Welcome to the Vitae research staff blog. Articles and comments are invited by all members of research staff and those interested in their development. Therefore the views expressed are personal and not necessarily Vitae's. To keep this a supportive, welcoming online community please abide by the terms of reference.
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How long would your PhD have taken if it had all gone right?
How much of research is luck? And what's a PhD for anyway?
07 September 2010
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Getting out more: Finding out more
As a social scientist working in a Science Communication Group, part of my PhD involved fieldwork at different science dialogue events. I sat through hours of debate and dialogue – note-taking all the time: I was attempting ethnographic ‘thick description’ – and there’s a tendency for events to run into one unless I resort to my fieldnotes. But a few moments stand out: a woman speaking movingly about her experience of mental illness; a couple of scientists politely quarrelling on stage; an audience member explaining, eruditely and at some length, why they believed Einstein was wrong.
06 September 2010
Categories: research staff, support, practical tips, Community
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Search engine tools for researchers
What happens when you Google your name? Ever wondered if you could move yourself higher up the results, or if you could find out who's been looking at your homepage? This article provides a few tips.
26 August 2010
Categories: development, mobility, research staff, training, support
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Hanging on the telephone...
How long does it take an appointment committee to decide? With the three post-docs I have had so far, I found out on the way home from the interview. But this round of job applications seem to be taking a lot longer.
31 August 2010
Categories: Research, career, short term contracts
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Northern Soul
I like the north: in my view amazing scenery, friendly people and stotty bread more than make up for the challenges of finding a good cup of coffee. I’m excited, then, that Vitae’s annual conference is in Manchester and that I’ve got the opportunity to go along. Not only do I get to explore the UK’s second city, there’s what looks like an incredible range of presentations and activities – from creative facilitation to the Roberts Report – on researcher development.
03 September 2010
Categories: Research, development, research staff organisation, UKRSA, Community
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Hug a visiting researcher today!
I didn't realise quite how hard it was to settle in to a new place and develop a social life until I took up a contract in France for a y
17 August 2010
Categories: mobility, short term contracts, support, practical tips
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9 ways this blog has been improved
27 August 2010
Categories: Community
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Is the end always like this?
Most of the readers and writers of this blog are a bit more experienced than I am. My first post-doc contract is drawing to a close.&
23 August 2010
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The silly season: Or, nine ways to distract yourself from work
I’ve already written about the summer doldrums and why I hate them. Apologies to those of you out there who are working as hard as ever, if not harder, but this week – the run-up to the August bank holiday – has to be the peak of boredom for the left behind who aren’t on holiday and who don’t have deadlines (well – urgent deadlines). So, as a gift to those whose only options are staring at the rain and staring at your computer, here are my suggestions – born of tedious experience – for some semi-productive time-wasting…
25 August 2010
Categories: Research, research staff, practical tips, CVs
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Research proposals - time and timing
Applying for grants or fellowships is not only time-consuming, but also an obstruction to other aspects of your life and career because of the timing of the process. You've invested a lot in proposal, and it's not easy to get on with life while waiting for the outcome, since you're often faced with short-term career choices where the 'sensible' option seems to be to assume that you won't get the funding. The alternative is to put yourself in limbo for several months.
27 August 2010
Categories: Research, career, development, mobility
