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A series of careers-themed events specifically for postdocs, using former postdocs, who have made various career transitions, as positive role models.

Using the Skills Training Programme courses, the Medical Sciences Division seeks to equip Graduate Research Students and Research Staff members with a comprehensive set of skills ensuring each researcher realises his/her maximum potential and thereby lay the foundations for a successful career in the sciences.

This is a brief summary of the organisational model that we have adopted in order to work more closely with Schools, Faculties and Departments and 'partner' with them in understanding and providing for the needs of their particular staff in a ‘bespoke’ way where appropriate. This positions us better to target our resource towards meeting real needs, while striving for enhanced alignment between UCL’s research strategy and individual aspirations. This new model also enables us to work more closely in partnership with other key people deployed at a Faculty or Department level, such as Research Facilitators, Research Leaders, HR Consultants, Faculty Managers etc.

The Social Media sessions demonstrated a successful integration of a student-led initiative within a formal graduate training provision. The initiative underlined the importance of engaging PhD students in their own learning and training needs, in both sharing expertise with peers and in contributing to their own professional development. In doing so, it demonstrated to other postgraduate researchers how they might utilise their own areas of expertise to develop further student-led initiatives.

Open competition to fund projects relating to research staff development

The Jubilee Graduate Centre (JGC) has been exclusively developed for postgraduate students and early career researchers. It works closely with Schools on the Jubilee Campus to develop Faculty-specific training and careers events for PGRs/ECRs focusing on transferable skills, and which reflect the requirements of the Funding Councils.

A new post (August 2009) offering careers guidance and information to research staff and fellows across the School of Arts & Humanities and the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Cambridge University (= 39 Faculties and Departments, c. 450 potential clients). Staffed by a careers adviser (0.5 FTE) and PA (0.4 FTE).

In this 3 hour session, we invited an expert panel comprising journal editors, funders, academics, journalist and a science communication charity to discuss peer review with our PhD students and postdoc - looking at peer review from the academic community’s point of view and how the public gauges if scientific evidence is robust or not.

Applying for a Fellowship - when, where and how consists of information sessions and small group follow-on workshops. The aim of the course is to impart information about the research fellowship application process to early career researchers in the biomedical sciences. There were 3 separate lunchtime sessions over 2 weeks, covering funding types and eligibility, general hints and tips on applications, how to fit in with funding bodies’ agendas and the application and interview process. At each session, at least one successful fellow shared their personal experiences. At the end of the final session, two fellows were joined by two members of academic staff who are panel members for MRC and BBSRC for a question and answer session around funders’ and applicants’ views of the Fellowship application process. Sessions were presented by academic staff members, business development personnel and fellows. Following these, those that attended have been invited to the following smaller follow-up sessions: 1) What if a Fellowship is not for me? - a session on pursuing the academic career route without having gained a Fellowship – a recently appointed lecturer from the Vet School talked through how she gained her position and the dedicated researcher careers advisor for Nottingham discussed strategies for achieving a lectureship. 2) Fellowship writing support group – 8 researchers interested in applying for Fellowships are being set up in a support group co-ordinated by the graduate centre manager. This group will have follow-up sessions including pitching their research proposals to one another and training in the JeS and pFACT systems. 3) Funding available to clinical professionals – an information session on funding specifically for clinical professionals and projects will be given by a clinical member of Faculty staff in early 2010. 4) Alternative career options for biological scientists - this session was requested in feedback from ‘What if a Fellowship is not for me?’ and will run in early 2010.

Programme of workshops available to research staff, mapped to Loughborough Skills Statements and Concordat Principles