Postdoctoral researcher career development and alternative career exploration.
As part of the Research Culture NI Project, it is recognised that enhancing the opportunities for personal and professional development of postdoctoral research staff is of significant value and importance.
As a postdoctoral researcher, your journey extends beyond the realms of academia. Professional development is the cornerstone of unlocking your full potential, empowering you to thrive not only in your current field but potentially also in new and exciting career paths.
QUB and UU are both signatories to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. In line with the Concordat obligations, we are committed to providing opportunities, structured support, encouragement and time for researchers to engage in a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year, recognising that researchers will pursue careers across a wide range of employment sectors.
For more information on available support, see below.
One to one personalised support
A well-crafted application and well-prepared interview can make all the difference when it comes to landing your dream job! Jill Wright our Careers and Employability Officer is here to help, by providing feedback on your CV and helping you prepare for interview.
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Each job application needs to be uniquely tailored to the role. This requires time and effort, especially at the start. Getting your academic and industry CV ready for application is important. Take this into account in your job application timeline and don't wait until the end of your contract to start applying for jobs.
We can provide feedback on the CV or cover letter that you have prepared for a specific job application.
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Invited for an interview? Congratulations! We can help you prepare either by organising a mock interview, take the opportunity to practice your interview technique, time your presentation and get feedback that will be valuable to your interview performance. We can also provide one to one interview coaching or send you example questions.
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We also offer one to one meetings to discuss your career progression and plans, focusing on your research skills and experience and how you can take these into the future.
Podcast
"The theory of the postdoc evolution" is the podcast from Queens. It aims at providing postdocs with information that helps them plan their careers.
It mainly features discussions and interviews with former postdocs about their career journey and the roles they have taken up after their postdocs or PhDs. Most of these discussions are recorded at live events attended by postdocs.
How to listen to the Podcast:
From your favourite podcast provider App: The theory of the postdoc evolution is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. These platforms allow you to follow/subscribe to the podcast to get notified when new episodes are available.
Workshops and Events
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Careers Audit and Skills for the Future
27th March 2025, 10:00-12:00
OnlineAs we work our way through the academic year, it's good to take time to pause and provide yourself with the opportunity to audit your life and career and look toward the future.
In our busy lives, it can be easy to avoid reflection. This session aims to review where you are today in your career and understand your current situation, skills and experiences to make informed decisions for the future.
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Decision Making - Career Choices Workshop
2nd April 2025, 09:30-13:00
Queen’s University BelfastMaking a career choice is one of the most important decisions that we make in our lives. Choosing the right career path can be challenging, and many postdocs struggle to make a decision that feels right for them.
This new half-day workshop will provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to make confident and informed career choices.
Prosper: unlocking postdoc potential
Join Prosper today. Prosper has been developed through 4 years of collaboration and co creation with employers, Higher Education Institutions, Principle Investigators and postdocs themselves. The portal provides resources to postdocs and PIs and developers of Postdocs. It is funded by the research England development fund.
The Prosper portal is a free resource helping postdocs REFLECT on their career, EXPLORE their options and ACT to take their next step and thrive in multiple career pathways. It hosts many resources and enables individuals to create an account to plot and track their progress as well as annotate and save resources.
Visit the Prosper portal or use the QR code.
Meet Jill
Jill Wright, Research Careers and Employability Officer, Queen’s University Belfast
Jill’s role sits within within the Research Culture team at Queen's University Belfast, as part of the Wellcome-funded Research Culture NI project and involves preparing postdocs across both Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University for future career transitions through delivering a suite of training and development opportunities to enhance skills and helping postdocs explore alternate career paths outside of academia, supporting them with job applications and interview preparation.
Her role also involves engaging with employers across NI who are employers of postdocs and those that are new to the conversation to promote the talent pool of postdocs that we have in Northern Ireland across our two universities.
Before joining the Research Culture team in June 2024, Jill worked in the private sector and brings with her extensive experience in early career development as well as running employability programmes in partnership with government bodies and local higher education institutions. Jill has established relationships with Queens and Ulster as a previous key graduate employer.