Hello Everyone,
Welcome to the latest issue of the Sussex Researcher. This month has marked the end of our Research Staff Development Series for the current semester, which will not be continuing over the summer, however, we are still accepting bookings for our Careers and Enterprise Day on Thursday 14th June. Remember to take a look at the details below of what is shaping up to be an exciting day of talks!
In other news, the Research and Enterprise Division is getting ready for Sussex Impact Day on 19th June. 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 many of you there, and hopefully picking up awards too!
Also coming up in June, the Doctoral School have announced Sussex’s very first Festival of Doctoral Research, a three-day programme of events designed to showcase the outstanding doctoral research currently underway throughout the university. Come along to learn about, and share ideas with, our doctoral researchers.
We are happy to announce that we are currently working on a new Podcasting series, likely to be launched in the Fall semester. The series aims to highlight the quality research carried out by researchers here at Sussex, and will be complemented by a podcasting training programme. Keep an eye out for more information on the podcast series and if you have any suggestions please feed them to the Research Staff Office.
And finally many thanks to all the Research Staff Representatives who recently fed their suggestions and thoughts on the support available to researchers to Dr David Cole, who is currently carrying out a review of the Research and Enterprise Services Division. Your comments and suggestions were well received and will be fed to the Research Staff Working Group meeting on 25th of June.
If any of you are interested in representing your fellow researchers and influencing University policy, take a look at the Research Staff Reps Terms of Reference or contact us for more information.
Best wishes,
The Research Staff Office Team (Catherine Pope and Alex Aghajanian)
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Careers & Enterprise Day
Thursday 14th June, 09:45am-16:00pm
JUB-118, Jubilee Building
Audience: Research staff, early career academic faculty and final-year PhD students
Are you considering your career options? Do you need inspiration?
Come along to our one-day Careers & Enterprise Day to discover some of the possibilities. Speakers from different backgrounds are there to share their experiences of careers outside academia, freelancing, and creating a commercial enterprise from academic research.
You can attend for the whole day, or just the morning or afternoon session. Lunch and refreshments are provided. Booking is essential, so remember to click on the link below for registration details.
Programme
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09:45
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Coffee & Registration
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10:00
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Welcome & overview of the day
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10:15
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Dr Joanna Young – Careers Beyond Academia
In this short interactive workshop, Joanna Young will help you identify your transferable skills to help you get a job outside academia.
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11:15
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TEA BREAK
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11:30
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Alternatives to Employment: Three Perspectives
In this session, three PhD graduates talk about their freelance careers.
- Dr Natalie James – Professional Development Coach & Consultant
- Dr Catherine Pope – Facilitator, Writer & Publisher
- Dr Joanna Young – Trainer & Entrepreneur
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12:30
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Panel Discussion
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13:00
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LUNCH
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Enterprise
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14:00
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Keith O’Brien (Intellectual Property Manager) – Introduction to IP
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14:30
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Professor Sriram Subramanian – Case Study – Ultrahaptics
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15:00
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Peter Lane (Sussex Innovation Centre) – Support for Enterprising Researchers
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15:30
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Panel Discussion
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16:00
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Close & Networking
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Group Mentoring for Early Career Researchers
Bookings are still open for the final Early Career Researcher (ECR) Mentoring Circle sessions coming up in June and July.
The Mentoring Circle is a regular group (mixed-discipline) mentoring session where early career researchers meet to discuss professional experiences and challenges in a supportive peer group as well as with more experienced colleagues (mentors).
The mentoring circle meets regularly and discussions focus on a different topic each session. Circle meetings are led by two academic mentors and a researcher development coach. Bookings are on a session-by-session basis; spaces are limited to 10 participants per meeting, so make sure to register for your preferred sessions early.
Leadership and Leading Teams
Securing Research Funding
Effective Time Management
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Spotlight on Dr Helena Harder
Research Fellow at Sussex Health Outcomes Research & Education in Cancer (SHORE-C)
My research at SHORE-C focuses on the psychosocial impact of cancer on patient’s life and we develop and evaluate interventions to help cancer patients cope with symptoms and treatment side-effects.
I developed an app for women who have had breast cancer surgery or radiotherapy to the armpit. The aim of this app bWell is to support women in the rehabilitation process. The app includes an exercise programme that can be followed through a series of videos.
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Sussex Impact Day 2018 Sussex Impact Day is an annual day of activities designed to support impact and to share impact knowledge. The programme of workshops has now been published and bookings are now open. The 2018 Sussex Impact Day will take place on Tuesday 19th June 2018, in the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA). There are four session themes running in parallel across the day:
- Working with external partners
- Methods and tools
- Research Excellence Framework (REF)
- Making your research visible
Refreshments will be available in the ACCA cafe throughout the day and the Seminar Room will be open for informal meetings and to use as a breakout space.
