The aim of this programme is to help you to develop the skills you need for your career – wherever that might lead you!  This could be in academia or beyond, and many research staff go on to have successful careers in industries such as healthcare, education, engineering, business, NGOs, etc.  Surveys of employer practice have shown that employers would welcome more applications from doctoral graduates. 

If you are like the majority of postdoctoral researchers, you might not yet have definite ideas about your future career.  Finding the career path that is right for you can take time, and the help of those around you including your PI, colleagues, mentors, or family and friends.  Most of all you will need to consider what motivates you and where your skills lie. 

This is why it is important to develop a plan.  While your career is your responsibility, the purpose of this Researcher Development Programme is to help you to develop a  rewarding career in research.   Whatever your path, the good news is that a 2016 survey of former University research staff (www.vitae.ac.uk) showed that the vast majority were satisfied in their work.  We hope that this programme will be a support to you during this phase of your career and that you will emerge from this programme with a strong skill set for the future. 

Aims:

  1. Enable researchers to develop a long-term career strategy
  2. Promote leadership through the development of skills such as networking, influencing, presenting, time management, project management, grant writing and many more
  3. Bring researchers together as a community so as to enable cross-collaboration on projects and knowledge transfer
  4. Greater self-awareness and awareness of others, leading to improved influencing and communication skills
  5. Enhanced research output 
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