++ growing research independence

Dr Kay Guccione University of Sheffield

August2015

k.guccione@sheffield.ac.uk

SLIDEDECK

This slide pack resource was generated following a research study

into the habits and behaviours of early career researchers who gain research fellowship awards (study info here).

The study was funded as a Small Development Project, by the

Leadership Foundation for Higher Education

.

These slides may be downloaded and used within a workshop session, by anyone with an interest in helping develop early career colleagues towards independent researcher

status.

in small groups of 5 or 6

please introduce yourself,

you will be working in these

groups today

++ introductions

++ What does a researcher need to be successful?

??

?

small group

discussion

?

??

?

++ How do you get what you need for success?

??

?

small group

discussion

?

??

?

``````++ `Networking for fellowships?

25 interviews across research-intensive Universities

Characterising the professional networks of Fellows

Looking for key players and key ways of supporting

And how researchers actually acquire their networks

Aspiring funding applicants seek new contacts to support or enhance research profiles and funding applications...

Researchers also get in touch, ‘be cheeky’, ask for things, and activate existing contacts to take on supporting roles.

Successful independent researchers all described the necessity of being well connected to a network for research success.

(Guccione, 2015)

++ today’s workshop

PART 1NETWORKING & RAISING YOUR

ONLINE PROFILES

PART 2USING NETWORKS

TO DEVELOP RESEARCH

IDEAS

++ PART 1

NETWORKING & RAISING YOUR

ONLINE PROFILES

“I did a group development event

for researchers designed to promote

networking and interdisciplinary

working. There I met another

researcher who listened to me talk

about my work and suggested I get in

touch with someone she knew. I

followed that lead up and met

someone else in a totally different

discipline but it was clear that we had

something unique to say by combining

approaches. I developed a project

though this, and via several more

conversations we found a funder and

won the funding.”

“I think a definite thing that

aspiring fellows need is to develop

a quality, or a skill maybe, and get

good at reaching out having a go

at asking for help with things.

People who aren’t willing to have a

go at making connections and

setting up collaborations, or getting

people on board, asking for help

with something are going to find

this really difficult. I’d advise

people to try to get better at it, just

practice and develop your

willingness to reach out”

++ What do good networkers do?

??

?

small group

discussion

++ What do good networkers do?

Take an interest and be nosy

Give something, rather than take

Listen to understand

Be trustworthy and reliable

Follow up and feedback

Be positive and enthusiastic

Never off duty, take every opportunity

Be genuine and sincere

Put themselves out there

Be cheeky!

Link you to others too

Find things in common

++ Networking at conferences – what do you gain?

??

?

small group

discussion

Future job offer

Ideas for your next project

Research or technical expertise

Links to the wider literature

Impress your peer reviewer

Insider info on where to work

Points to a meeting or funding call

Host, mentor, reference

Discussion of your current work

++ Networking at conferences – what do you gain?

Host for visiting researcher

Collaboration

Their further contacts

Reputation

++ Networking at conferences – how to be remembered?

??

?

small group

discussion

Present your work

Good audience behaviour!

Ask your question later

email your question or request

Handout from your poster

Handout from your presentation

Comment or discussion Make an offer of help

Ask a question – in session

++ Networking at conferences – how to be remembered?

…and feedback if it worked

Include links to more info about you

Say what you liked or will use

++ online networking

Your online profile is your CV

Google yourself (or ask a friend to), what do you find?

① Is it complete information, or are there parts missing?② What does it say about your skills, your experiences, your specialisms,

and your achievements? ③ Is it up to date information, does it include your latest achievements? ④ Have you presented yourself well, have you included a full picture of a

rounded researcher? ⑤ Would people want to connect with you, can they see a little bit about

you as a person?⑥ Is it ready for potential employers to see? ⑦ Is it ready for potential funders to see? ⑧ Is it ready for potential collaborators to see?

++ online social networking

①Mendeley: references + networking②Cite-u-like: online version③Academia.edu: paper sharing + stats④Research Gate sharing + stats + collab⑤ORCID: unique ID⑥PIIRUS: collaborator search⑦Twitter: global conversation, group, hashtags⑧Facebook: groups / pages / events⑨Blog, Livejournal: writing for different audiences

++ How will you increase your networks locally

??

?

paired discussion

of3 actions

++ further networks / impact

Did you think about?

① Dept./ University researcher committees and groups② Start/join special interest groups (subject / software /

technique)③ Professional memberships / learned societies④ Join online mailing lists (e.g. JISC) / newsletters⑤ Got to training workshops like this!⑥ Start/Join writing groups, journal clubs⑦ Get a mentor in a different discipline or university⑧ Volunteer to organise a meeting – get to know everyone!⑨ Keep in touch with the post-docs in your groups, jobs?⑩ Keep in touch with your students

++ PART 2

USING NETWORKS TO DEVELOP

RESEARCH IDEAS

++ Where do ideas come from?

??

?

small group

discussion

out of the blue

serendipitous discoveries

conferences, seminars

applying knowledge to new areas

taking small steps and building

using creativity tools

actual time out to sit down and think

talking to my PI

in the night

++ Where do ideas come from?

reading the literature

talking to others

getting feedback

“I always kind of found it easy to

start by thinking rather than what is

this big idea, what would be the

next experiment I would do, and

where would I take it, and I think

kind of try to build it up small, and

then hopefully at the end you can

see actually all these experiments

this kind of lead towards this end

result and this big body of work. I

find it easier like that otherwise I

find it a bit daunting. ”

“I gestated on it for a year,

writing and refining. It was

constant re-evaluation, it totally

changed over the course of that

year. Giving it thinking time, helped

it mature. I revisited it, looked for

gaps, rewrote. After 3-4 months I

sent it to everyone I could to read.

They all told me it was bad. My

supervisor said “go and read some

successful applications, there’s a

trick to it”. So I read lots of them. I

sat and made a table and looked

to define the parameters they had

in common. ”

“My PI said to me to put some

ideas together and come back and

talk about it in a few weeks time…

so just went from there. I think

when somebody tells you to go

and do it as well, we put a date in

the diary, then you are a bit more

forced to actually write something

down. I guess I’ve always tried to

write those things down, even if I

never actually go back and read

them I think if you write them down

then it kind of cements it a little bit

more in your head. ”

++ combining our own research:3 synergies?

12

3

3 people quick fire

ideas discussion

group mini presentations of

3 initial collaborative

ideas

++ How can we creatively combine our own research?

++ How do I know my idea is mine and keep it?

??

?

small group

discussion

talk to my colleagues

literature search – been done?

check out what my university says

write ideas down keep records

Be prepared to negotiate

what are the local IP rules?

Talk to my PI openly

Google it for safety

Keep discussions written

Record verbal discussions

Clarify the differences

Look for synergies / opportunities

++ How do I know my idea is mine, and keep it?

++ How will you now start to develop your research ideas

??

?

paired discussion

of3 actions