Navigating an Academic Career: Advice, Challenges, and Opportunities
Discover valuable insights on pursuing an academic career, from building a strong CV to tackling challenges like field-switching and managing uncertainty. Explore various options, essential components for an academic CV, practical advice, and useful resources to enhance your academic journey. Embrace self-motivation, seek support, and cultivate strategic skills to thrive in academia.
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Presentation Transcript
Options Academic job straight away Postdoc on somebody else s grant Writing your own grant with you as a postdoc Getting a fellowship (not on the first try) Some other sort of job that is connected to academia
Things you need on an academic CV Evidence of being able to write papers (1st author papers) Evidence of a good collaborative network (co-authored publications) Evidence of securing funding Evidence of mentoring (e.g., supervising honours dissertations) Evidence of teaching experience (being in front of classroom) Evidence of networking (going to conferences, giving talks) Evidence of interest in outreach / science communication Evidence of being a collegiate in the workplace
Other things you can do Develop in-demand skills Create an online presence (web-site, google scholar) Create a github profile Have twitter profile with lots of followers Network (invite people you want to work with to come talk; go to meetings) Spend time at place & w/researchers where you want to work Build a community around your research topic
Challenges Switching fields can take time and multiple steps Managing uncertainty Mental health support often lacking (prof. and fam/friends) Don t have a peer group like you do as a PhD student Working outside work hours Competing interests / multiple demands on time Accept imperfection
Advice Put yourself in a position to be lucky Look for and accept support advice and support Plan and be organised Manage your time realistically Must be self-motivated Understand yourself and how you work best Balance collegiality with reasonable boundaries Surround yourself with good people both in terms social interactions, talking science and successful role models
Some Useful Links https://www.ed.ac.uk/careers/students/postgraduates/phd-students http://www.bristol.ac.uk/staffdevelopment/academic/researchstaffhub/academic-career/ https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/pursuing-an-academic-career https://www.elsevier.com/connect/10-rules-to-survive-in-the-marvellous-but-sinuous-world-of-academia https://ecrcentral.org/fundings
