Last month saw the third Royce-supported Rising Stars event take place in the Institute’s Manchester Hub.
Rising Stars, organised by an inter-university group of researchers, guides participants in developing their own research vision, gaining commercialisation skills, building community networks and exploring career pathways.
The event returned to Royce for its third year, aiming to celebrate and support talented ‘rising stars’ from under-represented groups; late-stage PhD students, PDRAs, and early-career researchers working in all areas of materials science research and innovation in the UK.
The day consisted of workshops and activities based around developing careers in research. Topics covered were: Academic jobs, writing a research vision and building networks, academic and commercialisation pitches, and researcher mobility.
Attendees were given the opportunity to discuss their own career challenges and talk with the organisers on their own experiences with work-life balance, family, and caring responsibilities. The activities also highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, as well as the benefits of mentorship for personal and professional growth.
Katie Shanks, Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Exeter, and Rising Stars organiser, said:
“These events are built on the attendees’ engagement. Everyone is open and supportive from the start. I’m always impressed and inspired by not only the speakers but the attendees asking the hard questions and offering their own opinions.”
“It’s quite different from other academic events, we have very honest conversations about challenges and inequalities when working in STEM. But we always leave with a positive and energising feeling.”
“We owe a lot to the speakers who volunteer their time to come and share their experiences. I think it sets up a very open and honest atmosphere and allows the audience to ask and discuss more freely their own personal worries and challenges. Which we all need to do more often.”
Royce has a busy calendar of events and training courses for researchers of all levels to develop their skills. For more information, head to https://www.royce.ac.uk/events/
