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Postdoc Conference Graphics - features a black network in the bottom right corner where the nodes are varying shades of gold on a blue background

Queen Mary Postdoc Conference 2024

The theme is Postdoc Visibility
Register to Attend!

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday April 17th

The Barbican Centre

This conference will bring together postdoctoral researchers across all faculties to meet and discuss their experience and visibility as Queen Mary Researchers.

Visit the 2024 Conference webpage at bit.ly/QMPostdocConference2024
for updates on this year's programme and for links to register to attend!

For more information, contact Dr Rui Pires Martins

Time Programme Element
09:00-09:30 Arrival and Registration
09:45-10:00 Opening Address
10:00-11:40

Session 1: Postdoc Life and Visibility
Speakers will be sharing their experience and expertise in a number of facets of Postdoc Life, beyond the research. This session will include an opportunity for you to engage with speakers, to speak with your postdoc peers, and to make recommendations about what future support for postdocs should look like. 
11:40-12:00 Break
12:00-13:00

Session 2: Postdoc Development and Support
Speakers will include postdocs sharing examples of how they've used some of their 10-days of Continued Professional Development activity to prepare themselves for their next career step, alongside hearing from colleagues across the university who support researchers' work, and their career and professional development.
13:00-14:40 Lunch and Networking
14:40-16:15 Session 3: Careers Stories
A panel discussion featuring former and current Queen Mary researchers speaking about their career journeys from their postdoc stages.
16:15-16:30

How Queen Mary can Improve Postdoc Visibility
Your conference chairs will summarise the day's discussions into a closing address, outlining the outputs from the conference, and next steps.
16:30-17:30 Drinks and Canapés Reception

The Venue for the 2024 Conference will be

The Barbican Centre

The daytime programme (09:30-17:30) will take place in the Conservatory and Garden Room.

We are planning an early-evening (ending at 19:30) that will include a Postdoc Comedy Night in Frobisher Rooms.

More details about the programme to follow.

This conference was organised by Queen Mary Postdocs, Researcher Developers from the Queen Mary Academy, and Careers Advisors from Careers and Enterprise.

Outputs from the 2023 Conference

  • The discussions of the various issues impacting postdocs from the Postdoc Life session produced six recommendations oh how The University can better support postdocs in the near future. These were be reported to the Vice Principle Research & Innovation Board in July 2023. Some of these actions corresponded with work already underway at Queen Mary, and others were incoporated into our RD Concordat Implementation Action Plan (2024-2027). More information will be published here by the end of January 2024.
  • A postdoc-designed SharePoint resource that will enable Queen Mary postdocs to search for peer support across the university. When postdocs register for this conference, they can opt-in to contribute part of their registration data (which includes research expertise keywords, 'Postdoc Life' keywords, social media and contact information) to form the first version of this searchable database that will be maintained Researcher Development and future Conference organising committees.
    • UPDATE: This resource was invaluable for organising the 2023 Conference. The organising committee for 2024 will decide will repurpose and grow this resource  for 2024's conference
  • The Careers Stories will be written up as a series of postdoc career journey case studies to start a growing resource as inspiration for Queen Mary postdocs. 
    • UPDATE: These are being finalised and will be published in March 2024.

This conference is supported by the Queen Mary Academy and the UKRI Enhancing Research Culture Fund.

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