Please visit the Sussex Impact Day webpage to find out more about the day’s workshops and view the full programme of events.
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Be inspired by the Festival of Doctoral Research The Doctoral School have announced Sussex’s very first Festival of Doctoral Research, a three-day programme of events designed to showcase the outstanding doctoral research currently underway throughout the university. The Festival runs from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 June, and current highlights include:
- Three Minute Thesis: visitors are invited to watch as a group of brave PhD students take on the challenge of explaining their 80,000 word thesis in just three minutes… before a live audience!
- Living Library: in this event, visitors play the role of ‘readers’, and can check out a living ‘book’ in the form of a PhD Researcher. Your book will tell you about their research story over a cup of coffee, and you’ll be able to ask any questions you might have.
- In PubhD, three PhD students will explain their research to an audience at ‘pub-level’ - understandable to everybody, with no academic jargon. At the end, each speaker will be rewarded with a drink of their choice.
- Those attending our Public Engagement Pop-Up will have the chance to see the innovative ways in which our doctoral researchers are taking their research to festivals, schools and public spaces to engage and inspire the public.
For all attending, the Festival will be a great opportunity to learn about, and share ideas with doctoral researchers from different schools.
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Soapbox Science 2018 Brighton Make sure you pop along to Brighton Seafront on Saturday 2nd June from 11am-2pm for the second ever Soapbox Science Brighton! 12 women in STEM (including a number of Sussex researchers) will be sharing their passion with both locals and tourists bringing science to the seaside for an afternoon of discussions, debates and demonstrations. Hosting experts of science, technology, engineering and maths the event will demonstrate the breadth of research taking place in and around the region by female researchers, all while you tuck into an ice cream…just watch out for those seagulls! The event is free and is taking place at: The Deck, Brighton Seafront, BN1 2FN (just east of the i360). For the full line up of speakers and more information take a look at the Soapbox Science Brighton webpage and/or follow the event on twitter @soapboxBN.
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Sussex Researcher hopes to inspire a new generation of scientists Mahmoud Maina’s science is far from simple – he arrived at Sussex in 2011 to study Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience and his work here on two important proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease has led to a new discovery and two published articles with more currently under review. “I have learned how to do scientific research using cutting-edge tools that I never dreamt of using. It enabled me to attend conferences that are top in my area of research, allowed me to interact with top scientists in my field, meet many brilliant students.” Mahmoud has been inspired to promote science in his home country – joining the not-for-profit organisation TReND in Africa where he founded the Outreach Programme in 2013. He organised a workshop to reinvigorate teachers’ passion for science using simple and exciting experiments in the classroom and organised the first ever science festival in northern Nigeria in February 2017.
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Career Management for Early Career Researchers - Online Course
Being an early career academic researcher can be challenging: should you pursue further academic research? What skills will help you progress in an academic career? What other career options are open to you?
This free online course will answer these questions and more, considering how to manage you career and reflecting on what you want out of a career. The MOOC is a collaboration between the University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, and University of Sheffield, and has been developed by careers professionals who are experienced in working with research students and research staff.
You will be encouraged to consider different career options, both within and outside academic research, and build your confidence in marketing yourself in applications and interviews.
Course Start: 4th June 2018
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The Effect of Brexit on Food Prices: House of Lords report draws on UKTPO research The House of Lords European Union Committee report on ‘ Brexit: food prices and availability’ draws heavily on research by the UK Trade Policy Observatory at the University of Sussex. The inquiry into the potential impact of Brexit on the cost and availability of food for UK consumers was launched earlier this year as part of the Committee’s role in scrutinising the UK Government’s policies and actions in respect of the EU. The Observatory’s research, submitted as written evidence, has been instrumental in helping the Committee to understand the potential impact on food prices stemming from trade policy change. “Increases in prices can come from the imposition of both tariffs and higher non-tariff measures including the cost of additional border checks and customs procedures between the UK and the EU after Brexit.” explains Dr Ilona Serwicka, Research Fellow in the Economics of Brexit.
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Opportunities
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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Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellowships
These enable newly qualified postdoctoral researchers to start independent research careers in high quality research environments. Fellowships are worth up to £300,000 over four years.
Deadline for Applications: 9th October 2018
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Ramsay memorial fellowship
This enables early-career postdoctoral chemists to initiate a programme of original and independent research in the UK. The fellowship is normally tenable for two years, but can be exceptionally extended for a third year.
Deadline for Applications: 15th November 2018
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