Developing yourself as a researcher: Looking beyond the PhD Associate Professor Bruce Johnson Dean: Research Education Division Research Skills Day – 9 th March 2007

Overview  The Doctorate and career development  Emergent thinking  Developing generic skills, attributes and dispositions  Policy drivers – RQF & generational change  Barriers to career development  Getting practical – what can you do?

Imagining the future  How many of you have thought about life after your Doctorate? –New role? (writer, university teacher and researcher, professional researcher, post-doc fellow, public intellectual) –New identity? (confident, self satisfied, ambitious) –Enhancing your options and choices

Imagining the future  How many of you have thought about what you could do NOW to prepare for life after the Doctorate?

Imagining the future  How many of you have thought about what you could do NOW to prepare for life after the Doctorate? –Investing in a self development process –Getting help but not being helpless –Taking responsibility for your career

Emergent Thinking  ‘In Doctoral programs we should be more concerned about the development of researchers than the production of theses’.

Emergent Thinking  ‘In Doctoral programs we should be more concerned about the development of researchers that the production of theses’.  ‘Doctoral researchers should articulate, verbalise and document what they learn during their candidature’.

Emergent Thinking  ‘In Doctoral programs we should be more concerned about the development of researchers that the production of theses’.  ‘Doctoral researchers should articulate, verbalise and document what they learn during their candidature’.  ‘Doctoral programs are becoming more diverse, flexible, and focussed on career development’.

What did I get out my PhD?  International links  Confidence  How to apply for and win research grants  Project management skills (time management; working with others; itemising tasks; etc)  Advanced writing skills  Negotiation skills  Specialist knowledge

What have you learnt so far?

What has the RQF got to do with this?  What counts?  HDRs and the RQF  Keeping track of research performance – Individual Research Portfolios

Maintaining an up-to-date CV  Current positions  Academic qualifications  Career summary  Membership of professional organisations  Teaching  Supervision  Research grants and consultancy  Publications

What gets in the way of career development?  People are complacent  People are too proud, too shy, or too scared to ask for help  Experienced, senior people don’t do their job  The university doesn’t accept that it has a role in career development  ‘Bad’ behaviour by those seeking help

What can you do?  Get serious about career development  Get a mentor  Use the RoP to articulate needs  Use research training and travel opportunities  Participate in research centre activities  Actively network  Use academic friendships  Anything else??

Conclusions  Re-thinking the Doctoral experience  Developing generic skills, attributes and dispositions  Understanding policy drivers  Taking advantage of career development opportunities