Tuesday 20 September, 10.00-11.00, MS Teams

Are you a new postdoc? A new postdoc at Imperial? Have you been a postdoc at Imperial for a while? Are you someone that supports postdocs?

Join the PFDC team in this Welcome event for Postdoc Appreciation Week and find out what support is there for all postdocs across Imperial!

This event is open to all postdocs at Imperial and you will receive a calendar invitation before. If you don’t receive one before Wednesday 14 September and would like to attend, please email pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk.

Tuesday 20 September, 12.00-12.30, MS Teams

This event is open to all postdocs and fellows at Imperial. The aim of the session is to give early career researchers an opportunity to hear from the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) Professor Mary Ryan about her journey, advice for postdocs and an opportunity to ask questions.

You can submit your anonymous questions in advance via this link: Submit your questions by 12.00 on Friday 16 September.

This event is open to all postdocs at Imperial and you will receive a calendar invitation before. If you don’t receive one before Wednesday 14 September and would like to attend, please email pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk.

Tuesday 20 September, 14.00-16.00, Zoom

You know who you are and what are your achievements and successes, but how do you communicate them to others?

This workshop aims to strengthen your ability to promote yourself and your research in interviews and funding applications, for jobs through the CV, as well as on social media.

We will talk about presenting scientific work in an engaging way and will consider how to communicate research findings or outcomes in an exciting way. There will be time to cover interview pitches and the use of social media beyond science communication. We are going to cover the why and how to increase your visibility and some strategies to overcome perceived or real barriers, both online and offline.

This workshop will have some interactive aspects as we will work on short pitches with the aim of getting people to the stage of wanting to know more about you.

This event is for postdocs at Imperial. If you want to register for this event, please use this Qualtrics link: Increasing visibility.

Wednesday 21 September, 9.30-12.30, online

We all have an inner voice in our heads. It is an essential part of what makes us human – it helps us explore ideas without having to physically act out scenarios; it allows us to hold conversations, and remember shopping lists. It is with us from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep. This voice is designed to help you navigate the world and to keep you safe. Problem is, in order to keep you safe it focuses on the negatives, the perceived threats, and all the possible ways that you might mess up, fall down, or embarrass yourself. And that is where we spend a LOT of our time. 

During this three-hour workshop, we explore:

• Explore how your inner voice shapes your thoughts, your mood, and your choices, and your productivity;
• Address the critical inner voices that drive perfectionism, imposter syndrome and self-doubt that sabotage your motivation and enjoyment for your work;
• Shift the spotlight – use our values as a compass and bring our strengths to the fore.
• Learn how to rewrite that inner critic to a voice that allows for more mental space and energy to think, create, be present, and thrive.

This event is for postdocs and fellows at Imperial. Find out more and book from the PFDC website.

Wednesday 21 September, 10.30-12.30, online

This online event will combine humour and useful tips around some of the best tools postdocs have and need in their toolbox to progress: their skills, career development resources and a well-crafted CV.

This is a National Postdoc Appreciation Week event which is for all postdocs across the UK. Please register here: The Postdoc Toolbox

Wednesday 21 September, 14.00-15.30, MS Teams

The PFDC is thrilled to host a virtual panel discussion, followed by a Q&A, with three panellists who have successfully made the transition to independence at Imperial: 

• Dr Nejra Van Zalk – Senior Lecturer at Faculty of Engineering
• Dr Francesca Ceroni – Lecturer in Faculty of Natural Sciences
• Dr Luke Allsopp – Lecturer in Faculty of Medicine

Our panellists are keen to share their strategies for success, how they overcame failure, advice they would give to their past self (pre-independence), and how they secured support from their department, mentor, or sponsor.

You can submit your anonymous questions via this link – submit your questions (Independence) by 09.00 on Tuesday 20 September.

The event is open to all postdocs. Imperial postdocs will receive a calendar invitation in advance. If you don’t receive one before Wednesday 14 September or are a postdoc from another institution and would like to attend, please email pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk.

Thursday 22 September, 10.00-11.30, MS Teams

Working with industry and commercialising your research during your academic career opens doors to new funding opportunities, raises your academic profile and increases the real-world impact of your discoveries.

