There is no such thing as a free lunch—except maybe when the IVES Postdoc Association is involved! The IVES Postdoc Association recently held its second annual seed funding event, which brought together postdocs from across IVES for research proposal presentations and lunch.
This was the second annual seed funding event of its kind—with proposals being ranked and voted on by fellow postdocs and lottery winners being drawn from the top candidates. Thanks to the IVES Research and Impact Committee (led by Professor Greg Hurst and special thanks to Jackie Lee and the IVES finance team), the Postdoc Association was allocated funds to put on the event and provide pump-priming funds for the 4 fantastic winners (£1-3K/award).
The 2023 winners are:
Revathy Krishnamurthi - Phage Therapy: Need of the hour?
Crispus Mbaluto - Reciprocal effect of aphids feeding on root-knot nematode root infected plants
Venera Tyukmaeva – Human impact on parasite communities in tropics
Cordelia Dunai - Mouse model of neurological complications from SARS-CoV-2
Feedback from previous winners, including tips for future presenters:
Emily Hornett - Characterising a novel male-killer in the six-spotted zigzag ladybird
“I would advise future presenters to first really think about what the project is. How the project draws upon your experience and knowledge, and how it can kick start a new project or direction for future e.g. fellowship applications. If that’s clear in your own mind then it’s much easier to get across in a short presentation. These presentations are more of a pitch - you need to sell yourself and your project. Being clear why you want to do it (why the science is interesting / useful / timely), why you are the person to do it, and how you will do it (including how you would use the money!) Also what you hope to achieve and any applications you may make using the data. A big consideration would also be whether you can use the money, should you get it, within the time-frame stipulated. Overall, I think if the presentation is well structured (guidance is given for this beforehand), it’s clear how the project will benefit you in your future career, and your enthusiasm comes across, then you’re in with a chance!
David Oseguera Montiel - Antimicrobial Resistance in Beef Cattle of Argentina: Constraints to and Prospects for Control
“The event had a nice format in the sense that it was casual with no rigid formalities. I liked that I got a lot of useful tips first. For example, I was thankful to hear about the information we heard about how to make the most of your career here at the University. Also, we heard about the importance of being patient in your postdoctoral position, which will serve as a stepping stone to permanent positions. I found it quite interesting to hear about other projects and to meet other postdoc researchers like me.”
Sian Pottenger - Aerosolised vs Intravenous antimicrobials and their effect on fungal microbiome quantity in Cystic Fibrosis patients
“It was a great opportunity to have a chance to pitch for some funding to support my work. I enjoyed the pre-pitch talks which gave advice on how to move on to the next step in our careers and also showed us what opportunities are available and what support is out there for us. I enjoyed getting to chat and throw ideas around about support and future events over the pizza lunch. Everyone was really supportive of each other and it was a good way to get to know other Postdocs and what other work is going on in the institute. I was struggling to figure out how to get on the stepping stone of putting myself out there for research opportunities and the friendly environment at this pitch gave me the confidence to pursue other funding opportunities available in the University.”
Gemma Chaters - Tanzanian GBADs case study
“It was great to have the opportunity to think about and develop my own research idea at a relatively small scale and have the opportunity to pitch this idea to a group of peers with different research backgrounds. The opportunity to learn about other research in the Institute, and the support for postdocs re career development was also fantastic. Post COVID it has all been feeling a bit disjointed and this felt like a great opportunity to round things up a little and get up to speed with everything the institute has to offer. I also really appreciated the opportunity to carry my PhD research on in Tanzania as I hadn’t been able to do this within my post-doc. This small grant and piece of additional research work will act as a great springboard for future research and collaboration in the field of livestock movements and disease transmission in Tanzania and East Africa more broadly. It was also a fantastic opportunity to initiate and develop a working relationship between Liverpool University and Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science and Technology in Tanzania (NMAIST).”