Thread by @ResearchersAtEd

@UoE_IAD is delighted to host #ResearcherRealities today. Many thanks to our Ops Team for all the support & to our chairs & tweeters. We're excited by this new initiative, led by @anna_pilz. Follow this 🧶 of the conversations.

Full programme: edin.ac/3o5pLni

@UoE_IAD @anna_pilz We start with a welcome from Fiona Phillipi @UoE_IAD. 🙏 for invitation to attendees to take time to listen, reflect & engage as they join our conversations on #ResearcherRealities.

Read why ‘Talking about #ResearcherRealities’ matters by @anna_pilz 👉edin.ac/44DmVGO

In our 1st #ResearcherRealities conversation @Annie_Irvine @kcsamh, Andrew Schurer, @_CecileBM @GeosciencesEd & Dr Eilidh Garrett @SCADR_data will share insights into their “Researcher Career Journeys”.

👉accompanying blog series introduced by Cecile edin.ac/3N2qwYi

First up is @Annie_Irvine (@kcsmah) whose 22-year research career incl roles in academic & non-academic settings, commissions from government & 3rd-sector organisations. #ResearcherRealities

Read more about her and her fellow panel speakers: edin.ac/3oubVLL

@Annie_Irvine @Annie_Irvine shares her personal #ResearcherRealities in relation to #precarity & the consequences of 3 years on maternity leave over a 5-year period.

Check out her #Open Access publication on #precarity & mental health  👉 tinyurl.com/yxm5recd

@Annie_Irvine talks about the importance of "Planned Happenstance" and how this can influence career direction #ResearcherRealities

@Annie_Irvine @Annie_Irvine’s trajectory is one example of long-term researchers' careers. Read all about Dr Rachel James’s @DaphneJacksonTr👇journey with a call for levelling the playing field for part-time researchers. #ResearcherRealities

New Blog series edin.ac/3OSN134

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr Our 2nd speaker is @_CecileBM, founder of @EdinburghUni’s Long-Term Researcher Network & initiator of our new blog series. Cecile is an interdisciplinary researcher @GeosciencesEd.

About the network and how to join: edin.ac/3y6Kuqv

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @_CecileBM talks about the importance of resilience #ResearcherRealities

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd As a secondee w/ @UoE_IAD @_CecileBM looked into #ResearcherRealities faced by those on research contracts >8 years.

With @sarashinton, she published on careers of long-term researchers. tinyurl.com/35frrkk3

Listen to her @ResDevLeeds podcast tinyurl.com/ype99we9

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds Next up is Andrew Schurer who talks us through how he started out and, after years on fixed-term contracts, he came to be appointed as Chancellor’s Fellow @GeosciencesEd. Andrew is a climate scientist and you can find out more about his research edin.ac/3WCThOk

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds Great to hear Andrew’s reflections on how he built his track record of skills & knowledge. #ResearcherRealities

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds Andrew @GeosciencesEd talks about the importance of applying for Fellowships and that the rejections helped shape his trajectory #ResearcherRealities

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds Great reminder from Andrew in his summary here: “Being a researcher is an amazing job – just try to enjoy it!” #ResearcherRealities

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds Our final speaker is Dr Eilidh Garrett @SCADR_data, who has worked as a researcher all her life. As her wee biographical sketch notes: ‘Retirement is beckoning, but new projects are still being planned!’ #ResearcherRealities – once a researcher, always a researcher!?

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds @SCADR_data Eilidh has worked for different institutions & organisations, researching the intersections of history, geography & population studies. #ResearcherRealities

Check her publications 👉 edin.ac/3WDff3I

Eilidh's blog on Long-Term Researcher Careers edin.ac/45BZsGz

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds @SCADR_data Dr Eilidh Garrett
@SCADR_data talks about balancing personal life alongside professional life. Be clear about your goals and enjoy what you are doing! #ResearcherRealities

@Annie_Irvine @DaphneJacksonTr @_CecileBM @EdinburghUni @GeosciencesEd @UoE_IAD @sarashinton @ResDevLeeds @SCADR_data For more information on transitioning to roles outside of academia see the IAD Career Conversation videos ed.ac.uk/institute-acad…
#ResearcherRealities

#ResearcherRealities continues w/ Journeys to Funding. Thanks to👌chairs Boz Czarnecki & Elisabetta Spano @GrowingYourIdea. Our speakers share experiences applying to @UKRI_News @EU_Commission @ahrcpress & @wellcometrustl.
Bios edin.ac/3Iz1jCk & edin.ac/3OJ0FG4

First up is @FergusLPCullen, Reader in Galaxy Evolution @RoyalObs, who has been awarded an @EU_Commission Starting Grant to set up his own research group. He's sharing how he managed to obtain this prestigious grant.

