Research careers can be diverse, rewarding, and exciting, yet the move from being an early career researcher to becoming a research leader can also be complex and challenging.
This new interactive online programme supports researchers across all fields and disciplines to take a strategic and reflective approach to managing their research career. It is aimed at Early-to-mid career researchers and Postdoctoral researchers and can be accessed by all Sheffield Hallam staff and students via your institutional epigeum account.
If you’ve already registered with https://courses.epigeum.com/ using your shu.ac.uk email and the Research token 1b54d4f6 you will find the programme under My Courses. If not, please see instructions on how to register. You do not need to pay for this programme (check you are logged in to access).
The programme is broken down into ten modules, each approximately 30 minutes in length.
Advancing your Research Career provides engaging, flexible and interactive training in the key capabilities that underpin successful research leadership. Taking a streamlined, modular approach the course helps ensure that researchers’ career goals are well-articulated and supported by a professional knowledge base.
Using case studies, video interviews, thought-provoking scenarios and activities, and opportunities to reflect and develop action plans, the programme supports researchers to build a clear strategy for their individual career development, and to shape their career as a leader of research.
Completing the course enables you to:
· Recognise the influences and factors that can impact a career in research.
· Take a strategic approach to advancing your research career, and set realistic goals for your career development.
· Reflect on and build an understanding of the key capabilities that underpin successful research leadership in your individual field, discipline and context.
· Identify the skills, tools, opportunities and people to help you to establish yourself as a research leader.
Taken together, these will allow you to take control of, and strategically plan, your future career, whether that be within, or outside of, academia.
This module looks at the identity, goals and motivations that drive research careers, personal strengths and values, careers within and beyond academia, research leadership, developing a career strategy and sources of support for career development. This module will take around 36 minutes to complete.
This module addresses the importance and benefits of effective research cultures, examining how healthy and inclusive cultures contribute to researcher well-being, talent development, and the way that research is conducted and communicated. This module will take around 29 minutes to complete.
This module considers the benefits of having a mentor and explores the skills and attributes of an ideal mentor. It also focuses on being a mentor, developing mentoring skills and how to put these into practice. This module will take around 30 minutes to complete.
This module offers an opportunity to explore how to plan and manage research engagement strategy: connecting with the audiences. It also discusses accelerating and optimising the outcomes from research, and how to promote your reputation as an effective researcher. This module will take around 31 minutes to complete.
This module looks at the current research funding needs and environments and factors that underpin them, assessing funding competitiveness and understanding the process of developing the winning proposal. This module will take around 32 minutes to complete.
This module looks at research project management and unpacks how research projects can be enhanced through forward planning, the development of effective systems and processes, the integration of management strategies, and monitoring potential risks that may emerge. This module will take around 30 minutes to complete.
This module evaluates the benefits of collaboration, the importance of developing and maintaining mutually beneficial research partnerships and the long-term impact achieved through collaboration with external stakeholders from different sectors and disciplines. This module will take around 28 minutes to complete.
This module looks at the importance of laying the groundwork to establish and maintain a well-managed team that has clear expectations and support mechanisms as essential and critical for enabling research progress. This module will take around 32 minutes to complete.
This module looks at identifying communication opportunities that will expand research visibility and developing diverse and multi-layered communication strategies. This module will take around 31 minutes to complete.
This module looks at the importance of self-awareness and reflective practices in advancing and planning career development; it also offers an opportunity to create a personalised action plan of relevant and achievable career management activities. This module will take around 28 minutes to complete.
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