Partnering to support early career researchers Dr Charlotte

Partnering to support early career researchers Dr Charlotte Mathieson, University of Surrey c. mathieson@surrey. ac. uk @cemathieson

Partnering to support early career researchers Overview • What challenges do early career researchers face? The broader context • What are the priorities for career development? Publishing; funding; networking • Partnering to support ECRs Examples and suggestions

1. What challenges do ECRs face? The broader context

What is an early career researcher? • Funding councils (e. g. AHRC, ESRC) Up to 8 years • Postdoctoral fellowships (e. g. Leverhulme, British Academy) 3 -5 years • REF 2014 (+2021? ) Output reduction applied up to 4 years post-Ph. D (from starting R/R&T employment greater than 0. 2 FTE)

The challenges of ECR career paths My background • 2007 -10: Ph. D, University of Warwick (viva 2011) • Jan 2011 – Oct 2012: hourly-paid teaching, marking, invigilation, academic writing and 1 -1 tuition, A-level tuition, short term research fellowship, research assistant on project bid, work on University projects supporting ECRs, freelance proofreading, etc… • Oct 2012 – Sept 2013: 0. 6 FTE project fellow at Institute of Advanced Study, University of Warwick; plus hourly-paid teaching • Sept 2013 – Sept 2015: 2 years further in post at 100% FTE • Sept 2015 – July 2016: 10 -month teaching fellowship at Newcastle University • August 2016 – present: Lecturer in English Literature at University of Surrey, permanent R&T position

The challenges of ECR career paths Key points • A highly competitive job market; • A period of precarity is common, and increasingly longer; • Multiple, short-term contracts across institutions are typical; • Competing demands of long-term goals (publishing, funding) vs short-term needs (staying employed)

2. What are the priorities for career development? Key strategic areas Publishing Funding Networking

Priority 1: Publishing Pressure to publish • Employability & the REF • • Intrinsically linked to one another; Integral to ECR publishing decisions • Publishing expectations • • Arts & Humanities: monograph + 1 -2 articles Sciences & Social Sciences: articles in high-impact journals • ECR REF discount vs. competitive job market

Priority 1: Publishing How does this influence ECR publishing decisions? ECRs are balancing decisions about: • quality (peer-review, high impact/good distribution) • speed of publication (publisher turnaround times) • timing within REF cycle (delay/speed-up completion) • quantity (overall publication profile)

Priority 2: Grants and funding What’s available? • Short-term / medium small grants, bursaries, library fellowships • Long-term postdoctoral schemes Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (3 years) British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship (3 years) Institutional schemes (various – 2, 3, 5 years typical)

Priority 2: Grants and funding What influences ECR funding decisions? • Conducting research publications • Building a track record for larger grants • Rounding CV for employability • Developing networks - career mobility

Priority 3: Networking Why is networking important for ECRs? • Getting established in the field • Increasing publication visibility & impact • Employability & career opportunities • Mentorship & peer support

Priority 3: Networking What are the challenges for ECRs networking? • Time • Money • Knowing how to establish professional relationships (making the first step) • Sustaining professional relationships

3. Partnering to support ECRs Suggestions and examples

What do ECRs need? Time & money • money buys time for research • small amounts can go a long way could you provide a small research grant e. g. for work towards a publication output?

What do ECRs need? Advice and information • Clear, accessible information about how to get published, funding applications, how to network • Advice from “those in the know” (publishers, senior colleagues) and peer-experience of processes could you produce guides to support researchers e. g. on the publishing process at your publisher or advice from series editors on writing a good proposal?

What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Wiley Author Services https: //authorservices. wiley. com/author -resources/index. html

What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Wiley Author Services https: //www. brighttalk. com/webcast/ 11201/221041

What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Palgrave Macmillan ECR hub https: //www. palgrave. com/gp/whypublish/early-career-researcher-hub

What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Royal Historical Society http: //royalhistsoc. org/early-career-historians/

What do ECRs need? Opportunities for networking • • • accessible within context of issues e. g. time/money in-person and online opportunities career-stage/ cross-career stage/ research-specific could you run an event for ECRs and senior colleagues? Host a twitter-chat for ECRs? Establish or support a mentoring scheme?

Thank you & questions Dr Charlotte Mathieson c. mathieson@surrey. ac. uk @cemathieson