Hello Everyone,
Welcome to the latest issue of the Sussex Researcher for 2019, this month marked the successful launch of our inaugural session of Research R Us. The concept behind these sessions is having a regular space for researchers to meet and connect, and find out about the support available to them over free coffee/tea and biscuits. We would like to thank all those that attended, and we hope to see many more of you at next week's session!
In other news, we are delighted tell you about a range of new workshops and webinars taking place over March through to May. There are still some spots left in the remainder of our workshops/webinars, so do take a look at our events listing and book quickly to grab a place.
Lastly, the deadline for applications for the Spring call of the Researcher-Led Initiative Fund will be closing at the end of March. All those interested do take a look at the news story below, and best of luck to all those preparing applications!
Best wishes,
The Research Staff Office Team (Hayley Cordingley and Alex Aghajanian)
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Workshops & Events - March/April/May
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Research Staff Office Events
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Events organised by other teams
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Featured Workshop Manage stress, challenge 'imposter' feelings and build your resilience Date: Thursday 11th April, 14:00-17:00 Location: Fulton 213 Managing stress, tackling imposter feelings and boosting resilience are all skills that can be learned and developed. As a result you can increase your sense of wellbeing and productivity (within and outside of work). ‘Imposter phenomenon’ is characterized by feeling like a fraud and fear of being ‘found out’. This can lead to individuals experiencing bouts of high stress as they put themselves under constant pressure to achieve more. Resilience describes the ways we function under pressure, recover from difficulties, and develop adaptive coping behaviours as a consequence of experiencing adversity. This workshop will provide you with a selection of techniques to manage stress better in the short-term, build your resilience in the long term, and effectively handle imposter feelings if they arise. Participants who engage with this workshop will:
- Identify the origins and consequences of stress, resilience and imposter feelings
- Analyse your responses to adversity
- Practice and evaluate some techniques to reduce stress and challenge imposter feelings
- Create a personal action plan to boost your resilience and handle imposter feelings
Facilitator: Dr Sarah Robins-Hobden (Learning and Development Consultant)
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Researcher-Led Initiative Fund 2018-19 The Spring call for applications to the Researcher-Led Initiative Fund (RLI Fund) will be closing by the end of March. The RLI Fund gives researchers greater input into their development by supporting them to organise activities that will enhance their professional and research skills. Open to early career research-only staff as well as doctoral researchers, University of Sussex and BSMS researchers can also apply to the fund for support to organise public engagement activities. A maximum of £750 is available for any one project. You can view previous awards from the Researcher-Led Initiative Fund here. Deadline for Applications: Friday 29th March 2019 *A researcher is looking to apply for the RLI Fund to organise a training workshop on copy-editing skills for academic publication writing. If you are interested attending such a workshop in the future, please contact us to express your interest.
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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 March. 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 15 participants per meeting, so make sure to register for your preferred sessions early. Managing Working Relationships
CVs and Applications
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Research Hive Seminars 2019 Now in its tenth year, the Sussex Research Hive Seminar series is back, bringing together the community at Sussex to explore current issues in academic research. Hear perspectives from a variety of practitioners and join your Sussex peers to discuss the issues that are affecting you. Supported by SAGE Publications and hosted by the Library, these lunchtime events are open to everyone engaged in, or supporting, the research process at Sussex. Where possible slides and recordings of the sessions will be made available after the event.
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The BBSRC Impact Writing Competition 2019 The BBSRC Impact Writing Competition is an opportunity for early-career researchers to produce an impact case study to showcase the tangible impact of research that depends on BBSRC investments in research, training and capability. Your case study does not necessarily need to be based on your own project. It can be about any BBSRC-funded research/impact you are aware of, as long as you can write about it accurately and in an engaging manner. The audience for the piece includes senior policy-makers in BBSRC, UKRI and in central government; i.e. educated non-specialists. As such, it should be written in an engaging, lively manner that will resonate with people who are not familiar with the underlying science. All entries will be assessed by a panel of judges. £1000 for first place and £500 each for two runners-up. Winning entries will be published on the BBSRC website and in our corporate publication. Deadline for Applications: Monday 18th March 2019, 17:00
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Research Development Fund: Sussex Research funds 12 new projects Sussex Research has made 12 awards in the tenth round of the Research Development Fund which aims to develop activities that will lead to the submission of substantive external research proposals. Awards were made to faculty from the Business School, BSMS, Engineering and Informatics, English, ESW, Global Studies, Life Sciences and Psychology. For this particular round of the RDF, applications for pump-priming projects aimed at generating preliminary data for future Global Challenges Research Fund bids were encouraged as the RDF panel had access to a portion of the University’s GCRF QR allocation. Of the twelve awards, two were funded through this means.
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Smell technology takes global elite from snowy slopes of Davos to rainforest in just one sniff The University of Sussex’s innovative research into the untapped potential of the human sense of smell was demonstrated in front of the world’s most powerful and influential leaders in business and politics at Davos. Dr Emanuela Maggioni, postdoctoral researcher at the Sussex Computer Human Interaction (SCHI) Lab at the University of Sussex, helped turn attendants into a rainforest tree as part of a conscience-raising virtual reality project at the World Economic Forum. Sussex researchers Dr Maggioni, Robert Cobden and Prof Marianna Obrist have brought smells into this multisensory experience through their novel scent-delivery technology. The team developed a software and hardware solution called OWidgets which includes a delivery device device that delivers bursts of compressed air to the user’s nose based on pre-defined design parameters. This technology was developed at the SCHI Lab over recent years.
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Spotlight on Dr Raysa Khan
Research Fellow in Chemistry at the School of Life Sciences
I am trying to design new drugs that re-stabilise a ‘tumour suppressor’ p53, which is a protein that plays key roles in preventing cancer formation.
Our work is a bit like designing a missing bit in a puzzle - we’re trying to synthesise molecules that will fit in the ‘gap’ of the faulty protein and restore its functions.
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Research Funding
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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Discovery fellowship
This enables early-career researchers to gain leadership skills by undertaking independent research in any area of science within the council’s remit. Up to 10 fellowships, worth up to £300,000 each over three years, are available.
Deadline for Applications: 9th May 2019
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International placement scheme
This provides funded research fellowships for doctoral-level research assistants and early-career researchers at leading international research institutions. Fellowships last between two and six months and include a one-off stipend of £870 for visa and travel costs and a monthly stipend of £1,200.
Deadline for Applications: 21st May 2019
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