New academic year!

Apologies for the lateness of this post, but I'd just like to say a huge welcome to all PhD students who have recently started at Queen Mary, and a welcome to the 2011-12 academic year to current students, for whom I guess it's just business as usual! If you're new to this blog you can find out a bit more about me in the sidebar.

The Learning Institute programme of workshops for this year has started. You can see the calendar of what's coming up at the top of this page. I will also be using this blog to advertise other events that are running, both within Queen Mary and outside. If you want to find more out about the Learning Institute, what it offers and how to book on courses, please visit the main website, and the pages specifically for research students. You can find my contact details on the site - please get in touch if you have any questions, or any suggestions for things you would like to see on the blog or the website.

Hope to see you all at some workshops or events soon!
Jo

Vitae focus group - European Framework for Work Experience

Vitae are looking for enthusiastic researchers to be part of an exciting focus group to gauge your opinions and thoughts on implementing a new European Framework for Work Experience and accompanying resources for researchers.

The framework was developed a number of years ago in partnership with a number of European institutions and organisations to agree on the 12 most important competencies that employers look for in undergraduates.
Whilst originally designed for the undergraduate community, Vitae feel that there is applicability to the researcher community and would like to investigate how this framework could be used to enhance the employability of researchers in the near future.

We are looking for postgraduate researchers or research staff across any discipline with 3 hours of spare time on Wednesday 17 August between 11am-2pm and an additional hour in advance to read through pre-focus group materials. Lunch will be provided and any travel expenses incurred will be covered.

For more information and to register please click here.

Last Cafe Scientifique of 2010-11 - 6th July

The next Café Scientifique event for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines will be on Wednesday 6th July, from 6pm in the World Marche Common room on the Mile End campus.

The presentations at this event will be:

‘Sun: The Earth’s warm friend or your skin’s cold enemy?‘: Correlation between sun-exposure and skin cancer.
Nikol Mladkova (Blizard Institute)

Protecting The Pork Pie: What Is The Protected Food Names Scheme And How Does It Work?
Matthew Rippon (Geography)

Modern money mechanics
Marco Paladini (EECS)

Making the most of the internet

ResearchGate is a social and professional network tailored to academics, scientists and researchers with over one million active members.

The site lets you engage and interact with fellow researchers, build an online presence and keep up-to-date with happenings in your field.

A recent blog post on the site describes the best ways for graduates to make use of the internet with regards to starting a career in research/academia. Hopefully you will find it useful!

Next Cafe Scientifique - Thursday 19th May

The next Café Scientifique event for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines will be on Thursday 19th May, from 6pm in the World Marche Common room on the Mile End campus. This is a different venue from previous events!

The presentations at this event will be:

There’s more to sex than you think (part 2!) – Helene Muller (Biological & Chemical Sciences)
and
And you think we’ve got it bad? Higher Education in Sierra Leone – Marie-Aimee Brajeux (Law).

For further information or to book a place please contact Dr Jo Cordy (j.m.cordy@qmul.ac.uk).

New website about Academic Careers

The University of Manchester Careers Service have just launched a new site which is intended to help PhD students and early career researchers to get a better understanding of what an academic career entails, how to get one and how to succeed in one.

The website is open to all researchers from any university or discipline. It answers many questions about how to make it as an academic.

The site contains plenty of video clips of academics and early career researchers, as well as information about the different stages of an academic career and tips for finding jobs, applying for them and succeeding in interviews.

Visit the site here.

Cafe Scientifique - 17th March

The next Café Scientifique event for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines is being held on Thursday 17th March. It will be a chance for researchers to get together and meet each other in a relaxed setting. This is an informal and fun evening event involving free wine & pizza, three short presentations from researchers and some other activities such as a quiz and/or creative challenges!

The presentations at this event will be from Hannah Wright (Biological & Chemical Sciences), Keith Jones (Electronic Engineering & Computer Science) and Katie Lidster (ICMS).

The evening will start at 6pm at Mucci, Library Square on the Mile End campus. For further information and to book a place please contact Dr Jo Cordy (j.m.cordy@qmul.ac.uk).