I am actively involved in supporting early career researchers in issues of employability, career development and skills training in preparation for academic careers.
From 2012-15 I was responsible for the Academic Careers and Employability Programme (ACE) at the Institute of Advanced Study, University of Warwick, developing a programme of activities and web resources which provided fellows with dedicated training opportunities around relevant career-stage issues including public engagement, the REF, publishing, and interview preparation.
I sat on the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Research Careers and Training Advisory Group Network. I am regularly invited to speak about ECR issues across the UK, and notes from many of my talks are available via the links below, organsied by theme.
Recent talks
“Making a Module” Workshop, University of Surrey SLL PGR symposium 2022.
Transitioning into an academic career. University of Surrey, 2021 and 2022. academic careers – slides
Panellist, International Job Market Panel, North American Victorian Studies Association job market group. 7 November 2020.
Mental health and well-being: the early career researcher perspective. History UK plenary, 19 October 2019.Slides
Money and a room of one’s own: fellowships and funding for PhDs and ECRs. Workshop at the British Association for Victorian studies conference, University of Dundee, August 2019. Slides
Navigating the REF as an early career researcher. Surrey Research Staff Association, 30 April 2019. Slides .
Plenary talk: “How publishers and librarians can support early career researchers in a changing publishing landscape.” UKSG annual conference, Telford, 8-10 April 2019.slides. Blog post.
Panellist: “The academic monograph in the arts and humanities: practicalities, problems, and possibilities”.TECHNE Congress, Royal Holloway, Thurs 10th & Fri 11th January 2019. Slides .
Interview techniques for ECRs. ECA survival: survival strategies for humanities ECRs. Cardiff University, 17-18 November 2018. slides. sample interview questions .
Publishing after your PhD. Research workshop in English studies, Spanish Association Of Young Researchers on Anglophone Studies. Sede Universitaria de la Ciudad de Alicante, 25-26 May 2018. ECR publishing workshop may 2018
The REF from an ECR perspective. Navigating the REF, C 19 matters training day. Cardiff University, 19 May 2018. 2018 ref 19 May.
Academic careers: navigating the post-PhD years, talk to PGRs in the School of Literature and Languages, University of Surrey, 17th January 2018. Slides.
The voice of the academic: vocal training for academic success: A one-day workshop for PhD students, 22nd September 2017, University of Surrey – I organised this event, full details here. Follow-up resources.
“ECRs and REF 2021”, at Publishing and Research Strategies for ECRs, 20th September 2017, Institute of Classical Studies. Slides and notes from the talk.
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Career development
“Boundaries Encountered Going into Academia” panel at the TECHNE 6th Student Congress Negotiating Thresholds: Borders, Boundaries and Doorways in Arts & Humanities Research, University of Surrey, 4-5th July 2017. Slides. Blog post.
“Postgraduate welfare” plenary panellist at Britgrad; British Graduate Shakespeare Conference, 2nd June 2017. Slides.
“Supporting Early Career Researchers” Wiley Society Executive Seminar on Partnering to Support the Research Process, 28th April 2017. Slides. Blog post from the talk.
“Digitising our futures: early career professionalization in the digital sphere.” Researching our Futures – A student led careers conference for PhD Researchers. Thursday 16th March 2017, Newcastle University. Blog post from the talk.
“The transition into academic jobs in English.” Talk to PGRs in the School of English and Languages, University of Surrey, 5th December 2016. Notes from the talk.
“From publish or perish, to publish and thrive: developing a publication strategy as an ECR.” Invited talk at PhD Publishing Workshop, International Centre for Cultural & Heritage Studies, Newcastle University, 5th July 2016 – notes and slides from the talk.
“Balancing Acts: Teaching and Research.” Invited talk at Early Career Academics discussion day, sponsored by the English Association and University English, King’s College London, 2nd June 2016 – notes from the talk.
How to get published as an ECR: interview on Stylish Academic.
“Early Career Researchers: understanding the challenges and addressing the issues.”A Taylor & Francis Conversazione, 3rd December 2015 – notes from the evening.
“‘Money and a room of one’s own’: funding, fellowships, and the transition from PhD to Postdoc.” Invited talk at Northern Nineteenth Century Network Victorian Studies Professionalisation Day, 26th May 2015 – slides from the talk.
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The REF and ECRs
I have worked on a project on “The impact of the REF on early career researchers”.
Findings from a UK-wide survey were presented at the Westminster Higher Education Forum “Next Steps for the REF” on 23rd April 2015: “A Culture of Publish or Perish? How the REF affects Early Career Researchers.” Paper draft.
The work was reported in several HE news outlets:
- Times Higher Education supplement article on the survey.
- Research Fortnight’s report.
- Society for Research into Higher Education blog.
- British Psychological Society report.
Prior to this, I was responsible for a 6 month project researching the implications of the REF 2014 for early career researchers, and disseminating core information to ECRs around research impact, wider engagement, and career planning in the context of the REF. Outputs from the project included:
- REF 2014 for ECRs for The New Academic.
- Impact and ECRs
- Case Study: Impact in the Arts and Humanities
- Online Live Q&A on the REF and ECRs; a live chat with experts from Warwick answering questions from ECRs
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Public Engagement and Social Media
Creating a digital identity as an Academic; talk to NU Women, Newcastle University’s Women’s Network, March 2016. Blog post.
Research Impact and Public Engagement for Career Success; I was on the panel for this jobs.ac.uk Google+ hangout, July 2015. See also my guest blog post for jobs.ac.uk on Impact and Public Engagement: what ECRs on the job market need to know
Social Media for Academics: I was interviewed for this book by Mark Carrigan, published in 2016.
“Networking tales: personal and social networking .” What’s next after your PhD? University of Warwick, ESRC Doctoral Training Day, 22nd May 2015, and 14 June 2016.
The changing culture of digital academia: interview with Tomi Oladepo on Digital Media Culture, October 2014.
“Communicating your Research Outside Academia” at Co-producing cultural policy event for PGs and ECRs, Thursday 9th July 2014: slides
Single- and multi-author blogging panellist at Transforming Objects, University of Northumbria, 28-29th May 2012; JVC Online’s report.
Embracing Digital Tools as an Academic talk for Digital Change GPP: University of Warwick, 17th May 2012; podcast.
Social Networking and New Media panellist at “Making an Impact with your Research”, University of Warwick, 21st May 2012.
Guardian Higher Education Network panellist:
- Academic Blogging, the power and the pitfalls 19th October 2012
- Networking online and off for academics and university staff, 5th April 2013
ECRchat host:
- Postdoctoral fellowships and funding, 16th October 2014
- Balancing workload, 20th March 2014
- Interdisciplinary Research, 14th February 2013
- Blogging your Research, 25th October 2012
Early Career Victorianists and Social Media: Impact, Audience and Online Identities, Amber K. Regis (Journal of Victorian Culture, 17.3); featured case study.
Getting out there with your research; online article, March 2012.
Researcher Life: the Early Career Researcher experience: editor 2011-13; blog authored by Warwick early career researchers covering topics such as teaching, careers, research, publishing, and online identity.
Research Networks
I worked on the design and development of a Research Networks Toolkit, a collaboration with the Institute of Advanced Study which enables ECRs to obtain funding for the formation of interdisciplinary and collaborative research networks (such as my own Travel and Mobility Research Network).
Academic writing
I have written a number of articles on academic writing for PhD students:
Dr Charlotte Mathieson 