A career in research is exciting, varied and gives you the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of discovery in your chosen field, but it is a highly competitive environment and researchers from all over the world aspire to reach the top of the profession. If you are aiming for a career in research it is crucial to publish regularly, be independent and attract your own funding. You can start to do this early in your research career: if you are awarded a postdoctoral fellowship, not only will you stand out from the crowd, but you will demonstrate that you can propose innovative projects that attract research funding - this is a key requirement for a successful academic career.
How do you go about the process of applying for your own postdoctoral research fellowship? There is more to it than filling in an application form: you will have to propose and design an innovative project, identify a senior researcher to advise you and approach them about being involved in your project, convince the application reviewers that you are the right person, name referees and more. In order to be successful requires planning and preparation and you will need to use your network and be proactive.
Facilitators: Dr Joanna Young, Director of Electv, a training company specialising in workshops for researchers.
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