This is academia but not as you know it... Hello, I'm Sam. Researcher | Consultant | Academic Coach | Head of Department navigating the world of academia one tweet at a time. I'm hosting a live Q&A via Zoom on February 25th 8pm UK time to answer your questions about working smart in academia. What's all the fuss about... There's no dummies guide to being an academic - believe me, I've checked Amazon. As academics, I think we need to change how we do things - we need to work s

How to get more from what you are already doing - work smarter. As a marketer I have rebranded businesses and helped organisations to build brands from scratch. At the heart of each of these marketing exercises has been leveraging the personal brands of individuals within these firms- people buy from people, right? This has led me to wonder how the same principles around personal branding could be directly applied to academia to help emerging researchers and educators, just l

As conference season is upon us, here are some things you should be thinking about before you fly away to sunnier climes. Conferences are a a great way to showcase the work that you have been doing and connect with others who are equally as passionate about your discipline. But not all of us are pros when it comes to conference'ing. Here are few thoughts to help you get set: I want to go to conferences but I don't know where to start? Ok, first of all you need to a find conf

This is academia but not as you know it... Hello, I'm Sam. Industry marketer, with a freshly squeezed PhD, lecturer, researcher, born in Glasgow but made in Manchester, navigating the world of academia one tweet at a time. I'm taking over @AcademicChatter's twitter on May 28th 2019 8am GMT til late to talk about personal branding and working smarter in academia. What's all the fuss about... There's no dummies guide to being an academic - believe me, I've checked Amazon. As an

Research can be a lonely task, as many of us know from completing PhDs. Exploring subject synergies with fellow academics can be productive for your career and enjoyable, two heads are better than one and all that. Experienced collaborators know how to get the most from a join project but what if you are just starting out? Being realistic, collaborations can also present their own challenges. So here's a template to help you kick start your next research collaboration. This i

Maybe you fancy switching up your current role, or perhaps you are taking your first tentative steps into the academic job market. Since this isn't my first employment rodeo let me share some tips to help you nail that interview. 1. Research You know how to do research, so put those skills to good use and do some research on the faculty or team that you might end up working with. Check them out on LinkedIn, Twitter, any other platform to get a sense of who they are where you

The trusty to-do list is either your friend or foe. But is this the best way to shape-up your work week? Survey says... no. It’s Monday morning, you switch on your computer on, you chow down your Weetabix [other, more exciting breakfasts are available] and what is the first thing you do? You create a to-do list. Five minutes into writing the list and it's, “Houston, we have a problem”. The tasks creep up... oh no, you’re suddenly on page 3...or maybe that’s just me? Or perhap

A busy week doesn't have to mean a horrible week; get stuff done without losing your cool. As the semester ramps up in the UK, I'm tackling end of course teaching, collaborative projects, and students queuing up for guidance as they finalise projects. Many of us are in the same boat and this is when we can take our eye off the ball on our own productivity. So here is how I am getting back on track this week and hopefully it might help you too: Brain dump If your head is swir

I've put my research skills to good use today, so here's my round up of blogs, books and podcasts to help you navigate life as an academic: Procrastinate purposefully ... Blogs http://getalifephd.blogspot.com - US academic blogger Tanya Golash-Boza shares a healthy approach to working in higher education suggesting that you can be an effective academic and still have balance in your everyday life. Tanya shares helpful insights on productivity and setting up good habits. Gue

It's time to start multi-tasking and planning your research projects for the year. This post is designed to help early-career researchers kick-start their research planning. In my last post I talked about identifying your bigger picture research goals. Now that you know what you are aiming for and, why you are bothering in in the first place (always helpful), it's time to start pulling together a detailed research plan for the year ahead. I've created a simple template you ca

Whether you are already REF'd out or fresh off the PhD boat then here are some helpful tips to get research plans on track in 2019. As time management goes I'd like to think I am 'on it'. After all doing a Masters Degree and PhD whilst still holding down a demanding full time job you just kind of have to. I'm sure there are a few of us out there feeling the same, so I have put together some ideas to help kick start the planning process... Ask yourself some basic questions W