Research and Strategic Bidding Office – How are we doing?
Following on from the organisational changes around the University, we’re taking stock of the services we offer to make sure that we’re able to meet your needs. We’ve put together a brief (and anonymous!) survey to capture your feedback on what we offer and we’ll use the results from this to set our priorities for 2017.
Please click here to access the survey.
Research students – thinking about your career development?
Did you know that 78% of research staff aspire to a career in HE, but only a handful get permanent positions? A recent jobs.ac.uk report indicates that 92% of the advertised job opportunities on their site are contract/temporary. So if you are thinking of a career in research after your PhD, then looking outside of academia, where there are permanent and well-paid positions for researchers, might be a good idea for you.
To focus your mind on this I have organised some short 2 hour careers management workshops in partnership with our careers service at UN. All the workshops are tailored to research students.
- CV Workshop: 14 Dec 2016, from 10:00 to 12:00 (Park)
- Mock Interview workshop: 1 Mar 2017, from 14:00 to 16:00 (Park)
- CV Workshop: 23 May 2017, from 10:00 to 12:00 (Avenue)
All workshops are bookable through Gateway for University of Northampton research students and 1-1s are also possible to arrange.
There are other resources out there to help you focus your mind on careers. One such resource is Vitae Researcher Careers links, which include examples of researcher CVs, researcher career stories on film, careers outside of HE, entrepreneurial researchers, What Do Research Staff do next career stories and much more.
And the British Council Euraxess website features a database of jobs available for researchers throughout the EU and advice on the research landscape in the UK, amongst other useful information.
The Thesis Whisperer has a great guest article on PhD careers.
Your PhD alone probably won’t be enough to get you your next job, as the job market is very competitive. So take advantage of any generic skills training you see which will supplement your transferable skills – these look great on your CV. If you are doing your PhD to support your future career, then you should be thinking about what that career might be… now! Don’t wait until you get to the end before you think about it.
Bowie’s Books: David Bowie and Literature
As an artist, David Bowie is famous for crossing boundaries of genre, form, and identity. But the touring David Bowie Is exhibition, curated by the V&A, has not only promoted an image of Bowie as highly literate and widely read, but documented Bowie’s extensive reading habits for the first time, making explicit the connection between his music, personae, and patterns of reading. The Guardian has followed this up with a list of Bowie’s 100 Must-Read Books. This conference, hosted by the University of Northampton to commemorate the one year anniversary of Bowie’s death, aims to build on this new perspective on Bowie’s work, with a selection of papers that deal with the myriad connections between Bowie and literature.
View full schedule and purchase tickets: Bowie’s Books.
PGR student? Why not present your research in Manchester next February?
Are you a postgraduate research student? Manchester Metropolitan University are holding their Annual PGR Research Conference on February 22nd 2017 and they have invited PGR students from other institutions to present their research in the form of oral presentations, posters and performances.
This is a great opportunity for research students to develop their presenting skills and meet PGR colleagues from other institutions, expanding their research networks. Last year, MMU received over 200 abstracts from 28 institutions and 6 countries, with 90 presenters and an additional 150 delegates. Students who present at the conference can receive feedback from the judging panel and the audience on their presentation – previous participants have found this to be extremely beneficial. There is also a prize for the best presentations.
Please note that the deadline for submissions is Thursday, December 1st – you can find more information and how to apply here.
How to book Graduate School workshops and events on Gateway
All workshops and events organised by the Graduate School are now available to view and book via Gateway, our online postgraduate research management system.
- Go to Gateway.
- Log in, choose the link ‘Calendar’ from the left hand menu.
- Click on the title of the workshop you’re interested in – all workshops/events are in date order.
- Click on the Green dot ‘Respond’.
- Choose ‘Attending’ then submit. You have the option to write a note, for instance if you know you’re going to be late arriving at the workshop.
- If you subsequently need to cancel your place just repeat the process and change the response to ‘Not Attending’.
- If you are interested in the workshop but cannot attend the date scheduled then choose Defer. This will let me know that you are interested in attending another time. We may be able to schedule the workshop again.
- To check which workshops you have booked onto and generate a list of attendances, read on.
Reith lectures series seminar
Submitted by Dr Dave Burnapp
PLEASE NOTE, THIS HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED IN JANUARY 2017.
The Reith lectures have been the BBC’s flagship annual lecture series since 1948 and are broadcast on BBC Radio 4, presented by Sue Lawley since 2002. This year the theme is ‘Identity’.
Dr Dave Burnapp, in English and Creative Writing, has organised a discussion seminar on the Reith Lectures four themes – Creed, Colour, Country and Culture – on Tuesday 29th November at 14:00 (venue to be confirmed). The session is open to all Postgraduate Research Students. If you are interested in attending please email Dave Burnapp.
[Reith Lectures image copyright BBC Radio 4]
Useful links for postgraduate research students and supervisors
This short post will give you links to useful pages research degree students and supervisors at The University of Northampton. I recommend that you bookmark them or add them as favourites on your computers, laptops, tablets and mobiles. Or, bookmark this blog post. Read the rest of this entry
Save the date! Moulton’s Postgraduate Research Symposium, 15th December
Submitted by Dr Wanda McCormick
Moulton’s Postgraduate Research Symposium will take place on Thursday 15th December 2016 in P9, the Lecture Theatre, Pitsford Centre, from 1pm to 4:15pm with a buffet lunch beforehand. All students and staff at the University of Northampton are welcome to attend.
After an opening address by Steve Davies, Principal at Moulton College, 11 presentations by postgraduate research students will follow. Research topics will include exotic pet welfare, lameness detection in sheep, tree health and the effects of cryotherapy for sports recovery. At 4:15pm coffee, tea and mince pies will be served. For more information, and to register your interest in attending, please contact Dr Wanda McCormick.
PGR Induction week – a warm welcome to our new research students
One of a number of workshop sessions for the new students
A four day induction from 25th to the 28th October saw the Graduate School welcome a further 23 research degree students to the University of Northampton.
The 4-day biannual Induction Programme is run by The Graduate School in October and March and is compulsory for all research students starting out on their PhD or MPhil. The Induction aims to launch research students into their studies by offering them a variety of workshops and talks, covering processes and procedures, skills development and support, library resources, copyright and much more. The students also get a chance to give a presentation on their research topic and meet members of staff in the university who can support them along the way.
New PGRs meet current PGRs for a round the table chat.
Many of our new research students are working professionals and academics, or are studying part time. Induction aims to welcome all new students, helping them to feel part of the University and giving them the perfect grounding for the long research degree road ahead.
Feedback from the programme was excellent. One student commented “The Induction was friendly, welcoming and informative.” Another commented “Great introduction to the services on offer at UN for research students” The next PGR Induction programme will run from Tuesday March 21st to Friday March 24th 2017.
