International Institute for Environment & Development joins panel for PhD Employer Forum – Careers in Natural Resources & Environmental Sustainability

New speaker just signed up for this event which aims to provide PhD and other research students with the opportunity to hear from and network with employers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability sector. Speakers (many who hold a PhD) work in organisations that cover non-academic research, policy, consultancy, engineering and scientific roles have been invited to talk about their sector, their career progression and the best routes into these positions. They will also give tips on how PhD and research students can use their qualifications and experiences to enter these fields.

Organisations/Panel Speakers:

• ***NEW SPEAKER*** - Krystyna Swiderska, Senior Researcher, Natural Resources Group, International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED)
• Sally Watson, Principal Hydrogeologist, Water & Environment, Atkins
• Paul Van Heyningen, Head of Sustainability and Estates, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
• Ross Haacke, Senior Geophysicist, CGG Veritas
• Josie Arendorf, Technical Consultant, Oakdene Hollins
• Jonathan Henton, Geology Discipline Lead, BP

Date/Time: Wednesday 30th May, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Venue: Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building

For full  information and to register for this event please go to the Graduate School Forum website page.

How to Generate Funding – Tips for Research Students

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PGR Tips is Vitae’s monthly email, which offers tips and advice to help PhD researchers through their doctorate.

In this month’s issue there is some really useful advice on the ability to generate funding which is a real necessity if you aspire to a career in academia.  Even outside of academia this ability is highly valued and is often one of the skills that employers may look for.

The advice given by PGR Tips provides information about the following things you will need to consider:

• start with small funding applications
• be as informed as you can be
• perfect the art of persuasion
• formulate a strong hypothesis
• be clear on the methodology you intend to use
• put in detail
• be realistic
• present  preliminary data
• follow any guidelines to the letter
•  edit, edit and edit again

Go to the current issue of PGR Tips  for the full information.

Finding funding for your postgraduate studies

Funding postgraduate study is always difficult.

If you are finding it hard to know where to go for funding information you can now  search the Prospects Funding database.   We also have a handy “Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding” which is available in our Careers Service office in the ULU Building in Malet Street.

Another place you could look at if you are interested in finding out about benefits and grants for all types of activity is Turn 2 Us. 

ESRC Early Careers Media Training Days for PhD and Post Doc researchers

The ESRC have organised three Early Careers Media Training days next month, taking place on the 7th, 10th and 28th March. These one day training events are aimed at PhD & Post Doc researchers and are free to attend (but a cancellation fee will apply for no-shows). For more details email  Charles.Clerck@esrc.ac.uk

 

Making the Transition to the Workplace – PhD Skills Workshop with Ernst & Young

The difference between how you manage your academic studies and how you manage in the workplace, either as a researcher, lecturer or in a non-academic role, has often been identified as a difficult transition for research students. This session will look at the key differences between being a research student and being an employee, and the skills that will be required to make a successful transition.

Time/Date: 1:00pm – 4:00pm on Mon 28 Feb 2011

You will need to register for this workshop through the Graduate School at http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/course-details.pht?course_ID=928

Need a post holiday motivation boost?

Its common for most people to suffer the post holiday blues after a long break, but for many who are working on a PhD maintaining long term motivation, energy and enthusiasm can be tough at times. However, help is at hand from UCL Student Psychological Services who this term are offering a support group for students to help maintain PhD project momentum, called ‘Dr WHO?‘. The course starts in February and there are five sessions in total. You can sign up for this either via the Graduate School or direct through UCL Student Psychological Services. For further details click here.

What are last year’s graduates up to?

What are last year’s graduates up to? Well, some of them will be joining us at next week’s panel discussion, Tackling the Job Market: Graduate Stories.

Find out what job-hunting was like for these UCL alumni, who graduated in 2009 and found success in a range of careers. If you are completing your Masters or finalising your PhD, this session could give you some ideas about how to make your first career move after graduating.

Jemma graduated in 2009 with a MA in Cultural Heritage Studies and joined GradClub. Find out what she did next:

I finished my MA in Cultural Heritage Studies in October, at which point I was optimistic about landing a museum job, given my experience as a volunteer. However, it soon became apparent this wouldn’t be as easy as I thought. For a start, I was surprised by how long each application form took to fill in, and then even more surprised by the lack of response I had to my applications. This became quite depressing very quickly! I mainly used job seeking websites such as the Guardian (a popular choice) and more specific sites for my target cultural sector. Throughout all of this I regularly attended GradClub sessions and arranged slots with the career advisors, they were important not just for the advice they gave (checking through CVs and applications) but for that bit of a boost.

London Career Forum 2010

Cross Post from our International Students Blog

If you are bilingual in Japanese and English or bilingual in Japanese and French or German, then you might want to attend this event taking place on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June at the Earls Court Conference Centre.

Global companies based in Japan and Europe will be attending with a view to hiring candidates with these languages skills.

Students wishing to attend must fit the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled in a bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D. program outside of Japan
• Graduated from a bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D. program outside of Japan
• Students from Japan currently or was enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate exchange program

For further information visit http://www.careerforum.net/event/ldn/?lang=E

PhD Employers Forum

What are employers looking for in PhD students and how can you present yourself and your unique talents in the best light?

The UCL PhD Employers Forum taking place from  11:00am – 5:00pm on Thursday 13 May 2010 gives PhD students from numerate, technical and scientific backgrounds the opportunity to meet potential future employers face to face, find out the options available, and practice some of the skills that will make all the difference to moving into a career beyond your PhD.

The day will be of interest not only to students nearing the end of their research, but also to research students at any point their career wishing to gain an insight into the PhD labour market in sectors including Engineering, Economic Research, Banking, Professional Services, IT and  Consultancy.

Currently confirmed to attend are Accenture, Barclays Capital, Cantab Capital Partners, Matchtech, Morgan Stanley, Oclaro, 02, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Teach First and Winton Capital Management.

For more details and to register to attend please visit : http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/course-details.pht?course_ID=1031

Also you might want to attend the How To Use The PhD Employers Forum session on Monday 10 May 2010 – 13.30pm at UCL Careers Service, 4th Floor, ULU Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY

This half hour session is designed to give you pointers on how to use the PhD Employers Forum. No registration is necessary but please do arrive for a 13.30 start.

PhD Students looking to attend the PhD Employers Forum can also get their CV checked using the UCL Careers Service Quick Query sessions. Full details via http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/advice/quickquery

‘Leadership in Action’ course from Vitae

Interesting upcoming workshop from the researcher development organisation Vitae coming up in June:

Do you want to…
develop your leadership skills?
explore the concept of leadership?
build confidence in your own leadership style?

Vitae is running the ‘Leadership in action’ course on 8-11 June following the success of the pilot last year. The course is for both postgraduate researchers and research staff. It is a three-day residential course which will allow you to explore and develop your leadership skills. This course takes a ‘learning by doing’ approach. There will be presentations on leadership theory, but for the most part, you will be actively participating in the sessions and activities.

The course will be led by a team of experienced facilitators who will work with you throughout the three days to support your learning. They will be from a variety of backgrounds with experience in leadership, academia and other sectors. Places are limited so book now!

Posted by Calum Leckie, UCL Careers Service