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Join the Academic Careers Office from 22nd-26th November for Adapt to Achieve: a week long festival for the early career research community at UCL dedicated to breaking down barriers to achieving.
Careers in research and academia are rarely straight forward, and there is no single way to achieve success. Indeed, traditional routes of progression within research and academia do not necessarily/always take into consideration the diverse backgrounds and needs of the ECR community in 2021, nor do they provide readily accessible guidance to help when we get stuck.
Therefore, we need to identify the barriers that can hold us back; the challenges that feel insurmountable and the failures that seem impossible to bounce back from. And from that come up with innovative, flexible, and tailored solutions that help our community achieve their career goals and ambitions.
This is why the Academic Careers Office has organised the Adapt to Achieve Festival: a week-long series of events from 22nd-26th November 2021, showcasing how we can break through academic barriers, create our own out-of-the-box solutions and foster a stronger, more resilient ECR community.
The festival is open to all at UCL and beyond, please sign up to as many events as you would like!
| Monday 22nd November 2021 | Tuesday 23rd November 2021 | Wednesday 24th November 2021 | Thursday 25th November 2021 | Friday 26th November 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) 'Adapt to Achieve Panel Discussion: Institutional adaptability, failures and learnings' 11:00-12:30pm GMT | 1) 'Thinking outside the box- beyond traditional academic roles' 9:30-11am GMT | 1) 'Identifying new opportunities with your research' 10:00-11:30am GMT | 1) Adapt to Achieve Panel Discussion: Structural barriers for ECRs and how to tackle them' 09:30-11:00am GMT | 1) Live Recording of the ACO Podcast! TBA |
| 2) 'The art of asking the right question: peer- coaching for researchers' 13:00-14:30 GMT |
Check out our daily listing of events below:
- Monday 22nd November 2021
In this keynote session, we will identify the challenges that arise when pushing through institutional change and the implications for everyone, including early career researchers. The panel will discuss how all institutional innovations, such as setting up new research groups, forging partnerships or changing strategic direction, can all be met with barriers and setbacks. Learning from these experiences and adapting our strategies are key to success.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Alan Thompson Pro Vice-Provost (London), Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences
- Claire Glen (Executive Director of Research & Innovation Services)
- Sophie Acton (Group Leader at MRC LMB)
Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/adapt-to-achieve-panel-1-institutional-adaptability-failures-learnings-tickets-187647016277
- Tuesday 23rd November 2021
'Thinking outside the box- beyond traditional academic roles' 9:30-11am GMT
Explore non-obvious roles and projects for an academic in this world-café style 90-minute session. Participants will rotate around 4 break out rooms with the following topics led by experts in the field. Please note: all participants will attend all break out rooms. This workshop is open to all researchers at UCL.
Room 1: Out of nowhere - There is much talk about team science, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the future of academia. How can I know whether unexpected opportunities are out there for me? How do I navigate these partnerships? What happens when funding streams are not obvious?
Room 2: Out of sight – Beyond traditional partnerships, there are different ways to set up collaborations with other sectors and even partners that may not be immediately obvious. In this session we will explore creative partnerships!
Room 3: Out of the ordinary – Have you thought to get a foot out of the academia? Would you like to follow a crazy idea and start a business? In this session we will explore the common pitfalls of spinning out and how we can learn from failure.
Room 4: Out of the woods – Have you wondered what work is like in industry? Would you like to learn about other ways to work? Perhaps even find out whether moving sectors might be for you? Come out and learn about placements in industry for early career academics.
Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-cafe-thinking-outside-the-box-beyond-traditional-academic-roles-tickets-187652562867
- Wednesday 24th November 2021
1) 'Identifying new opportunities with your research' 10:00-11:30am GMT
Would you like to change the world with your research? As we adapt to a new way of working and move towards 2022, now is a good time to review the impact of your research. This workshop will encourage you to think more creatively and start to identify innovative opportunities from your research. You will learn to:
- identify what creativity and innovation is in the context of research;
- create a work environment for innovation with the people you work with; and
- identify ideas for innovating with your research.
This 90-minute workshop will be interactive and may involve small group activity. This workshop is open to all researchers at UCL.
2) 'The art of asking the right question: peer- coaching for researchers' 13:00-14:30 GMT
“Please give me some good advice in your next letter. I promise not to follow it.”
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Coaching is the next buzz word everyone is talking about. But why?
Join us to learn why you should get involved in researchers’ peer-to-peer coaching networks, and also how to do it. We will walk you through the benefits of asking (and being asked) the right question and give you the tools you need to start implementing coaching techniques in your professional and personal context. We will also talk about other sources of support available to early stage researchers.
- Thursday 25th November 2021
In this keynote session, we will be identifying structural barriers within academia and research that make it harder for early career researchers to achieve their goals. The panel will discuss their own experiences of tackling barriers in their careers, what work still needs to be done to give every ECR an equal chance of success and advice to anyone who may want to try promoting change in their teams or their institutions more generally.
Confirmed speakers:
- Javier Bautista, Chair and co-founder of the LGBTQ+ STEM @UCL Network and a member of LESG
- Colby Benari, CEO In2ScienceUK
- Kelsey Paske, CEO and Director KP Consulting
- Friday 26th November 2021
Live Recording of the ACO Podcast!
Accessibility
We aim to make our events as inclusive as possible so if you have any accessibility requirements or enquiries please contact Alex Teale, a.teale@ucl.ac.uk. If you could contact us allowing for as much time as possible before the event, we will be able to ensure where required the appropriate measures are taken.