Blog Archives
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.
Research project management in science and technology event
Submitted by Stefan Kaczmarczyk
On Tuesday 20th September 2016 a series of workshops and lectures will be held in Newton Hall, around the theme of research project management in science and technology. The event will be held from 9am – 7pm and is open to all research staff, academic staff and research students from all faculties in the University. Read the rest of this entry
Your online thesis: what you need to know
The PGR Thesis and Examination Policy states that it is mandatory for final, post-examination copies of research degree theses to be deposited in NECTAR. But what does this mean for PGR students (and their supervisors)?
This post will outline the policy and procedure for depositing your thesis in NECTAR and some the issues you need to consider when doing this.
Gather your strength and read on…
CFP: School of Science & Technology Research Conference – 2nd March
Submitted by Professor Jeff Ollerton for the attention of researchers in the School of Science and Technology
Last term you should have received an Outlook Calendar invitation to the School of Science & Technology Research Conference taking place on Wednesday 2nd March (13:00 to 17:00) in Newton Grand Hall. This is an opportunity for us to showcase the breadth and depth of research going on across all areas of the School, from both early career researchers and more senior academics.
Transfer seminar – exploring the lived experiences of tattooed women
You are invited to PhD student Charlotte Dann’s transfer seminar on Tuesday 15th December 2015 at 9am in Cottesbrooke C119 on Park Campus. Charlotte is based in the Psychology division in the School of Social Sciences and her PhD explores the lived experiences of tattooed women.
Please come along, all welcome.
Online tutorials for PGR students and early career researchers
There are now five new interactive tutorials on the Skills Hub. You will find them in a new section ‘Postgraduate Research Skills‘ on the ‘Academic Skills‘ tab.
- Author bibliometrics – examines the key author bibliometrics and their use
- Journal bibliometrics – explores the use of impact factors and other metrics for ranking journals
- Journals and articles – addresses your publication strategy, journal types and what makes a ‘good’ paper
- Other forms of publishing – covers posters, exhibitions, creative works, website authoring and Open Access publishing
- Networking – making the most of face to face and online networking with fellow researchers
2015-16 Changes to postgraduate research degree documentation
A number of changes have taken place to the regulations, policies, guidance and forms for postgraduate research (PGR) programmes. The student and supervisor toolkits now reflect all of the changes. This post will explain the changes and provide links to new content.
Research related committees – When are they and who are they?
Welcome to the 2015-16 cycle of committees (research degrees board, research degrees committee, research ethics committee)!
The committee dates and deadlines are now available in the supervisor toolkit and student toolkit.
It is also important that you know who the members of the committees are and what their roles are. You can find a listing below. Postgraduate Research students are reminded that RDB members are available for pastoral support (please see the PGR Code of Practice in the Student Toolkit for more information)
Each of the committees includes student representatives and if any postgraduate research students are interested in being involved, they should contact me. Read the rest of this entry
Join us for the Graduate School’s PGR Student Conference 2015
Why not join us for
The Graduate School’s Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 2015
“Research Integration”
on 17th June 2015 in Holdenby Lecture Theatre 3, Park Campus
9:30am – 4:15pm
You are warmly invited to join the Graduate School at their Annual Postgraduate Research Conference for PGR Students and Early Career Researchers. Please see the Conference Programme 2015 for more information. Sign up on our Eventbrite page to book your place for catering purposes – you don’t need to attend all day.
