Dr Keith E. Fildes 13 June 2016

Resources for Early Career and Doctoral Researchers

Resources for ECRs and DRs

What training have you done at SHU to support your research?

What research training would you like to do at SHU?

What is your preferred method of engaging in training?

What SHU resources do you access to support your research?

What resources would you like to be able to access to support your

research?

Audit

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Career Pathways

Research training opportunities ◦ SHaRD

◦ Doctoral School

Appraisals, mentoring and peer support

Social media as a research resource

Support for gaining research funding

Workshop Outline

Resources for ECRs and DRs

What is an ECR?

Resources for ECRs and DRs

REF uses ‘less than 4.25 years as an independent researcher’ at its

census date

ECR Fellowships (like Leverhulme and AHRC) are often open to

those ‘less than 5 years post-PhD’

Pre-92s use it to describe their grade 7 academic staff (used

interchangeably with ‘postdoc’)

At SHU we sometimes use it to cover grades 6-7 staff, or sometimes

grades 6-8 (but 8s would normally be mid-career

researchers/MCRs)

ECR Definitions

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Practitioners/new or back to research (no doctorate) - teaching or

practice route

Doctoral researchers

ECRs/emerging independent researcher (G6-7) - researchers,

research fellows, lecturers

MCRs/established researchers (G8) - senior research fellows,

senior lecturers

Research leaders (G9+) - readers, professors, principal research

fellows, principal lecturers

Career Stages

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Career Pathways at SHU

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Researcher development

Career development

Personal effectiveness

Community development and networking

Teaching development and accreditation

Training Areas

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Sheffield Hallam Researcher Development Programme (SHaRD)

Programme - for research-active staff, but doctoral researchers can

access

Doctoral Skills Training - for doctoral research, but includes

supervisor development

Over 200 different opportunities - can be individually-tailored

depending on your specific training needs and interests

Research Training Opportunities

Resources for ECRs and DRs

A framework of development offerings under 25 themes

Accessible by anyone undertaking or interested in undertaking

research - research-active staff, doctoral researchers, research

support staff

Thematic rather than linear - needs-based and individually-tailored

Co-ordinated by the Researcher Development Adviser in RIO, but

incorporating a wide range of development, delivered at different

levels and by different people

Designed to make training and development more strategic and

more accessible

What is SHaRD?

Resources for ECRs and DRs

The SHaRD Programme

A blend of:

• Delivered courses

• Online courses

• Resources

• c.1100 attendees in

2014/15

http://shardprogramme.wordpress.com/

Resources for ECRs and DRs

The SHaRD Programme

Resources for ECRs and DRs

University-Wide Workshops

and Bespoke Sessions

http://shardprogramme.wordpress.com/upcoming/

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Online Courses and Resources

Enhancing Research

Impact - new for

June 2016

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Doctoral School

• https://shdoctoralschool.wordpress.com/

• Includes supervisor development:

https://shdoctoralschool.wordpress.com/supervisors/

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Structure

DOCTORAL SCHOOL

(Director Prof Cleaver)

Student Systems

and Records

Team,

Registry Services

Doctoral School

Team,

Research and

Innovation Office

Faculty Teams

and

Supervisors

Skills &

Development

Funders,

International,

Marketing

Governance

Oversight, Training & Marketing Quality & Regulations

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Doctoral Research Training Series

• Year 1 (1-2 PT)

o Becoming A SHU Doctoral Researcher

o Data Think Tank

o Method Conference

• Year 2 (3-4 PT)

o Research Writing, Presentation and Reading

o Planning for Finishing the Thesis

• Year 3 (5-6 PT)

o Doctoral Careers

o Demystifying the Doctoral Viva

• All Years

o Three Minute Thesis

o Imagine research cafes

o Doctoral School socials

https://shdoctoralschool.wordpress.com/current-drs/training-and-

development/drts/

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Doctoral Skills Training

• Doctoral Research Training Series (previous slide)

• Faculty-Based Research Methods:

