Built to Last: Developing resilience for a sustainable career
This annual conference was organised by the Research Staff Association in collaboration with the Academy. It was an in-person event with the theme, 'Built to Last: Developing resilience for a sustainable career'. The day included talks and panel discussions to help research staff consider how they can develop resilience and consider sustainability in their career within or beyond academia.
Within that theme, talks, panels and workshops focused on how research staff can acknowledge and build on their strengths and skills to help maximise their personal and professional development, as well as the research practice of every researcher employed at the University of Liverpool. The talks were aimed at a wide researcher audience and were of interest and relevance to the broad disciplinary range of our postdoc community. Speakers shared insights from which attendees could take away value for their strengths, skills, development and professional practice.
The conference took place on Wednesday 4th December 2024 and brought together internal and external leaders to discuss how research staff can develop resilience and consider sustainability in their career within or beyond academia to help maximise the personal development and professional and practice of every researcher employed at the University of Liverpool.
See below for the full programme.
Images of Research
The Research Staff Conference hosted the Images of Research Photography Competition, giving researchers an opportunity to creatively convey and promote their research work through an engaging and thought-provoking image.
More information and the entries and winners can be found on the Images of Research webpage.
2024 Programme
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:30 - 09:45 | Registration |
|
09:45 - 09:55 10 minutes |
Welcome |
|
10:00 - 10:25 25 minutes |
The value of research staff in fulfilling Liverpool 2031 Prof Anthony Hollander, PVC for Research & Impact, University of Liverpool |
|
10:30 - 11:30 60 minutes |
Panel discussion: Building a resilient workplace culture The panel will speak to their lived experiences in developing resilience Speakers: Dr Esther Garcia-Tunon Blanca, Senior Lecturer and Future Leaders Fellows in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Liverpool Professor Bernadine Idowu, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of West London Dr Junjie Xi, Senior Lecturer in Architectural Design and Humanities, University of Liverpool Dr Oscar Seip, Research Software Community Officer, Software Sustainability Institute |
|
11:30 - 11:45 15 minutes |
Connections and refreshments |
|
11:45 - 12:45 60 minutes |
Masterclass: Finding resilient and sustainable ways to face career setbacks Dr Fiona McBride, Senior Researcher Developer (Prosper) Dr Stefania Silvestri, Researcher Developer (Prosper) |
|
12:45 - 13:10 25 minutes |
Research staff and the research environment Prof Georgina Endfield, APVC for Research Environment & Postgraduate Research, University of Liverpool |
|
13:10 - 14:00 50 minutes |
Lunch |
|
14:00 - 14:15 15 minutes |
Research Staff Association & Images of Research Prize Giving |
|
14:15 - 15:00 45 minutes |
Keynote: A celebration of failure Prof Louise Kenny, EPVC of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool |
|
15:00 - 15:15 15 minutes |
Connections and Refreshments |
|
15:15 - 16:15 60 minutes |
Masterclass: Interdisciplinary working to build a sustainable career Professor Katie Atkinson, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research Dr Amy Birch, Senior Researcher Developer (Research Staff) |
|
16:15 - 16:20 5 minutes |
Conference summary and closing remarks |
2024 Conference Sponsors
Back to: Researcher Hub