RIS Active-Research and Innovation Services News

It’s very easy to feel like an ‘imposter’ when you’re starting out in academia. Prof Ruth Barcan wrote about this in Times Higher Educationlast year: “many of my colleagues (especially women) gave out subtle signs that they did not feel they were up to the job—almost as though they had been employed in error and would sooner or later be found out.”

This is known as the Imposter Syndrome and symptoms include:

• Secretly worrying that others will find out that you’re not as bright and capable as they think you are?
• Shying away from challenges because of nagging self-doubt?
• Hating to make a mistake, to be less than fully prepared or doing things less than perfectly?

These are classic symptoms and are understandable.  The good news is that we are far from alone, and there is plenty that we can do to overcome the situation.

Dr Caron Wood will be visiting the University to run a half day workshop that will help with this. More details on the Fundermentals blog.

It is free, and open to all University academics and researchers. However, do let contact Phil Ward if you would like to take part.

Last year we launched the inaugural University Research Prizes competition. We received 40 applications from across all three Faculties; the standard was extremely high, and reflects the diverse, exciting and vibrant research culture across the University.

The winners will be recognised at a ceremony on 27 March. In the meantime here is a full listing of those chosen. More information on their work is available here.

•  Research Prizes
  • The University Prize for Research: Prof Jon Williamson (SECL)
    • The Faculty of Humanities Prize for Research: Prof Nicola Shaughnessy (Arts)
    • The Faculty of Sciences Prize for Research: Prof Colin Robinson (Centre for Molecular Processing)
    • The Faculty of Social Sciences Prize for Research: Prof Theresa Gannon and team (Psychology)

• Early Career Research Prizes
  • The University Prize for Early Career Research: Dr Harmonie Toros (Politics & International Relations)
    • The Faculty of Humanities Prize for Early Career Research: Dr Helen Brooks (Arts)
    • The Faculty of Sciences Prize for Early Career Research: Dr Jeremy Rossman (Biosciences)
    • The Faculty of Social Sciences Prize for Early Career Research: Dr Nikolas Rajkovic (Kent Law School)

• Postgraduate Research Prizes
  • The University Prize for Postgraduate Research: Giovanni Travaglino (Psychology)
    • The Faculty of Humanities Prize for Postgraduate Research: Ada Nifosi (SECL)
    • The Faculty of Sciences Prize for Postgraduate Research: Emily Dennis (SMSAS)
    • The Faculty of Social Sciences Prize for Postgraduate Research: Igor Merheim-Eyre (Politics & International Relations)

As part of the Kent’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, the University is funding three interdisciplinary research ‘sandpits’.

Sandpits are residential interactive workshops that take place over three days. Having a period of time to work with others, to focus on broad issues, test ideas and assumptions and develop interesting solutions to difficult problems is a rare opportunity in today’s academy, and goes back to the founding interdisciplinary, collegiate principles of the University.

As well as building on its interdisciplinary past the sandpits will open up the University to its collaborative future. Two of the sandpits will be open to Eastern ARC colleagues from UEA and Essex; the other will invite colleagues working in independent labs and pharmaceutical companies across Kent and the south east.

The sandpits will be led by the same team that runs similar events for the Research Councils. As well as academic colleagues there will be guest speakers, stakeholders and others who will inform and provoke discussion. Click on the sandpits webpage for more information and application forms for the events, or get in touch with Phil Ward to discuss them further.

Academics are increasingly being urged to produce “impactful” research – but how do you actually achieve that impact? One key route could be to engage with politicians and policy makers. Governments (of all political persuasions) need research results and advice from experts  from a wide breadth of disciplines to help develop good, evidence-based, policies.

In this event, Kate Anderson, from the Parliamentary Outreach Service will discuss how Parliament uses academic research and the ways that you can engage with Parliament using your own work. Kate will be joined by Professor Jagjit Chadha from the School of Economics. Jagjit will share his  extensive experience as an adviser to the Bank of England and the Treasury, to provide an insight into how this relationship works in reality.

The session is free, open to all, and lunch will be provided. However, do let Brian Lingley know if you are planning to come along so I can make sure the room and catering are sufficient.

