Welcome back to the new term! There are a couple of Grants Factory/ECR Network events coming up; details below. As ever these are free and open to all, so do let me know if you would like to come along.
Grants Factory: Involving End Users in your Research
12 Feb, 2-4pm
Keynes Seminar Room 4
Involving the end users or beneficiaries of research in its design and management has become increasingly important recently. It is no longer acceptable, in projects that involve human participants, to run projects in which those participants don’t have a voice. Health funders in particular, such as the NIHR, specify that the public and patients be fully involved in the projects. In other areas, too, ‘participatory design’ should be seen as best practice.
But how does this work? How do you identify potential participants? What are the potential pitfalls or problems, and what benefits can you expect? This session will hear from two people with a strong track record in working productively with the public: Prof Dominic Abrams (Psychology) is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Group Processes, and has led a number of externally funded projects looking at issues of ageing and inclusiveness, and Annette King works for the NIHR’s Research Design Service, working on public health and health service studies, and advising academics on the design of projects.
ECR Network: Social Media and Academia
19 Feb, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Darwin LT3
Technology is changing the way we access information, and how we communicate. Nowhere is this more apparent than in academia. Social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and blogging platforms such as Blogger and WordPress, are increasingly being used to raise profiles, to disseminate research, and to make links with potential collaborators.
Is it possible to embrace the new technology without compromising your integrity or short-selling your research? Dr Nadine Muller is a Lecturer in English Literature and Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University, and has demonstrated how to use social media and blogs effectively. She has written on life as a New Academic, as well as highlighting her own research, and is followed widely on Twitter.
The event is free and open to all staff, and there’ll be tea/coffee. Whilst this session is intended primarily for early career researchers (ECRs), more senior staff who are new to social media are also welcome. Do let me know if you plan to come along.
There will also be an opportunity to chat to Nadine informally at the ECR Social at the Dolphin in the evening, from 7pm.