Hello Everyone,
Welcome to the first issue of the Sussex Researcher for 2019, we hope you have had a good start to the year so far! With Hayley joining the team, we are excited to be able to expand our support and offerings to you, so we are delighted tell you about:
- the launch of our spring events programme
- the links and collaborations we are building with other groups in the University, that allow us to signpost various Workshops & Events we think may be useful for you
- a new pilot: "Researchers R Us" ("RRU" - a working title - please offer other suggestions!) - fortnightly bookings of the Quiet Room in the meeting house so we have a communal space where we can meet, talk and share with each other
- the opening of the Spring call of the Researcher-Led Initiative Fund
We want to make sure that we are giving you the support you want and need, so please do:
If you do not have a Rep for your area, please do consider becoming one - it's not too onerous, gives you an insight into the machinations/committees at the University, is great for your CV, and gives you a chance to effect real change.
We look forward to seeing you all at the various events and activities coming up over the next months!
Best wishes,
The Research Staff Office Team (Hayley Cordingley and Alex Aghajanian)
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Workshops & Events - February/March
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Featured Workshop Preparing for Leadership Date: Wednesday 6th February, 10:00-13:00 Location: BH-233, Bramber House Have you recently assumed leadership responsibilities? Or are you wondering what might be involved in a supervisory role? In this 3-hour interactive workshop, you’ll discover the skills required and how you can develop them. Through group activities and facilitator-led discussion, you’ll consider different approaches and learn from case studies. What we’ll cover:
- When is leadership required?
- What is good leadership?
- How do values and personality affect leadership styles?
- How do you manage different personality types?
- How do you motivate people?
- What is effective communication?
Learning outcomes: By the end of the session, you’ll have:
- An understanding of the different types of leadership
- An insight into your own leadership style and preferences
- Guidance on how to get the best out of people
Facilitator: The session is facilitated by Dr Catherine Pope, who has 20 years’ experience of leadership in business and academia.
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Featured Event "Researchers R Us" - inaugural session Location: The Quiet Room, Meeting House Date: Wednesday 20th February, 09:30 -11:30 (Refreshments available from 10:30) Starting on Wednesday 20 th February, the Research Staff Office and Researcher Development Programme are piloting booking a space for Research Staff, Doctoral Researchers and University colleagues who are involved in supporting researchers to gather to:
- Chat to our team of researcher developers about any aspect of your career and professional development;
- Meet other researchers from across the University;
- Find out about the workshops, events and support available through the Research Staff Development Series and Researcher Development Programme;
09:30-10:30 - RSO staff will be available to help you with any concerns you have/wish to raise, and down the line perhaps do mini-training sessions on topics of interest to you. 10:30-11:30 - We will break out coffee/tea and biscuits for a more social coffee morning gathering No need to book – just turn up to the Quiet Room at the Meeting House! We look forward to seeing you there! Future Wednesday Dates: February 20, March 6, March 20, April 3, April 17, May 1, May 15, May 29, June 12
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Researcher-Led Initiative Fund 2018-19 The Spring call for applications to the Researcher-Led Initiative Fund (RLI Fund) has now opened. The RLI Fund gives researchers greater input into their development by supporting them to organise activities that will enhance their professional and research skills. Open to early career research-only staff as well as doctoral researchers, University of Sussex and BSMS researchers can also apply to the fund for support to organise public engagement activities. A maximum of £750 is available for any one project. You can view previous awards from the Researcher-Led Initiative Fund here. Deadline for Applications: Friday 29th March 2019
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Research Dynamics - Research Development Events Programme 2019 The Research Development team have launched an events programme in 2019 under the new name ‘Research Dynamics’. The events programme is designed around the three key themes of knowledge, engagement and inspiration. It draws on the expertise found within the University, while encouraging outward facing engagement with funding providers. This first series of events builds on the established research excellence Sussex is known for, and offers further opportunities to cultivate research ideas, proposals, and networks. *Please be advised places are limited by room capacity.
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Call for more Reps We in the Research Staff Office are passionate about championing the Research Staff (RS) community here at Sussex by:
- highlighting and helping address community-specific issues and needs
- initiating and driving projects with internal and external collaborators
- influencing and implementing policies both locally and across the sector
– all with the aim of enhancing researcher experiences and supporting the professional development of research staff at each stage of their research career at Sussex
To do this, we work with colleagues in schools and professional services across the university, but most crucially we link closely with the Researcher Community – via the Reps network.