Grants Factory

ESRC Mock Panel

11 March, 2- 4pm

Keynes SR12

The next Grants Factory session will provide an insight into how the ESRC assesses applications, and will consist of two parts:

•  Firstly, two experienced panellists, Prof Sarah Vickerstaff (SSPSSR) and Prof Dominic Abrams (Psychology)will give an overview of the priorities and processes of the ESRC, outlining how your proposal will be assessed;
• Secondly, Sarah and Dominic will lead a ‘mock’ panel, at which you will assess, discuss and rank a number of real applications, and decide which should be funded. This is invaluable to help understand the issues and difficulties faced by the ESRC panels, which will, in turn, help you to focus and draft your application more effectively.

Given the nature of the mock panel exercise, places are strictly limited, and allocated on a first come, first served basis, although priority will be given to those currently working on an application.

Contact Brian Lingley (b.lingley@kent.ac.uk) for more information, or if you want to take part.

4 March 2015, 12 noon

Peter Brown Room, Darwin College

Rejection is an integral part of academic life. Whether you’re applying for jobs or for funding, submitting journal articles or book proposals, or putting yourself forward for promotion, academics need to develop a thick skin in order to survive and thrive. But rejection need not be crushing: there are strategies for overcoming it and support available for coping with it. In the second ECR Network meeting of this term Prof DarrenGriffin (Biosciences) and Prof Ray Laurence (SECL) will talk about their experiences of rejection in their careers, and how they moved on from them. The session will allow participants to hear from each other, and learn about what works for others.

The session is free and open to all, and lunch, tea and coffee will be available. However do let Phil Ward (p.ward@kent.ac.uk) know if you intend to come along so that he can get an idea of numbers.

More information on the Grants Factory and ECR Network sessions this term is available here.

Getting Published: Targeting Top Journals and Writing Book Proposals

 12-2pm 27 February 2015

Keynes Seminar Room 4

Getting published is the cornerstone of a successful and sustainable academic career. A good publication record will have an impact on your promotion, but also on your chances of getting external research funding. In this workshop, Prof Mick Tuite (Biosciences) and Prof Sally Sheldon (KLS) will discuss some of the key issues you need to consider when seeking publication, including:

•  Choosing the right journal;
• How articles are selected, and what makes an article attractive to an editor;
• Responding to reviewers’ comments;
• Writing a book proposal and securing a contract;
• Dealing with co-authors;
• Managing your portfolio, and knowing when to say ‘no’.

The session is free, open to all, and lunch will be provided. However, do let Brian Lingley (b.lingley@kent.ac.uk) know if you are planning to come along so I can make sure the room and catering are sufficient. In addition, if you could let me know what your position is (permanent or fixed term, academic or researcher, and approximate time since doctorate), that will help Mick and Sally pitch the session appropriately.

Humanities 2015 is the new initiative from KIASH seeking to investigate how research is done across the Faculty of Humanities. Beginning last term with three panel discussions, the initiative has brought together academics from various disciplines to discuss their current research, why research is important to them, to the University, to their scholarly community and to the public.

The panel discussions continue this term during lunchtimes – see below for the spring schedule. We begin this term’s sessions with Digital Humanities – an important emerging area, in which the University is very proud to be recognised as a key player. Panels will continue to be arranged to provide varied discussion, providing an opportunity for all in Humanities to meet colleagues from other disciplines, engage in cross-disciplinary discussion and to come away with a better understanding of what research is in 2015. At the end of all the panels, a short film will be produced drawing together the results of these discussions. This will be premiered at the conclusion of the 50^th anniversary celebrations in September.

This term’s panel discussions begins next Tuesday, 27 January, with Digital Humanities in Grimond Lecture Theatre 3, 12.00 – 2.00. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there. SECL’s Benjamin Vis will be joined by Edward Higgs of the University of East Anglia, and Anna Jordanous from the School of Computing.

Spring term topics, venues and times:

10 Feb – Early Career Researchers, Keynes Seminar Room 16, 12.30 – 2.00 Please note later start time

24 Feb – Recent Grant Winners, Stacey Lecture Theatre 1 (Biosciences), 12.00 – 2.00

11 March – Women in the Academy, Darwin Lecture Theatre 1, 12.00 – 2.00

31 March – 50 in the University’s 50th year, Keynes Lecture Theatre 6, 12.00 – 2.00

Please put these dates in your diary.

Tamar Jeffers McDonald
Ray Laurence, KIASH