Academia 101

Academia 101 has been created to support you in your professional journey as a researcher both during your PhD and beyond, with a series of introductory sessions on key research topics.

Upcoming Academia 101 sessions:

Making the most out of conferences

Date: Tuesday 2 June 2026
Time: 10-11am
In-person location: University of Liverpool, South Campus Teaching Hub, Seminar Room 1
Online: Teams link

Conferences are more than events to attend, as they present fantastic opportunities to grow, connect and open doors you didn't know existed.

However, they can also feel overwhelming for PhD students and early-career researchers:

Where do you start a conversation?
How do you talk about your research?
Who do you approach?

Led by Dr Jacopo Bregolin, our next Academia 101 hybrid session will explore practical strategies for navigating these moments with confidence:

Presenting yourself and your work
Building meaningful connections
Spotting collaboration opportunities
Making the most of the formal programme and informal moments in between.

Jacopo is Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Liverpool Management School, with a PhD from the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

Having presented at international conferences across Europe and North America, from Madrid to Toronto, he knows firsthand what it takes to navigate the academic conference circuit at every stage of a career.

This is a space to be honest about the challenges and develop strategies that actually work, so we encourage you to share your questions, experiences, awkward moments and wins.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

How Academia 101 supports your development as a researcher

These sessions have been built around the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), the national professional development framework for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers.

The Vitae RDF is structured into 4 domains to capture the knowledge, behaviours, and attributes identified as significant for researchers across a wide range of stakeholders:

Domain A: Knowledge and intellectual abilities: The knowledge, intellectual abilities and techniques to do research
Domain B: Personal effectiveness: The personal qualities and approach to be an effective researcher
Domain C: Research governance and organisation:
Knowledge of the professional standards and requirements to do research
Domain D: Engagement, influence and impact: The knowledge and skills to work with others to ensure the wider impact of research

Each of the Academia 101 sessions is explicitly linked to at least one of the Vitae RDF domains, sub-domains and descriptors, to help you track your progress and development within these specific areas.

This also allows you to select sessions that are particularly relevant to your personal research development.

Joining Academia 101 sessions

Academia 101 sessions are hybrid and open to student from any of the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) universities:

Please, only register if you are able to commit to engaging fully with the training event.

You will be expected to engage with the training leaders and one another, so cameras should be switched on at all times where possible.

Please, note that non-attendance is monitored, so if you are no longer able to attend an event you have registered for, please do let us know in advance by emailing Academia 101 Co-Leads Nariman Hanno (nhanno@liverpool.ac.uk) and Claire Lebrun (clairelb@liverpool.ac.uk).

If you have any questions and suggestions for future sessions, please don’t hesitate to contact them.