Promotion: Success stories at EEE

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

I started as Lecturer on July 2016 and I applied for the promotion on December 2020 so after 4 years more or less. I waited to have a solid case – so good impact research, PhD students almost at completion and good funding.

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

• EDUCATION.  I contributed to shape new modules for the new master programmes, plus teaching other modules. In the application I highlighted the re-structuring I applied to the programmes.
• RESEARCH. I showed the output and the impact of the research we carried out in the team, this has been highlighted via the successes of the PhD students reaching the end of this journey – for example key publications, best paper awards, key internships at Google, DeepMind, AWS, etc. I stressed the new research directions I started since joined UCL and how much this has been recognized in the community – showing the active roles I have taken in organizing committees etc.
• ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT. I have contributed to CPD courses
• INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP. I have been part of creating the new IMLS master programme, beyond carrying out tutorials and being MSc director across various programmes.

I think it was a mix of everything honestly – I have the feeling that the CV needs to show balance, meaning outstanding results across all the four sectors.

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

I did not have students already graduated but I realized (talking to colleagues) that this is not a must, I just had to show that students were close to completion.

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

Not really, but I believe that understanding the promotion criteria from the beginning helps in reaching a balanced profile.

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Check criteria at least 1 year ago and see in which of the 4 aspects you are weak.  This will help you to work toward this goal

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

5 years. I applied but failed in the first year.

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

• EDUCATION.  Supervise PhD students to complete (with awards and high-profile paper), development of new course material.
• ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT. Successful industrial engagement, patent filing and licensing, leading public engagement events like UCL academic festival. 
• INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP. Support and mentoring of junior research for successful fellowship applications.
• RESEARCH. Successful PI grants, leading multi-organisation research collaboration in large grants. PI of impactful papers during my time at UCL. Development of independent field leadership with international recognition. 

I think I was generally balanced in each domain, with strength in research and establishing new fields and new research capabilities. 

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

How to prepare for a successful case, I did not have example cases as references. 

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

It would have been good to have successful examples as we are doing now!

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

My honest opinion is that I am not a fan of tips, which somewhat feel like playing tricks to win. I think promotion or advance of career (or life) should happen naturally with the advance of one's work. It is the daily investment and efforts towards one's goal that build all the cases. If I were to give a suggestion, I think it is important to set one's own agenda and work towards it. With a good track record and achievements, one will be recognised here or in other institutes

 

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

I stayed in my previous grade over the period 2019-2022. Challenge was demonstrating graduation of PhD which takes 3-4 years. Also gathering enough experience in each of the required areas

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

 EDUCATION. 

• Adaption of courses with COVID
• New assessments that were brought in
• Arrangements for Scenario weeks and how these were adapted based on feedback and delivery of high quality teaching.
• Consider what impacts you have made to your teaching courses

RESEARCH.

• National/International impact examples
• Invited talks
• Chair panels / Editor roles
• Publication examples
• List of grants. Showing consistency, size perhaps isn’t as much of an issue.

ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT.

• Engagement with UCLB, IP development, engagement with startups, etc.

INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP.

• Nominated roles in the dept. Support for peers.

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

Differentiating between CV and personal statement where there was overlap. Feedback from HoD helped with this.

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

Fit the academic promotion case to the rule book as best you can.

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Apply early. Get feedback and plan on how to fill your gaps in the next 12 months

 

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

Since 2017, when I obtained my RAEng Research Fellowship, I believe it took me a somewhat longer time to apply for Grade 9. This was because I first had to secure the lectureship in 2019 and demonstrate further progression before applying for Grade 9. In retrospect, I might have should done it 1-2 years earlier.

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

EDUCATION.  Design of new modules, Teaching on multiple modules, graduated PhD students

RESEARCH. Multiple research grants, strong publication output, 2 research fellowships, international awards.

ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT. multiple patents, founded a start-up company, secured seed/Series A funding, won iUK grant.

INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP. Director of MSc programme, contributed to multiple faculty committees.

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

I believe I could have done it earlier. I may have been under the somewhat inaccurate impression that I needed to demonstrate very strong achievements in all four categories. It was not clear to me whether, if I were unsuccessful, I could reapply the following year or if I needed to wait one year before applying again.

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

Perhaps I needed more external encouragement to apply.

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Talk with colleagues who done it  – maybe you already have enough to go for it.

 

Q1. For how long did you stay in your previous grade (Grade 8) If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you to apply for Grade 9 earlier?

I applied about three years after my appointment at grade 8, however I already had two years of experience as a lecturer in a different institution. So approximately five years in total.

 

Q2. Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

• EDUCATION: design and deliver of undergraduate and graduate modules and laboratories, tutoring, examinations (internal and external), engagement with HEA and UCL Connected Curriculum, student feedback
• RESEARCH: publication record, successful grant applications, collaborations, invited talks, supervision of PhD students
• ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT: proven track record of collaboration with industry (e.g. joint patents); engagement with non-academic partners, policy making, participation to advisory/policy making groups, mentorships, outreach
• INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP: managing facilities, mentorship of younger colleagues, participations to panels and committees

I think that all domains are considered and a good case should demonstrate good achievements in all of them.

 

Q3. What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

The personal statement is very short and is difficult to discuss all the criteria set in the framework. The CV, on the other hand, can be used to provide further details, which I found a bit odd. Advices from senior colleagues were very helpful to find the good balance between the two documents.

 

Q4. Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

UCL sets expectations quite clearly in the Academic Framework so there was nothing unexpected that I discovered during the process. The challenge is -of course- to perform well in all (or at least most) of the areas considered (scientific output, research grant, student feedback, institutional citizenship, etc.)!

