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Postdoctoral Researchers

Key information for Postdoctoral Researchers in MPS.

Getting Started

• Welcome Guide for New Researchers - see the Research Staff Office helpful notes on working at Sussex
• Induction - you will be gven a local induction session to the School which will include general health and safety, and practical matters.
• MPS New Staff Handbook - a practical guide to working in the School
• Start of Contract Discussion Guidance - this should take place within one month of your contract start
• Set up your Sussex Online Researcher Profile
• Research staff FAQs
• Relocation expenses claim form

Training

• See the Research Staff Office programme for Researcher Training & Development
• Your department will have a seminar series, usually led by the research group
• Networks of research staff
• Coaching and mentoring for research staff

Travel and attending conferences and events

Funding from IOP for Physicists to attend international events

The University requires travel to be booked via Key Travel where possible. Contact them by emailing sussex@keytravel.com or calling 0845 1220102 with the details of your trip to request a quote.Sometimes it can be more cost effective to book directly through an airline or hotel. In this case, you must first request a quote from Key Travel to confirm that this is the case. 

You must apply for travel insurance and complete a Risk Assesment form for every trip which takes you away from the university overnight. Ask at the school office if you need help with this. Who signs what - a breakdown of who you should get to sign your documents

Finance Related

• The University uses an online finance tool called Unit 4, and you will use this for claiming expenses and making purchases via approved suppliers. Information on How To Use Unit 4 Finance System
• Purcases should be made via the Finance System, however if the supplier is a one-off, low value, not on the Finance System, and you cannot find the item anywhere else (often the case in experimental fields) you can access the MPS Credit Card via Gemma Harman or Cassandra Churchwell.

Appraisal

Appraisals in MPS

For Line Managers of Research Staff

• Induction checklist
• Start of contract meeting notes
• PI's: How to support your research staff
• Training for Line Managers
• Research staff FAQs

Research Staff Reps

•  Your Research Staff representatives can be found here.
•  The role of the representative
•  You can contact other Research Fellows using the mailing list mps_researchstaff@sussex.ac.uk .  All Research Fellows are added to this list.

Human Resources

• Research Faculty Terms and Conditions
• Family Friendly policies
• Human Resources contacts: HR Advisor for MPS is Rose Pringle.  HR Admin queries should be directed to: hradmin.mps@sussex.ac.uk
  

Useful Contacts

• The Director of Research Knowledge Exchange for the School is Dr Andrea Banfi.  Please feel free to contact Andrea with any concerns you may have regarding your work as a researcher.
• Local administrative support is provided by the Research Support Team - Sinead Rance, Emma Ransley and Cara Gathern.
• For general enquiries, please contact mpsresearchsupport@sussex.ac.uk
• The facilities of the Sussex Research Hive are available for all researchers.                                                                                                                
• The central resource for research faculty is the Research Staff Office.