◦ ACES

◦ D&S

◦ HWB

◦ SBS

• Teaching and Lecturing Courses (including the dedicated Teaching Skills for Doctoral

Students course)

• SHaRD Programme (research staff sessions, which doctoral researchers are

welcome to access)

• Library Researcher Sessions

• Career Management Workshops

• Online Courses

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Research CPD Pathways

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Stage 1 - identification of career trajectory and development needs

analysis o HEA UK Professional Standards Framework (www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/ukpsf/ukpsf.pdf)

o Vitae Researcher Development Framework (http://shardprogramme.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/rdf.pdf)

o Higher grade job descriptions, including professorial/reader promotion criteria

o https://portal.shu.ac.uk/departments/HRD/SiteCollectionDocuments/Pay%20and%20Grading/Academic%20Progression/AT004%

20-%20Reader%20(PO)%20v2.docx

o https://staff.shu.ac.uk/university_secretariat/prof_guidance.asp

Stage 2 - personal development plan

Stage 3 - access development

Stage 4 - record development

Stage 5 - reflect and review of career

trajectory and development needs

Best undertaken in conversation with

line-manager

The CPD Cycle

Resources for ECRs and DRs

RDF Planner

• An online system for managing development – skills audits,

development plans, accessing development and then recording

CPD (ePortfolio) - SHU has institutional subscription

• Compulsory for all doctoral researchers and available to staff on

request

• Guidance Document (for doctoral researchers and supervisors):

https://shardprogramme.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/doctoral-

skills-training-guidance-15-161.pdf

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Annual appraisal should be equally weighted between performance

review and development planning - career focus as much as on current

role/project

Appraisal participation rate - SHU 88.1%, UK HE - 59.5%

Found it useful - SHU 56.6%, UK HE - 44.1%

Mentoring informally - approach someone senior, outside of line

management chain, who you respect and admire. Or your line

manager can help find one - a peer of theirs from a cognate

section/department

Mentoring formally - schemes may be organised locally (e.g. PSP,

DLC, ADRC) or sometimes centrally by HR (usually an E&D

intervention e.g. )

Line Managers and Mentors

Resources for ECRs and DRs

First Year in Post

Role

Have you completed the mandatory components of your induction?

Have you participated in further induction opportunities for new staff?

Are you clear on your role and responsibilities?

Are you familiar with the terms and conditions of your contract?

Have you reviewed the University’s research strategy, research ethics and research integrity

policies?

Career

Have you thought about what you want to get out of this experience as a researcher at Sheffield

Hallam?

Have you used the RDF Planner or equivalent to do a development needs analysis and

produce a personal development plan?

Have you sought out information about the range of researcher development opportunities at

the University, such as the SHaRD Programme?

Are you taking active responsibility for your career planning?

Have you considered where you want to be in five years’ time?

Appraisal Research Prompts 1

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Subsequent Years

Role

Do you feel you are being pro-active in reviewing you work and raising any issues?

Are you taking stock of your progress, in line with your agreed work programme, and seeking appropriate feedback?

Are you contributing to, or taking responsibility for, writing publications and attending conferences (as appropriate for the

project and their career stage)?

Do you have a publication strategy for this REF cycle?

Have you considered how to maximise the impact of your research and its role in enhancing the economy and society?

Have you been involved in knowledge exchange, commercialisation or public engagement activities?

Career

Are you regularly reviewing your skills development - recording your progress and setting further goals in your development

plan - using the RDF Planner or equivalent?

Are you making sure that you review your progress and career ambitions?

Are you looking at funding opportunities for which you are eligible?

Are you keeping your CV up-to-date?

Are you finding and engaging with the training and development opportunities available to you (e.g. the SHaRD Programme,

the QESS CPD Programme, professional recognition)?

Are you maintaining and developing useful networks?

Are you aware of the possibilities for progression and promotion?

Have you considered opportunities for expanding your role, e.g. writing grant applications, joining committees, teaching duties?

What peer-review and supporting development have you been involved in, e.g. of colleagues' funding proposals, research

practices, draft research outputs?