More about Fergus's research edin.ac/3WBYDcT

@FergusLPCullen highlights some crucial elements to his path to funding that tackle some misconceptions: that it's not always necessary to change institutions to be successful at receiving grants & the ERC @EU_Commission can be your first grant success! ⭐️

@FergusLPCullen @EU_Commission Important to funding success is a track record of research independence! @FergusLPCullen was collaborating with partners at other institutions to demonstrate evidence for independence. #ResearcherRealities

Great tips from @FergusLPCullen on project development for grant capture: your project needs to be timely! Make sure to demonstrate "why now is the right time to fund the project".

@FergusLPCullen emphasises the importance of being concrete and clear about the project plan! What'll happen when and why, and what you'll do if things don't go to plan.

"Sell yourself and your project"! @FergusLPCullen now talking us through how to maximise on the opportunity of an interview presentation. Great shout-out to @GrowingYourIdea for supporting grant applicants in the interview process for #ERC grants.

Practice, practice, practice!

Important to normalise rejections! They happen to everyone at some point. Yet time investment into grant projects are not in vain and feed into project development. Thanks @FergusLPCullen for this inspiration! #ResearcherRealities

Final summary of top tips from @FergusLPCullen here with a nod to not be afraid to ask for help! Use your network to ask about others funding experiences & advice, reach out to support services such as @GrowingYourIdea. #ResearcherRealities

Our second speaker is Prof Michelle Keown @LLCatEdinburgh. Member of @ahrcpress peer review college, she brings a wealth of insights into AHSS funding to the pane with valuable tips on building a funding profile. #ResearcherRealities

Michelle's #ResearcherRealities experience offers personal insights into the challenges of building a funding profile alongside parenthood! Connects with conversations this morning on Researcher Career Journeys! So important to bring make these conversations more transparent!

Michelle notes the importance of starting ‘small’ & incrementally building up a funding profile. Slide shows how she went from smaller grants to navigating the #ResearcherRealities of maternity in relation to funding to, eventually, large-scale collaborative bids in AHSS.

Top tips from Michelle Keown @LLCatEdinburgh on how to succeed w/ funding:

1 reading successful applications
2 concrete details
3 lead-time to develop partnership/collaborations
4 build profile from small to large grants
5 peer-reviewing on funding panels
👌#ResearcherRealities

Michelle Keown acknowledges the #ResearcherRealities of having to deal with rejections. Reminder here not to take it personally & to learn from feedback. Talking openly about rejections is important to qualify what success looks like.

Our 3rd speaker on Journeys to Funding for #ResearcherRealities is @Sandy_Heth @SBSatEd @InstMolPlantSci. Sandy holds a @UKRI_News Future Leaders Fellowship @FLFDevNetwork that enabled him to set up @MPEG_Edinburgh.

Check out Sandy's lab 🍃 edin.ac/3oum4Z3

@Sandy_Heth talks us through the research journey of institutional mobility. #ResearcherRealities means to start planning for funding early! For Sandy, this meant looking for conference funding during the PhD.

For PostDocs, you'll have to start planning & thinking about 1 year in advance when you need it! @Sandy_Heth already applied for fellowships during the write-up year of the PhD. #ResearcherRealities

@Sandy_Heth talks about importance of support from PIs & mentors to build a research profile while starting to develop independence. Small institutional fund enabled Sandy to set up an international collaboration.
#ResearcherRealities = small pots of funding open new doors!

Reminder from @Sandy_Heth to think about institutions and their different support systems, as well as other considerations for choosing a host institution such as quality of life & social network. #ResearcherRealities

@EdinburghUni was the "Perfect Fit" for @Sandy_Heth's project, with the right research networks & collaborations such as @TheBotanics.

Strong funding applications consider the 3 Ps: Person & Project & Place!!!

Shout out from @Sandy_Heth to the crucial impact of supportive research infrastructure, incl Finance support, @GrowingYourIdea and development opportunities @EdinburghUni. Support network also crucial in bouncing back from rejections!