At present we have 17 wonderful Reps (from a RS community of ~370), drawn from 10 (out of ~42) Departments/Subject Areas, in 7 (out of 12) Schools, which is fantastic.
However, we would love to have more people come forward to be Reps - to ensure that we accurately reflect our community. We would particularly like more people to volunteer:
- where there is a large population of RS. For example - some of subject areas in Life Science have a lot of RS staff, but do not have reps
- where the voice of particular areas may be under-represented. For example. there are many fewer RS in the Social Science, Arts and Humanities areas compared with the STEMM areas, however we need to hear the voice of the particular issues these people are facing
Recent topics that have been raised by the Reps and that we are taking forward as live issues are:
- Teaching (allocation, opportunity, recognition...)
- Particular issues faced by International staff - particularly around housing
If you would like to contact us to enquire about becoming a rep - please contact us using this link: Becoming a Rep. If you have particular input you would like to contribute to the on-going topics, please contact us using these links: Teaching; International
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Internationalisation Faculty Mobility Scheme 2019-20 The Internationalisation Faculty Mobility Scheme encourages faculty members from universities and institutions to initiate visits to the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for exploration and development of institutional/faculty/departmental-level collaborations as well as collaborative research with leaders in frontier research in different fields. The scheme allows faculty members to pursue international academic exchanges to strengthen ties with institutions overseas.The programme supports inbound visiting scholars from overseas universities to undertake short-term research visits of up to seven nights at CUHK. The visiting faculty members may participate in academic activities of exploratory and developmental nature, including but not limited to, developing research collaborations with CUHK faculty members, delivering seminars, and engaging in academic exchanges and meetings with faculty members and students of CUHK. Deadline for Applications: Wednesday 10th April 2019
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Soapbox Science will be coming to Brighton Seafront Saturday 1st June 2019 Imagine yourself stood upon Brighton Seafront, the Pier behind you, talking about science with passers-by and inspiring them to find out more about your research…sound inviting? Well, this summer you have your chance as Soapbox Science comes to Brighton! Soapbox Science host events across the UK and the world that celebrate women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, Medicine), breaking down barriers and challenging stereotypes about who a researcher is. What is Soapbox Science? Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women scientists and the science they do. Soapbox Science events transform public areas into an arena for public learning and scientific debate. No middle person, no powerpoint slide, no amphitheater – just remarkable women in science who are there to amaze you with their latest discoveries, and to answer the science questions you have been burning to ask. 2017 speaker Dr Sam Furfari talks about her experience: read the blog Deadline for Applications: Friday 1st March 2019 at 11am (GMT)
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Researchers defy 19th-century law of physics in 21st-century boost for energy efficiency Research led by a University of Sussex scientist has turned a 156-year-old law of physics on its head in a development which could lead to more efficient recharging of batteries in cars and mobile phones. Dr Jordi Prat-Camps, a research fellow at the University of Sussex, has for the first time demonstrated that the coupling between two magnetic elements can be made extremely asymmetrical. Working with colleagues from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Innsbruck, Dr Prat-Camps’ research rips up the physics rule book by showing it is possible to make one magnet connect to another without the connection happening in the opposite direction. The findings run contrary to long-established beliefs of magnetic coupling, which emerge from the four Maxwell equations dating back to the seminal works of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell in the 19th century.
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Spotlight on Dr Lucia Macken
Hepatology Clinical Research Fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School
My research is looking at people with advanced liver cirrhosis. The numbers of people dying as a result of liver disease in the UK has dramatically increased by about 400% over the last 40 years.
The REDUCe trial is really unique in the way it supports people with advanced liver cirrhosis. We hope to develop this into a much larger study incorporating more hospitals across the UK, improving access to research.
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Research Funding
If applying for funding, remember to check funders' eligibility criteria carefully and discuss the opportunity with your host institution/department prior to preparing any applications. |
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Early-career researchers grants
These support individual early career researchers in specific studies or professional development. Grants are worth up to £5,000.
Deadline for Applications: 31st March 2019
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Sir Henry Dale fellowships
These support postdoctoral researchers who aim to become independent scientists leading their own groups addressing an important biomedical question. Fellowships are tenable for five years and cover salaries and all associated research expenses.
Deadline for Applications: 2nd April 2019
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Future Leaders Fellowships
These enable early-career researchers and innovators to transition to or establish their research or innovation independence in any area supported by UKRI. Fellowships are tenable for up to seven years with a compulsory review in year four.
Deadline for Applications: 2nd May 2019
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