UKRSA @ Nature Jobs Expo 2017!
This week UKRSA secretary, London rep and KCL researcher, Alexandra Melaugh visited the Nature Jobs Expo in London – and now she’s written a blog about it for us!
The Nature Jobs Expo, where do I begin? Such a vibrant place, full of researchers looking for their next career move and industry experts speaking about their experiences and career opportunities. The Expo kicked off with an interview and Q & A with Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan, followed by workshops and talks ranging from Roche speaking about science & working to the National History Museum discussing how to become a science communicator and the Institute for Research in Schools shedding light on the importance of teaching as a researcher.
My role during the day was to promote the opportunities to researchers representing Vitae, the leading international organisation in career and professional development for postgraduate researchers, and the UK Research Staff Association (UKRSA), an association aiming to provide a collective voice for research staff across the UK by building communities and influencing policy.
[Here I am - ready and prepared for your questions at the start of the day!]
Throughout the day we had many visitors intrigued about what Vitae and the UKRSA do, even without having chocolates and freebies to giveaway! I heard about the experiences of postgraduate researchers as they visited the UKRSA stand, good and bad. Emerging themes where Research Staff Associations can have an influence:
The bullying culture within universities, especially when there is pressure to bring in funding.
More accessible unions for researchers to protect their voice as they try to improve their working environment and career development without burning bridges and connections with future collaborators.
Better mechanisms for getting researchers motivated and involved in working towards a better research environment when on fixed term contacts.
These are just a few of the conversations that were had. They really highlighted how every university is different and every researcher within a university faces a range of difficulties on a daily basis. This is why it is so important that research staff associations exist, both at the local level and nationally, so that challenges can be exposed and improvements can be made.
Overall, the Expo showed the different ambitions researchers have and the different routes available to using and applying research, and not purely in academia. Thank you Nature Jobs for letting us showcase what Vitae and the UKRSA do and a special thanks to everyone for coming to the stall and letting me explain to you the importance of investing in your research career and joining a Research Staff Association- I definitely learnt a lot about your needs and where the UKRSA, in particular, can make a difference!
The UKRSA is always looking for new members so if you or someone you know what to be involved email: ukrsavitae@gmail.com