 

Q5. What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Familiarize with the criteria as early as possible and identify areas that require development. This is not only useful for the promotion process but also for personal development

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

4 years.

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

This is hard to answer. My understanding is that all categories are pretty much equally assessed. This weighting also depends on which route you go down, either research or teaching. The details are summarised in Academic Framework.

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

It was pretty clear about what I should put in. Since senior academic promotion covers entire UCL departments, each applicant never knows what is the clear criteria to satisfy each section, say how much research funding one should have generated for Grade 10, likewise publication etc.

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

Not much. As I write above, all necessary information is shown in Academic Framework and the rest is pretty much like grant proposal writing (to respond to each question).

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Read Academic Promotion even you are not immediately planning to apply for promotion. This can let you figure out what you might want to develop to make a strong case. Talk to very senior academics and ask their opinions. You do not need to completely satisfy each criterion. I trust that the decision will be made by looking at your whole portfolio.

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

5 years

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application?

Have significant contributions that demonstrate leadership and outstanding performance (as expected and defined by the academic framework) across most if not all assessment domains. 

EDUCATION.  Creating and leading new modules, student feedback, 3rd year projects that led to international peer-reviewed publications, etc.

RESEARCH. Top tier publications with good balance between conferences and journals. Best paper awards. Projects funded as PI and Co-I though the PI role is more important. TPC memberships, invited talks, best paper awards, leadership roles, international collaborations with academia and industry, etc. Creating and leading new research area

ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT. Patents, industrial exploitation engagement, industrial and wider impact including technical and mainstream media interviews. Industrial funded innovation projects.

INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP. Contributions on various internal panels and roles. Introduction of a new process and framework for high quality, online and secure exam paper preparation.

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

The process is mostly clear yet as this is not an exact quantitative process I would recommend to discuss with senior academics.

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

No

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Discuss your goals and timeline for promotion during your appraisals and plan objectives well in advance. Discuss with senior academics across the department to get advice and understand their views also well in advance. Get examples or suggestions on the structure and style of the CV.

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

My previous grade was 10.3 – since approx. 2014

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application? 

Research at the highest level and award of major grants – 2 programme grants (2012 and 2018), election to the Royal Society in 2016, and being honoured by a CBE in 2017. Building of the research team – inc recruitment following the departures of 2 key academics in 2016/17. Award of major fellowships to team members (facilitated by me in helping to prepare them for the process).

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

The completion of the paperwork required significant amount of time. My promotion to 10.2 took place in 2008, the promotion to 10.3 was automatic (did not require any paperwork) and so updating of the CV with the different categories – titles of PhD theses supervised, awards received by my & team members in the UCL format required took until lockdown to complete. The COVID19 lockdown (2 years) allowed me the time to finally finish this process – the goal had moved from annual appraisal to annual appraisal over several years….(5…)

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

Keep your CV (both short, long and UCL-format) up to date!!! Update at least once per year! Maximise the “signal-to-noise ratio”. Do not take on too many commitments. Being a good citizen on many fronts eg editing journals, serving on conf committees, being involved with learned institutions/societies, being part of UCL committees, all take large amount of time. Be selective.

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Being top in a research field requires critical mass of researchers. It is impossible to have a world-class group of one individual – so it is key to maximise the research critical mass. That should be the key focus.  Do not focus on the individual activity vs group activity, this will give the maximum productive & successful output. Focus on the success of the team members. If they succeed – you succeed too. Be very grateful for all support from mentors & colleagues.  You cannot make it without their support!  I am very grateful to my mentors & colleagues, students and postdocs – I could not have made it without them. They are the engine of research and ultimately our success!

 

Q1: For how long did you stay in your previous grade? If you think you stayed too long in your previous grade, what prevented you from applying earlier?

10 years at Grade 9. Appraisals indicated that despite many well cited publications, I needed to publish several papers in higher impact factor journals.

 

Q2: Can you please give examples of what you included in your application in each domain? What do you think was the most influential part of your last application? 

 

EDUCATION.  Innovative Teaching and Examination Techniques, many courses taught and students supervised in department and in other UCL departments

RESEARCH. All the grants I led as PI or Co-I. Research achievements and the impact of them on international companies and universities. Keynote and Plenary invited presentations.

ENTERPRISE & EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT. My patents, consultancies and spin out company. The millions of pounds of funding brought in including investor funding and HMRC Tax Credits for the spin out company. Setting international technical standards now followed by many international companies.

INSTITUTIONAL CITIZENSHIP. My Administrative roles including Admissions Tutor, Timetabler, Safety officer, Facilities Co-ordinator, IET Accreditation Co-ordinator, Exam paper reviewer, Examination Misconduct Panel, Early Leaving tutor

 

Q3: What aspects of the promotion process concerned you at the time? What information you did not have?

Presenting my achievements in a meaningful way rather than just as a list of everything I had done. Leaving out some things I had done which had been relevant for earlier promotions but which were not relevant for this promotion, to improve clarity and readability.

 

Q4: Is there anything you would have liked to have known earlier in your path that you know about now?

The requirements for promotion changed and I had not been updated on the changes.

 

Q5: What tips would you give to those planning to apply to be promoted to your grade?

Try to continuously tick all the boxes of publishing papers in high impact factor journals, securing research grants, graduating PhD students in 4 years, performing administrative duties, collaborating in international research teams, interacting with industry whether via consultancies or research collaborations or PhD studentships, mentoring younger colleagues.

Try to find several higher level academics who can mentor you on promotion and who are willing to read and give you feedback on how to improve your application.

Try to collaborate in research and/or teaching with other departments in UCL.