2023-W7: EMN Workshop – Professional Career Development: Steps Towards Independent Research

Presenters: ▪ Section 1 - Create your research niche (Academic/PI) ▪ Section 2 - Developing your portfolio beyond benchwork (Academic PI) ▪ Section 3 - Learn about funding applications (Funder/Research Council) ▪ Section 4 - Learn about the different requirements of lectureship applications (Career Coach) Description: This EMN workshop is targeted towards ECRs including Masters students, PhD students, and postdocs. The workshop is divided into four parts: 1) Creating your research niche; 2) Developing your portfolio beyond your research e.g. teaching and service; 3) Starting to think about your funding applications; 4) Lectureship (tenure/tenure track) - ‘Where to start’. The workshop will include speakers from a variety of sectors and expertise such as academia, funding agencies, and career advisors. It will also include an interactive open discussion session with time for ECR to discuss with the speakers the challenges they faced, what they learnt and how they adapted from these situations while developing their own research program. Workshop Objectives: ▪ Identify how you can develop your own research area and scientific niche ▪ Learn about tools and resources that will allow ECR to improve their transferable skills, including teaching, mentoring, networking, collaborating, managing, to developed portfolio beyond their research interest. ▪ Learn about the process of putting a fellowship application together, or how to join as co-investigator or trainee on grants. ▪ Learn about different aspects that are required for the next step (tenure positions) in your career towards independence. Learning Outcomes: ▪ ECRs will familiarize with their research interest while developing a leading niche in the scientific community. ▪ Get insights of the tools available to improve their leadership, management and communication skills towards building a strong scientific profile inside and outside the lab. This will include how to present yourself and your scientific work to the community, and how to manage multiple responsibilities and tasks as an independent researcher. (e.g. teaching, publishing, mentoring, etc). ▪ Identifying appropriate funding, important aspects of writing a postdoctoral fellowship. ▪ Learn about the different requirements of lectureship applications, i.e. what to write in your cover letter, resume, teaching and research statements.