We now hear from Dr Annemarie Docherty @abdocherty79, Senior Clinical Lecturer & @wellcometrust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow @EdinUniUsher. She's joining from the "On Call" room! #ResearcherRealities

Read more about her research edin.ac/3oJLz8B

Annemarie talks us through her career. She got sucked into a research career through a Master's @EdinburghUni. Really emphasising again the synergy necessary for a strong funding or fellowship application between Person, Project, Place!

Great advice from Annemarie on how to start building a funding profile with small grants. Looking for the small pots of funds might be beneficial as competition not as high as for the big grants. #ResearcherRealities

Annemarie's funding journey highlights importance of playing to strengths of local context: what access to data, resources or non-academic partners do you have in the local/regional area of your host institution?
From that local focus, look out to international collaborations.

Annemarie notes how COVID-19 gave a new importance to her work in critical care with a more wide-spread & public understanding of that research area & clinical practice with opportunities for collaborations. #ResearcherRealities

Tackling #ResearcherRealities of dealing with rejections: Annemarie advices to think carefully whether to re-apply to same scheme or look for better fit! Top Tips
1 Preparation
2 Getting feedback from colleagues
3 No shame in asking for help
4 A great idea
5 Collaborations

Some top tips in the Q&A:

1 Build into your budget project management support if possible

2 Use the resources available to you (esp colleagues)

3 Meeting & collaborations are opportunities for valuable conversations

@EmilyWoollen chairs our 3rd #ResearcherRealities conversation on “Interdisciplinary Collaborations”. Emily developed a guide for #ECRs on navigating challenges in ID research. Check it out 👉edin.ac/2OQ5zRT

Emily's bio edin.ac/3qaGEhj

First up is @chiara_bonacchi @UoE_EFI @HCAatEdinburgh. Chiara co-leads the ID #HCAHeritage Research Group. Read more about Chiara’s profile & her fellow speakers 👉edin.ac/3IzgEm3.

Check out her co-authored #OA article ‘The Heritage of Brexit’ tinyurl.com/2p87tnny

@chiara_bonacchi is teasing out in her presentation some of the key questions surrounding how to get #interdisciplinary collaborations off the ground. #ResearcherRealities

@chiara_bonacchi talks about her crowdsourcing collaborative projects and how it is important to have different colleagues, from different subject areas, involved and how networks can support this #ResearcherRealities

@chiara_bonacchi discusses how interdisciplinary projects take time, to make sure the collaborations are strong #ResearcherRealities

Next on #ResearcherRealities is Catherine Lyall @uoessps, who has been involved in developing a toolkit for #interdisciplinary research @shapeID_eu. She has spend a career investigating how to do ID research & the challenges to its institutionalisation.

Thanks to a rich and interdisciplinary career, Catherine shares reflections and insights into the possibilities of pursuing interdisciplinary collaborations. How have things changed over the past 10 to 20 years? #ResearcherRealities

With the benefit of hindsight, Catherine passes on some valuable tips on how to approach interdisciplinary collaborations!

Serendipity is the hallmark for many interdisciplinary careers #ResearcherRealities

Catherine’s presentation is turning to the real nitty-gritty of ID research & collaborations. #ResearcherRealities

Catherine discusses that no matter how well the Interdisciplinary Collaboration goes, you can always take something away from it #ResearcherRealities

To hear more on ID research, check out @EmilyWoollen’s #Interdisciplinary Conversation (in 3 parts) with Catherine. edin.ac/433SyIx

To learn more about @shapeID_eu, check out
shapeidtoolkit.eu

@AdrianMuwonge, Chancellor’s Fellow @roslininstitute @TheDickVet, researches antimicrobial resistance development at human-animal interface is funded by @BBSRC.

Find out more about his research into One Health in the Global South edin.ac/3MCJzXP

@AdrianMuwonge's #interdisciplinary calls involve social scientists, veterinarians, agriculturalists, software engineers & physicians. He’s sharing how he managed to build a network of collaborators.

Adrian addresses the challenges of #interdisciplinary collaborations in relation to bureaucracies of large-scale projects; managing relationships; and taking into account researchers’ different viewpoints & methodologies.

Loving this slide by @AdrianMuwonge on the impact of #interdisciplinary collaborations & research on the individual’s career. #ResearcherRealities #AcademicEgo deserves a hashtag!

@AdrianMuwonge discusses how you need perseverance to overcome the extra challenges of Interdisciplinary Research

Last but not least we have David Overend to join the conversation on #Interdisciplinary Collaborations. David has a background in theatre and is now researcher in interdisciplinary education @MorayHouse.