Join us to hear from the Enterprise Teams (IPC, ICON, and Enterprise Lab) about the support available to you, followed by case studies from Postdoc/Lecturer level academics on how they have utilised the support and how industry-focused activities have benefited their career.

The following speakers have been confirmed:

• IPFEN - Dr Hakan Bagci
• Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation - IPC Lead
• Imperial Consultants (ICON) - Stephanie Cloots
• Enterprise Lab - Ben Mumby-Croft
• Academic case study 1 (partnerships/IP) - Dr Jesus Rodriguez-Manzano
• Academic case study 2 (Consultancy) - Dr Brian Appelbe

The event is open to all postdocs. Imperial postdocs will receive a calendar invitation before. If you don’t receive one before Wednesday 14 September or are a postdoc from another institution and would like to attend, please email pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk.

Thursday 22 September, 14.00-15.30, MS Teams

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in a setting outside of research in academia? This Panel Event is a great opportunity to learn more about the whole process from former Imperial postdocs who have moved to different roles. Our panellists include: 

• Enrica Papi- Human Factors Engineering Lead, GSK 
• Megha Prakash Bangalore- Research Head at Stealth Mode Startup Biotech 
• Mo Qiao- Associate Editor, Springer Nature 

This event will provide opportunities to: 

• Listen to career experiences of former Imperial postdocs
• Learn about motivations, roles, and impact of different career moves
• Interact in an informal, confidential, and supportive setting

Attendees will first hear from our speakers about their experiences and lessons they have learnt. The session will then be opened for a Q&A. 

You can submit your anonymous questions via this link – submit your questions (Pathways) by 09.00 on Tuesday 20 September.

The event is open to all postdocs and you will receive a calendar invitation before. If you don’t receive one before Wednesday 14 September or are a postdoc from another institution and would like to attend, please email pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk.

Thursday 22 September, from 16.30

The Hammersmith postdoc reps are planning an informal networking event on 22 September starting at 16.30 in Hammersmith.

This will be a great opportunity to meet with postdocs and fellows who are based in Hammersmith.

The event is open to all postdocs at Imperial. If you would like to participate, please register via Eventbrite: Postdoc & Fellows Drinks and Pizza Night.

Thursday 22 September, 16.00, Uren Building, White City Campus

To celebrate PAW, pint-of-science, the department of Brain Sciences and ProteinTech have teamed up to organize a seminar featuring talks on neuro-immunology from three talented postdocs within the department. 

The event will be hosted on the twelfth floor of the Uren building at 16.00 on Thursday 22 September and drinks, snacks and merch will be provided afterwards.

This event is open to postdocs, PIs and PhD students at Imperial. Please register for the event on the following webpage: Postdoc Appreciation Week - ICL Brain Sciences 

Friday 23 September, 9.30-12.30, face-to-face in South Kensington

Most fellowships require you to have an interview to show how you can carry out the proposed research and why they should give you the funding.

During this workshop, you will look at examples of ‘invitation to interview’ letters from a variety of funders. Importantly, you will look at interview questions and prepare answers, developing answers that showcase your achievements.

This event is for postdocs at Imperial. To register please follow this Qualtrics link: Fellowship Interviews

Friday 23 September, 12.30-15.00, Multiple slots, online

Are you looking to improve what your CV looks like? Receive specific one-to-one feedback on your CV for any role you are considering.

Please send a copy of your CV and any job descriptions you’re interested in to pfdc-support@imperial.ac.uk before your appointment.

This event is for postdocs at Imperial. Please sign up through the following Doodle poll: CV clinics (PAW 2022).

Friday 23 September, 15.00-18.00

Would you like to meet a range of postdocs from across the College? Widen your network? Hear about the different types of research that are undertaken at Imperial? Maybe find some new connections/collaborators?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then please join us in South Kensington for an opportunity to meet and network with your peers.  The session will start with structured networking over pizza and will finish with an opportunity for you to mingle. No preparation is required, all you need to do is register to attend and then come ready to talk about yourself and your science in an informal setting. 

If you have any questions before the event, then please contact Karen Hinxman.  

This event is open to all postdocs at Imperial. If you would like to participate, please fill in the booking form: South Kensington networking event