1. Partnering to support early career researchers
Dr Charlotte Mathieson, University of Surrey
@cemathieson

2. 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

3. 1. What challenges do ECRs face?
The broader context

4. 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-PhD
(from starting R/R&T employment greater than 0.2FTE)

5. The challenges of ECR career paths
My background
: PhD, 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 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

6. 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)

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

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

9. ECRs are balancing decisions about:
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)

10. 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)

11. 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

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

13. Sustaining professional relationships
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

14. 3. Partnering to support ECRs
Suggestions and examples

15. Time & money What do ECRs need? 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?

16. Advice and information
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?

17. What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Wiley Author Services

18. What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Wiley Author Services

19. What do ECRs need?
Advice and information: Palgrave Macmillan ECR hub

20. What do ECRs need? Advice and information: Royal Historical Society

21. Opportunities for networking
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?

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