share insights and experiences, and connect with peers. If anyone is interested in blogging for us, please reach out to us at researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk.
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Making research assessment fairer – find out how you can communicate your research achievements in a compelling way without relying on metrics
Tuesday 18 March 2025 (1.30 pm - 3 pm) - Online
Universities, research teams, and individual researchers all want their research achievements and capabilities to be recognised fairly. Increasingly ‘metrics’ - quantitative indicators, like journal impact factors or university rankings – have become the go-to proxies for assessing research quality and scientific contributions. But metrics can also misrepresent and disadvantage researchers, distorting the work they choose to do, or where they choose to publish it, and holding back careers or whole disciplines.
Led by Professor Rob Anderson, Chair of our Responsible Metrics Champions group, this workshop will explore what responsible metrics are and how you can communicate your research achievements in a compelling way, whilst also avoiding some of the common traps associated with less responsible research assessment.
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Research & Researcher Networks
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🌱 Forest Bathing: Experience the Benefits of Shinrin-Yoku on Penryn Campus
Tuesdays 11, 25 March and 1, 8, 15 and 22 April 2025 (8 am - 9 am)
Multifaith chaplaincy near Tremough Barton farmhouse (start and end point)
Start your day gently with a one-hour forest bathing session involving a walk and short mindful activities in the outdoors led by local practitioner, Paul Simmons. Forest bathing is a playful, slow and childlike exploration of the woodland surroundings with all our senses. Be prepared for all weather and bring something waterproof to sit on! A small tea ceremony will end the session at the chaplaincy. This event has been organised by the Cornwall Wellbeing Network, a campus staff community network, and is open to all staff and postgraduate researchers from the University of Exeter, Falmouth University, FX Plus and the SU. Email Paul ps527@exeter.ac.uk with any questions.
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ESI ECR Network Spring Quiz
Wednesday 26 March 2025 (3 pm - 5 pm)
Penryn Campus, ESI Trevithick Room
Take a break from your research or daily work and enjoy a fun, light-hearted, in-person quiz afternoon filled with exciting activities! Whether you’re looking to test your knowledge or just have a good time, this in-person event is the perfect opportunity to unwind and connect with fellow ECRs and PGRs across Penryn campus. Contact Dr Anurag Roy if you have any questions.
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New ECR Community on Viva Engage
Have you noticed the new 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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