A very effective way to position yourself at the centre of an academic network is to make yourself useful. Volunteer for jobs that need to be done, and ensure that you actually do what you say you will do.
Running an academic network takes a substantial amount of work.
- Conferences need to be organised
- Committees need to be staffed
- Newsletters and journals published
- Reviews written
- Emails sent
- Websites updated.
Typically this kind of work is undertaken by postgraduate researchers or enthusiastic (and often young) research staff and academics. Volunteering to help to organise things will help you to penetrate your subject's networks, hear about new opportunities and get you known as a helpful and likeable person.
Obviously the flip-side of this approach is that you can get burdened with lots of (often unpaid) work. So be careful about what you take on and advise people when you are finding that you are getting overwhelmed.
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