scholarly journals Current Challenges for Early Career Researchers in Academic Research Careers: COVID19 and beyond

JBMR Plus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachelle W. Johnson ◽  
Megan M. Weivoda
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Research Careers

It takes a village to raise an ECR

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Browning ◽  
Kirrilly Thompson ◽  
Drew Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Research Performance ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Research Career ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Track Record

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early career researchers in building a successful track record which can lead to a successful academic research career. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on more than a decade of experience designing, implementing and evaluating professional development programmes for early career researchers in universities. Findings If an early career researcher is to achieve long-term success, the first five years after graduating with a doctorate are critical in establishing long-term career success. Professional development programmes for early career researchers are more successful if they are supported by organisational strategies around workload, performance management and accountability. Originality/value If implemented, these organisational strategies can assist early career researchers to build a successful track record, which can lead to a successful research career and contribute towards increasing aggregate institutional research performance for universities.

scholarly journals Inspiring and ethical mentorship in STEM: A meeting highlighting need for engagement, incentives, and accountability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Ruiz ◽  
Pinar Gurel ◽  
William H Olds ◽  
Adriana Bankston ◽  
Gary S McDowell
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Underrepresented Minorities ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Mentoring Practices ◽  
Academic Mentoring ◽  
College Park ◽  
Worrying Trend

Academic research institutes have a responsibility to train the next generation of scientists in safe, inclusive environments. However, recent data has shown an increasingly worrying trend of early career researchers (ECRs), particularly underrepresented minorities (URMs), struggling to gain academic independence in STEM fields. While hypercompetition, lack of research funds, and scarce independent research opportunities are systemic sources of this problem, research shows that inadequate mentoring and toxic cultures are major contributors to attrition rates. To address the state of mentoring in STEM, and to discuss further actions to take to improve STEM mentoring, early-career researchers organized a meeting at UMD-College Park on academic mentoring. The talks and workshops, which included students, postdocs, and experts in both STEM and mentoring fields, focused on culturally aware mentoring, hypercompetition, mental health, ethical behavior, and advocacy. Here, we provide an overview of the mentoring landscape experienced by ECRs and describe available resources and further actions for the academic community to join with to improve mentoring practices.

scholarly journals Improving Diversity and Promoting Inclusion in the Society for Epidemiologic Research Through Choice of Conference Location

2020 ◽  
Vol 189 (10) ◽  
pp. 1030-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candice Y Johnson ◽  
Helen B Chin
Keyword(s):  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Epidemiologic Research ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Research Careers ◽  
Conference Participation ◽  
Conference Attendance

Abstract Scientific conferences provide attendees opportunities to network, share research, learn new skills and ideas, and initiate collaborations. Conference attendance is especially important for students and early-career researchers who are establishing their research careers or looking for jobs. However, attending conferences can be expensive, and the high cost of conference attendance might hit students and early-career researchers the hardest. According to a new member survey from the Society for Epidemiologic Research, early-career members are more racially and ethnically diverse than senior members, meaning that reducing financial barriers to conference participation might be an important consideration for increasing diversity among conference attendees. In this commentary, we discuss how choice of conference location—choosing less expensive cities nearer to more Society for Epidemiologic Research members—could reduce financial and other barriers to conference attendance for all members and improve diversity and inclusion in the Society.

scholarly journals Inspiring and ethical mentorship in STEM: A meeting highlighting need for engagement, incentives, and accountability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Ruiz ◽  
Pinar Gurel ◽  
William H Olds ◽  
Adriana Bankston ◽  
Gary S McDowell
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Underrepresented Minorities ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Mentoring Practices ◽  
Academic Mentoring ◽  
College Park ◽  
Worrying Trend

Academic research institutes have a responsibility to train the next generation of scientists in safe, inclusive environments. However, recent data has shown an increasingly worrying trend of early career researchers (ECRs), particularly underrepresented minorities (URMs), struggling to gain academic independence in STEM fields. While hypercompetition, lack of research funds, and scarce independent research opportunities are systemic sources of this problem, research shows that inadequate mentoring and toxic cultures are major contributors to attrition rates. To address the state of mentoring in STEM, and to discuss further actions to take to improve STEM mentoring, early-career researchers organized a meeting at UMD-College Park on academic mentoring. The talks and workshops, which included students, postdocs, and experts in both STEM and mentoring fields, focused on culturally aware mentoring, hypercompetition, mental health, ethical behavior, and advocacy. Here, we provide an overview of the mentoring landscape experienced by ECRs and describe available resources and further actions for the academic community to join with to improve mentoring practices.

Support early-career researchers for post-pandemic prospects

Nature ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 580 (7802) ◽  
pp. 185-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arild Husby ◽  
Gemma Modinos
Keyword(s):  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Researchers

Future Physiology 2019: Uniting early career researchers

2019 ◽  
pp. 25-25
Author(s):  
Katie Hesketh ◽  
Mark Viggars
Keyword(s):  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Researchers

scholarly journals Positioning for success: building capacity in academic competencies for early-career researchers in sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Merritt ◽  
H. Jack ◽  
W. Mangezi ◽  
D. Chibanda ◽  
M. Abas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Academic Competencies ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background. Capacity building is essential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to address the gap in skills to conduct and implement research. Capacity building must not only include scientific and technical knowledge, but also broader competencies, such as writing, disseminating research and achieving work–life balance. These skills are thought to promote long-term career success for researchers in high-income countries (HICs) but the availability of such training is limited in LMICs. Methods. This paper presents the contextualisation and implementation of the Academic Competencies Series (ACES). ACES is an early-career researcher development programme adapted from a UK university. Through consultation between HIC and LMIC partners, an innovative series of 10 workshops was designed covering themes of self-development, engagement and writing skills. ACES formed part of the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI), a multi-national LMIC-led consortium to recruit, train, support and network early-career mental health researchers from four sub-Saharan African countries. Results. Of the 10 ACES modules, three were HIC-LMIC co-led, four led by HIC facilitators with LMIC training experience and three led by external consultants from HICs. Six workshops were delivered face to face and four by webinar. Course attendance was over 90% and the delivery cost was approximately US$4500 per researcher trained. Challenges of adaptation, attendance and technical issues are described for the first round of workshops. Conclusions. This paper indicates that a skills development series for early-career researchers can be contextualised and implemented in LMIC settings, and is feasible for co-delivery with local partners at relatively low cost.

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