Check out his hot-off-the-press @Palgrave book edin.ac/3qbVWCB

David shared in the chat a list of books that have shaped his #interdisciplinary thinking and led to new collaborations. These developments then shaped his own book & curriculum developments @EdinburghUni

Find out more on David's website & listen to a podcast w/ @TheDickVetabout the value of working beyond our disciplines. #ResearcherRealities

web doverend.wordpress.com
podcast tinyurl.com/5feadekw
Teaching Matters blog ‘Crossing Disciplinary Lines’ edin.ac/43urdz5

Planning early and, depending on the size of the project, having a good project manager can be essential to strong Interdisciplinary collaborations #ResearcherRealities

Great shout out from Catherine Lyall to Sabine Hoffmann's paper on knowledge integrators. Sabine will be spending a sabbatical year @uoessps from August!
nature.com/articles/s4159…

'Prominent but less Productive' by Erin Leahey journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117…

Suggested read: Prominent but less Productive, Erin Leahey - journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117…

Q&A highlights #Interdisciplinary Research & Collaborations require time & space. Rare commodities in a neo-liberal university, as the panel noted! #ResearcherRealities

Great keywords to round up the session on "Interdisciplinary Collaborations": humility; generosity; and curiosity about people! #ResearcherRealities.

In our final #ResearcherRealities conversation we gather ‘Notes from the Principal Investigator’. @anna_pilz is joined by 4 researchers who are PIs &/or Co-PIs on projects of different shapes & sizes.

Speakers’ bios edin.ac/3q6cMmu
Chair bio edin.ac/43aBrVx

Starting us off is Katie Atkins, Chancellor’s Fellow & Reader, who researches infectious disease modelling. Katie is based both @UsherInstitute & @LSHTM. She’s currently got 2 projects on the. Read more about her research edin.ac/43tUQjW

Katie’s research projects are funded by @wellcometrust & @EU_Commission, enabling her to set up her own research group.

Katie shares the shape of her career, so far:

Katie discusses how important it is to get guidance when applying for grants #ResearcherRealities

Katie Atkins shares the biggest challenges of being a PI #ResearcherRealities

Katie then goes on to discuss how to make tackling these challenges easier #ResearcherRealities

Few insights into how Katie's previous research experience has shaped the approach to becoming a PI, including chatting with colleagues and mentors #ResearcherRealities

Katie reflecting on what would have been useful to know when starting out and identifying to how acknowledge success #ResearcherRealities

We now hear more ‘Notes from the PI’ with Carsten Hansen @EdinUni_MeetCIR @EdinUni_IRR. Carsten runs his own lab @gram_lab, with support from @CSO_Scotland @WorldwideCancer and other funders. #ResearcherRealities

Read more about Carsten’s lab gramhansenlab.com

Carsten discusses how important it is for individuals in his team to have their own projects. but complementary to each other #ResearcherRealities

Carsten shares some thoughts on what would have been good to know when becoming a PI #ResearcherRealities

Carsten shares with our audience what success looks like for his team @gram_lab

Our next speaker is Catherine Montgomery @uoessps, who is about to take on the role of PI on a @EU_Commission ERC Consolidator Grant in the autumn!

Overview of Catherine's projects

Catherine then discusses the two projects, and although very different in size require some common approaches #ResearcherRealities

Great reflections from Catherine on the formative experiences as an internationally mobile postdoc on projects. Lessons shared include what *not* to do as well as inspirational leadership. #ResearcherRealities

Catherine now talking about the formative experiences, that have been inspiring

Catherine’s talking us through what she wished she’d known from the start! 4 key things emerge that relate to career planning; narrative; importance of a network; and … bureaucracy.

Catherine’s raising some of the challenges experienced & anticipated:
1 uncertainty
2 managing conflict
3 politics & institutional agendas
#ResearcherRealities

Great visual here what success looks like for Catherine’s project & team.

Joining the conversation is Wataru Uegaki @wataruu @SchoolofPPLS. Wataru is PI on @UKRI_News FLF project & a Co-PI on a collaborative project bw 🇬🇧&🇩🇪, funded @ahrcpress & @dfg_public. #ResearcherRealities

Read more about Wataru's group wataruuegaki.com/lab/

Wataru gives an overview of projects #ResearcherRealities

What would have been useful to know before becoming a PI, some insights from Wataru #ResearcherRealities

Advice from Wataru on how to tackle challenges involves open and regular communication and to look at the bigger picture, to find solutions

Challenges and Success from Wataru #ResearcherRealities