Have you considered acting as a mentor to an early-career researcher (or thesis completion mentor to a final year doctoral

student if they are an ECR)?

Appraisal Research Prompts 2

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Final Year of Fixed-Term Contracts

Role

The prospects for your continuing employment on this project, if I want to stay, are…

Have you sought to discuss the possibility of ongoing work or redeployment?

Have you contributed to planning the continuation of the project (if appropriate)?

Are you familiar with the University procedures relating to the ending of fixed-term contracts and

redeployment?

Career

Are you taking active steps to secure your next job, including looking beyond academia?

Have you made full use of the careers advice and resources that are available to you?

Have you identified any possible sources of research funding for which you are eligible and

may wish to apply?

https://portal.shu.ac.uk/departments/HRD/development/appraisal/academic/Pages/home.aspx

https://portal.shu.ac.uk/departments/HRD/development/appraisal/academic/Documents/Supplem

entary%20Prompts%20for%20Appraisers%20of%20Research-Active%20Staff.pdf

Appraisal Research Prompts 3

Resources for ECRs and DRs

The University encourages the principle of peer support to improve

the standard of research grant applications and to increase the

chances of securing external funding

Research units will establish their own approach to peer support to

fit with their discipline approach and structure. Different models

may be established including one-to-one support, group sessions

and formal review panels

All grant award holders who have received external funding within

the last five years will be identified to allow for easy identification of

researchers who can provide advice and guidance

Peer Support

Resources for ECRs and DRs

1) Social Media for Research - Aiding and Disseminating Research ◦ Funding opportunities/aggregators

◦ Recruiting research participants

◦ Crowdsourcing

◦ Collaboration and co-production

◦ Promotion of outputs (including research impact)

2) Social Media for Researchers - Networking and Identity ◦ Career development - profile raising

◦ Peer support with research environment challenges (isolation, fixed-term

contracts, #ECRchat/#PhDchat)

3) Tools Available to Boost Academic Profile ◦ Academic blogging (full/Wordpress and micro/Twitter)

◦ Researcher profile sites (Academia.edu, Google Scholar, Linked-In)

◦ Impact matrixes (Altmetrics)

Social Media as a Research

Resource

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Funding Opportunities/Aggregators

Resources for ECRs and DRs

www.callforparticipants.com

Recruiting Research Participants

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Crowdsourcing

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Collaboration and Co-production

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Promotion of Outputs

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Career Development - Profile Raising

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Peer Support with Research

Environment Challenges (Isolation,

Fixed-Term Contracts, #ECRchat/#PhDchat)

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Academic Blogging

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Researcher Profile Sites

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Impact Matrixes (Altmetrics)

Resources for ECRs and DRs

Social Media: A guide for researchers ◦ http://shardprogramme.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/social-media-a-guide-for-

researchers.pdf

Using Twitter in university research, teaching and impact activities ◦ http://shardprogramme.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/twitter-guide.pdf

Handbook of social media for researchers and supervisors ◦ https://www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/reports/innovate-open-university-social-

media-handbook-vitae-2012.pdf

Social Media Resources

Resources for ECRs and DRs

https://staff.shu.ac.uk/enterprise/research/funding_current.asp

Funding Guides

Resources for ECRs and DRs

https://staff.shu.ac.uk/enterprise/research/support_team.asp

researchsupport@shu.ac.uk

Grants Team

Supports the development, management, costing and

contracting of the research grant portfolio ensuring

compliance with relevant regulations and minimising risk

to the University. Activities are focused on grant income

generation from high quality funding sources.

Resources for ECRs and DRs

k.fildes@shu.ac.uk (Elizabeth Scanlon from 20/6)

0114 225 4530

https://shardprogramme.wordpress.com/

@SHaRD_Programme

https://shdoctoralschool.wordpress.com

@SHDocSchool

https://portal.shu.ac.uk/sites/acpd

(Also includes LEAD, Library, HR, Secretariat

and Careers training offers)

Contact