Networking and Profile Building for Researchers

Practical information

• Audience: Places on this workshop are prioritised for postdoctoral and early-career researchers at Queen's.
• Date and time: 6-part programme | various dates/times TBC
• Length: Sessions from 1.5 - 2 hours in duration
• Place: Online
• Organised by: Learning and Development, OD (stafflearning@qub.ac.uk)

Content

This six-session workshop will cover a range of skills that will help you raise your profile, and build the networks that can help you succeed, whether your career aims are in academia or beyond. This course is collaboratively delivered across the eight UK Higher Education Institutions (listed below) and during this workshop you will get the opportunity to network, online, with researchers based at these institutions.

To attend this workshop, you must agree to attend all six sessions. Sessions are 90 minutes in length and run-in pairs (one before lunch, one after lunch), hosted on Zoom.

This programme is a collaboration between Queen Mary University London, University of Cambridge, University of Cardiff, University of Glasgow, King’s College London, University of Leeds, University of Nottingham, and Queen’s University Belfast.

Attendance at all sessions is required. You will be automatically registered for all sessions upon registration.

Sessions:

Session 1: Introduction to Principles of Networking

Date: TBC | Time: TBC | Location: Online

This session will enable you to:

• Define networking - what it is and isn’t and why it’s important for a range of contexts.
• Map your existing network and reflect on how it is functioning.
• Identify gaps in your network and plan how to fill them.
• Connect with other participants during and between sessions.

Session 2: Building confidence to network and taking first steps

Date: TBC | Time: TBC | Location: Online

This session connects to session 1 (Principles of Networking) and will help you delve a little further into developing methods of networking which are comfortable for you. During the session you will meet a range of experienced “networking regulars” drawn from the partner Universities and their networks. This session will enable you to:

• Self-assess and build increased confidence in developing and using networking for career development.
• Identify barriers to networking and employ strategies to overcome these.
• Evaluate the range of networking options/ practices which suit extraverts and those which suit introverts.
• Reflect how this safe space was used at the event to develop or boost your network.

Session 3: Networking Opportunity on Kumospace

Date: TBC | Time: TBC | Location: Online

During the networking session you will meet with researchers from all the other universities participating in the Networking and Profile Building initiative.

This will be facilitated online through Kumospace.

Come along and chat with other researchers and find out about their research and universities. The participating universities are: Cambridge, King’s College London, Nottingham, Cardiff, QMUL, Queen’s, Leeds, Glasgow and King’s College London.

Session 4: Collaboration and Partnering

Date: TBC | Time: TBC | Location: Online

Collaboration and partnering have become an expectation in many facets of the research endeavour. Whether it involves collaborating within or beyond your academic discipline or through partnering with non-academic organisations, academics are expected to form productive networking connections to further their research goals.  In this session we will help you assess the value of collaboration and partnering for your career and help you evaluate your collaboration/partnering potential, learning practical ways to help you arrive at concrete next steps to forming these connections.

This session will focus on:

• What is research collaboration and some examples/case studies.
• How to begin a research collaboration and manage the collaboration.
• Panel discussion – Queen’s University Belfast and Queen Mary University London staff to discuss their experience of research collaboration.
• Planning next steps in developing networks and potential collaborations.

Session 5: Social Media for Networking (Twitter, LinkedIn)

 Date: TBC | Time: TBC | Location: Online

• This session will explore how online networking can support your networking goals.
• We will help you review and improve your online profile, going in depth on making best use of Twitter and LinkedIn.
• We’ll discuss strategies to make the most of your time and resources and this session will give you a handy peer group to get you off to a flying start!

Session 6: Wrap-up and Guest speaker (new for 2022/23)

Date: TBC | Time: TBC | Location: Online

Registration

Registration for this course is done via iTrent. The link below should take you directly to this course where you are only required to register once for the whole programme. You can also open iTrent and search using the course's name.

Register on iTrent