External Conferences & Seminars

It might feel like a daunting prospect at the moment, but attending external conferences and seminars is vital if you want to build your professional network. Here are a few tips on making the experience less intimidating:

Choose a smaller event if it’s your first time. Huge conferences are scary, even for established academics.
Arrange to go with someone else. Accompanying someone you’ve chatted to on social media makes it easier, too, if you don’t have any suitable colleagues.
Skip some sessions if you need quiet time – there’s no need to attend absolutely everything.

How to find conferences & seminars

Your School will probably publicise suitable events, especially calls for papers. Make a note of the date and follow the organisers on Twitter or register for updates so you’re notified when registration opens.

There are many online listings that seek to consolidate everything that’s happening around the world. Some favour particular disciplines, so do take a look to find one that’s most appropriate for you:

Presenting at Conferences

You might want to attend a few conferences as a delegate before giving a paper. When you’re ready, there is presentation skills training available through the Researcher Development Programme. You can also view a recording of our webinar on Giving a Conference Paper in the Arts & Humanities (see below).

If your proposal is accepted to present a paper at an overseas conference, you can apply to the Sussex Researcher School (SRS) for help with the costs. The Doctoral Overseas Conference grant offers up to £1,100 to cover legitimate expenses.