| Message from the Research Staff Office |
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Hello Everyone,
Welcome to this issue of the Sussex Researcher. We are very pleased to announce our 8 speakers (see article below) for the Spotlight @ Sussex Impact Day session on Tuesday 13th June. The speakers span a variety of disciplines and we are really looking forward to hearing about their research and its impact at the session.
Please lend your support to our Spotlight speakers by joining us in the audience on the day. This will be an excellent opportunity to hear about the great research going on across the University and to celebrate the impact of postdoctoral research at Sussex.
We hope to see you there and at the other events that we have going on throughout the month of June
Best wishes,
Natalie James and Catherine Pope, Research Staff Officers
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| Thinking Strategically About Your Research |
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Wednesday 7th June 2017, 10.00 - 13.00 - Book a place
In this interactive workshop we will explore strategic tools and approaches to assist longer term research planning. You will have an opportunity to take an objective view of your broader research field and start to build a research career plan that enables you to be proactive in pursuing your research goals and responding to the big questions in your field.
Following this workshop participants will:
- Have examined the components of a successful research career and their own motivations for pursuing research.
- Understand the drivers for taking a strategic approach to research planning.
- Have strategically mapped their research field(s) and have an awareness of how their research fits within the broader 'research landscape'.
- Have considered key stakeholders within research environments and how best to engage with them.
- Have considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for their research career over the longer term.
- Have developed a plan for taking a more strategic approach to their future research career.
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| Spotlight on...Dr Gianluca Memoli |
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 Research Fellow in Human-Computer Interaction for Acoustic Levitation
I was fascinated by the idea of shaping sound to create the feeling of touch
Sound has interactions with our body - think of when you can feel sound at a music concert - but the trick is making it into something we recognise. Creating invisible objects made of sound, soon we could pass a handshake via Skype. The pressure created in the air by hand movements would be recreated on the other side as an object made out of sound that can be felt, but not seen.
We've developed a simple DIY kit that allows everyone to shape and focus their sound via a lens that can be placed in front of any speaker. We want to shape sound in a similar way to how we shape light, in televisions or holograms.
I think I reached the peak of my career so far when I was featured on BBC Sussex on the same clip as Dr Who. They were comparing my work with Dr Who's sonic screwdriver which shapes sounds to make things move.
Read Gianluca's Spotlight Profile here.
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| News |
| Spotlight @ Sussex Impact Day: Speakers Announced! |
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Preparations for the Spotlight @ Sussex Impact Day, celebration of postdoctoral research are in full swing and we are excited to announce our eight speakers for the event.
- Dr Adam Barrett - Measuring Consciousness
- Dr Stefano Caserta - Discovery of novel biomarkers for sepsis
- Dr Priya Deshingkar - Demonised migration brokers offer useful lessons for reducing migration risks
- Dr Helena Harder - Patient involvement in developing bWell - a breast cancer app
- Dr Mari Martiskainen - The Energy Cafe - Community Action on Fuel Poverty
- Dr Christiane Oedekoven - Remembering events - the influence of memory impairment
- Dr Katarzyna Pisanski - Science for sale: Predatory journals and editorial misconduct
 Dr Elizabeth Rendon-Morales - First minute of life: novel technologies for heart monitoring
View the full abstracts for the talks here
Bookings are now open for all Sussex Impact Day sessions and we hope that as many of you as possible will join us in the audience on the day to hear our Spotlight speakers.
Book your place in the audience for Spotlight @ Sussex Impact Day
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| Opportunity to join University's Athena SWAN Committee |
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 The University's Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team is seeking an early career postdoctoral researcher from any discipline to join the group.
The Athena SWAN Charter is dedicated to the advancement of the representation of women within higher education, and was launched in 2005 with over 100 universities and research institutes - including Sussex - having signed up as members. Originally aimed at the STEMM disciplines, the Athena SWAN Charter was extended to include non-STEMM disciplines in 2015.
The University's Self-Assessment Team consists of members of staff and postgraduate students representing Schools across the University, and includes male and female members, both full and part-time staff, and those with recent experience of the University's recruitment and promotions processes. Responsible for the implementation of the University's Athena SWAN action plan, the SAT normally meets once a month.
If you are interested in this opportunity and would like further information please contact N.A.James@sussex.ac.uk
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| What Every Postdoc Needs to Know |
A new book titled 'What Every Postdoc Needs to Know' was published last month. Authored by Liz Elvidge, Carol Spencely and Emma Williams, who all have extensive experience in supporting the career development of postdoctoral researchers, the book is a guide to developing, advancing and furthering yourself and your career.
In working through exercises, learning from the experience of others (including the trials and tribulations of the authors), and seeking out information, the book helps you to consider what success means on your own terms. In its pages you will find advice on:
- Choosing the right postdoc for you
- Maximising your postdoc contract for personal and professional goals
- Selecting and attaining your next career step (academic or otherwise)
Providing indispensable advice on UK-based postdocs for national and international students, it is perfect for those making exciting transitions (student to postdoc, postdoc to the wide world of careers beyond) or for those who simply want to take their postdoc up a gear.
More information and order your copy here
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| Online Q and A: Alternative Career Pathways After Your PhD |
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On Thursday 8th June, 13.00 - 14.00, Jobs.ac.uk are hosting an online event exploring alternative career pathways post-PhD. The session will include a live question and answer session with a panel of experts who have all move on to careers outside of academia.
Topics for the web event will include:
- How to decide whether a career outside academia is for you
- What non-academic job options are available to you
- How to market yourself to employers outside of academia
- What skills employers are looking for
- How to develop your skills for opportunities outside academia
- Making the move: how to prepare for the transition out of academia
This event is open to all and is completely free of charge.
More information and register for the event
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| Opportunities |
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If applying for funding, remember to check funders' eligibility criteria carefully and discuss the opportunity with your host institution/department prior to preparing any applications.
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| Researcher Links Travel Grants |
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 These enable early-career researchers to undertake international research placements in the UK or Thailand. Grants are worth up to £15,410 over a maximum period of six months.
Placements strengthen links for future collaboration, build research capacity in developing economies and enhance the researchers' career opportunities. Researchers residing in the UK may apply for a placement in a partner institute in Thailand and vice versa.
Deadline for Applications: 13th June 2017
More information
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| 2017 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Individual Fellowships |
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 Individual Fellowships are aimed at individual researchers who already have a doctorate or equivalent research experience. They help these researchers to advance their careers and gain new skills through comprehensive training, international mobility and optional intersectoral secondments.
Deadline for applications: 14 September 2017
More information
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| Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships |
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 The Royal Academy of Engineering invites applications for its research fellowships. These support engineers in developing their academic research careers.
Applicants must be early-career researchers about to complete their PhD or who have been awarded their PhD in the last four years
Deadline for applications:04 September 2017
More information
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| Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowships |
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 These support postdoctoral researchers who aim to become independent scientists leading their own groups in the field of public health. Fellowships are tenable for five years and provide a basic salary, a fellowship supplement of £7,500, personal removal expenses, research expenses and an annual contribution of £11,000 towards indirect and estate costs.
Deadline for applications: 07 August 2017
More information
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| Wellcome Trust Research Bursaries |
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These support individuals working on small- and medium-scale research projects based on library or archive collections supported by the trust. Bursaries are usually worth between £5,000 and £25,000 each and may contribute towards travel, subsistence and research expenses.
Deadline for applications: 06 October 2017
More information
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