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

 

How can the Researcher Development Statement help you?

The recent launch of the Researcher Development Statement (RDS) could prove useful for research students and research staff as it provides guidance about the technical skills,  competencies and attributes of a researcher. This could be helpful when reflecting on where your strengths lie and where you may need some help to improve.

The RDS has evolved from the Joint Skills Statement (JSS) which was jointly issued by the UK Research Councils in 2001 and it updates the JSS extending researcher development beyond the doctoral experience.

Although the RDS is a guide which is  primarily intended to be used by policy makers and research organisations to help them provide relevant personal, professional and career development opportunities for researchers in higher education, it was suggested at the Vitae Researcher Development Conference 2010 that there is less distinction now between academic and non-academic skills sets.  Perhaps then the RDS will help research staff and students who intend to move between academic and non-academic positions as well as those that wish to remain in higher education.

 

 

 

Do you want to be a Science Journalist?

Do you like the idea of learning how to work within the conditions and constraints of the media to produce accurate and well informed pieces about developments in science? The British Science Association have just launched their 2011 Media Fellowship scheme where postgraduate researchers who are interested in a career as a science journalist can spend 3 to 8 weeks working with a national press, broadcast or internet journalist.  See http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/scienceinsociety/MediaFellowships/ for more information.

If you are interested in a media career keep an eye on the Careers Service website and this blog site for information about the forthcoming “Get Into Media” week at UCL.

Your PhD, what next?

One glance at the national statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and you can see that, from the period 2003 – 2007 the destinations of PhD graduates were diverse, with 35 % going into research roles across all sectors, 23% of respondents employed as research staff and 14% as lecturers (for more information, download the PDF ‘What do Researchers do?‘). The end of a PhD is a key decision point for many considering their future career direction, so for those of you who would like some help and support through this process there are a number of sources of advice. The booklet ‘Your PhD, what next‘ which can be downloaded free from the Prospects careers website addresses key issues such as what you will face if you choose an academic career and a non-academic career path, how to find vacancies and develop skills recruiters require, and the job application process. Similar information is available on the Careers section of the Vitae website.  Alternatively, you can also attend our career planning workshops run through the Graduate School skills programme (more will be planned for the autumn of 2010) or you can pop in and talk to one of our Careers Advisers.

Posted by Calum Leckie, UCL Careers Service

Want to enhance your teaching and mentoring experience?

Some useful information has come through about a programme that will be of particular interest to those of you who want to make themselves marketable for academic positions but need to improve your teaching and mentoring experience;

Researchers in Residence is an RCUK funded scheme that is supported by the Wellcome Trust. The scheme organises placements for early-stage career researchers (PhD and post doc) in host secondary schools and colleges. During the placements researchers bring their knowledge to bear through a range of activities including demonstrations, discussions, careers talks or university visits to inspire 11-19 year olds about their work. Researchers benefit from the opportunity to develop transferable skills in communication, project management and teamwork which can help further academic careers or build their CV. Experience as a Researcher in Residence also maximises the impact of their research through public engagement and many previous ‘RinRs’ have found that it makes the impact plan aspect of grant applications much easier to write.  Placements provide exposure to a varied audience and challenge researchers to view their research from a fresh perspective, which can potentially improve the research and its impact. All participants receive free, expert communication training prior to beginning a placement in order to develop project ideas and detail how to operate in a classroom environment.

Each placement lasts 14-24 hours of student contact time and is delivered alongside supportive classroom teachers.

Calum Leckie

UCL Careers Service

‘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

Careers Survey for Doctoral Researchers (+ £500 Prize Draw)

via : http://manchestersteps.wordpress.com/

If you are studying for a Doctorate, CRAC would like to hear from you about your career aspirations and decision-making, as part of a national online survey commissioned by Government, and supported by Vitae.

They’d like to know (amongst other things):

• why you chose to do your particular research programme
• what sort of job/career you are seeking when you complete
• whether that job/career is related closely to the subject of your research

By completing this survey, you can enter their draw for a high-spec digital SLR camera or an iphone 3GS — your choice — each worth around £500. To have a chance of winning, all you need to do is complete the online survey.

It should take you no more than 15 minutes.

** All responses and information remain confidential. **

Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/doctoralcareerchoices

The survey is now live and will be open until Friday 23 April 2010.

Find out more details at http://www.crac.org.uk/careerchoices.

If you have any queries about the survey please contact robin.mellors-bourne@crac.org.uk

JSPS London Short-Term Award

Call for Applications with Fellowships to Start Between November 2010 to the end of March 2011

Closing Date: 17:30, Tuesday 1 June, 2010

We would like to inform you of our second call for applications for the JSPS Short-Term Award Programme for fiscal year 2010. 

JSPS is the leading research funding agency in Japan, established by the Japanese Government for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science. JSPS plays a key role in the administration of various scientific and academic programmes, whilst expanding bilateral exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom.

The Short-Term Award provides the opportunity for pre and post doctoral UK researchers and European and North American researchers based in the UK to visit Japan for 1 to 12 months to undertake cooperative research with leading research groups at Japanese Universities and Institutions.  The programme is designed to provide researchers with first-hand experience of the research and living environment in Japan.

Eligible research fields are not limited: computer, engineering, health, biological, life, natural and physical sciences, mathematics, humanities and social sciences etc.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday, 1 June, 2010 and successful applicants are asked to start their fellowship between November 2010 to the end of March 2011.

Electronic versions of all the application materials are available at:  http://www.jsps.org/funding/fellow_short.html

Career Stories On Film

Finding someone who has followed the exact career path as you is pretty much impossible, but if you hunt around enough you can find someone who has a similar direction, and may give you some pointers.

There are a range of video examples like the one above on the iCould website, but you’ll need to dig for research focused subjects, so here is a handy list of some of them to get you going

If you are a UCL Researcher and fancy documenting your experiences then get in touch.

A range of websites for your Wednesday afternoon lull…

Ah! Wednesday, all those Undergraduates are off playing sport and getting ready to chuck cut price alcohol down their necks in the Kriss Akabusi Pleasure Lounge, while you are struggling through the rest of the day.

Well, to pep up your Wednesday afternoon here are a few interesting websites to wet your whistle!

Beyond The PhD – http://www.beyondthephd.co.uk/

“A Career Resource for Arts and Humanities PhD Researchers.” – An interesting website containing profiles of former PhD Students with audio clips, articles and videos on topics affecting your career progression.

What Do PhDs Do? - http://www.grad.ac.uk/wdpd/

This isn’t about the daily ins and outs of your studies, but is instead the first analysis undertaken of First Destination Statistics of a cohort of PhD Students.