Prosper PI Network: A session with STEM Equals

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Thriving Together: Creating more inclusive research communities through the research management relationship

About this event

This session is only available to University of Liverpool, University of Manchester and Lancaster University staff. When registering for this event please ensure you use your institutional staff email address.

About the workshop:

Biased working cultures have created structural disadvantages throughout higher education (Stevenson and Morris, 2019), particularly in disciplines/areas where women, LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer), BAME (Black Asian and Minority Ethnic), working class, and/or disabled individuals are underrepresented (especially amongst those in senior, decision-making roles).

Research examining the experiences of both doctoral researchers (Cornell, 2020) and postdoctoral researchers (Wellcome Trust, 2020) have found widespread issues of overwork, bullying and harassment, and discrimination.

More than half (53%) of postdoctoral researchers and more than one in three (37%) of PhD researchers have sought, or have wanted to seek, help for anxiety or depression (Wellcome Trust, 2020; Cornell, 2020). In fact, only 14% of postgraduate research students reported having low anxiety, compared with 41% of the general population (Williams, 2019).

A review of nearly two decades of literature on the doctoral experience found that the supervisory relationship is the “most widely researched factor, and considered to be the most influential in the doctoral experience” (Sverdlik, et al., 2018:365). As line managers and supervisors of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, part of our work includes supporting researchers so that they may thrive (as much as is possible) as they navigate through a deeply unequal system whilst simultaneously actively working to dismantle inequalities and create more inclusive research communities.

Facilitated by the STEM Equals team from the University of Strathclyde (Dr Jessica Gagnon & Dr Marco Reggiani), within the Thriving Together workshop we will:

• Review the systemic inequalities faced by doctoral and postdoctoral researchers

• Examine the benefits and challenges of engaging in the work necessary to create fully embedded inclusive policies and practices

• Discuss examples from your own experiences as line managers and supervisors of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, sharing best practices across subjects/disciplines

• Explore strategies for improving policies and practices to create more inclusive research communities

Format of the session

This session will be held on Zoom, delivered by STEM Equals.

References and Suggested Readings

• Cornell, B. (2020). PhD life: The UK student experience. Higher Education Policy Institute. Available online: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/...-student-experience/

• Gagnon, J and Reggiani, M. (2021). A Case for Inclusion as Essential for Innovation. Invited teaching case study.

• Gagnon, J. (11 May 2021). More JEDI (Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) needed in PhD supervision. Supervising PhDs.

• Stevenson, O. and Morris, S. (2019). “What role can universities have in tackling structural inequalities?” WonkHE. Available online: https://wonkhe.com/...ities-in-uk-society/

• Sverdlik, A., Hall, N. C., McAlpine, L., & Hubbard, K. (2018). The PhD experience: A review of the factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement, and well-being. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13(1), 361-388.

• Wellcome Trust. (2020). What researchers think about the culture they work in. Available online: https://wellcome.org/...out-research-culture

• Williams, S. (2019). Postgraduate research experience survey 2019. Advance Higher Education. Available online: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/...despite-high-anxiety

Dr Jessica Gagnon (she/her) is a Research Fellow for the STEM Equals project. Jessica has worked in higher education in the US and UK for 20 years. Jessica is a sociologist of higher education whose research is primarily focused on inequalities in higher education. In addition to her research, she has supervised and line managed doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and she has taught at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. She grew up in a working-class, single mother family and is first in her family to attend university. On Twitter: @Jess_Gagnon

Dr Marco Reggiani (he/him) is a Research Associate for the STEM Equals project at the University of Strathclyde. His research interest is at the intersection between urban studies and social science—with a particular focus on the nexus between inequalities, cultures, and space. He has a PhD in Architecture from the University of Tokyo, and a Master in Building and Architectural Engineering from the University of Bologna. In addition to his research, he has taught and tutored at the postgraduate level and he is the award-winning author of ‘Giappomania’, an illustrated book about Japanese culture and lifestyle available in five languages. On Twitter: @marcoreggiani_

About STEM Equals: The STEM Equals project is a four-year research and impact project focused on women and LGBT+ people in STEM in both academia and in industry. Through an intersectional lens, the project focuses on working cultures within higher education and industry, including better understanding the experiences of and addressing systemic inequalities faced by women and LGBT+ staff in STEM disciplines. The project industry partner is BAM Nuttall and the project is funded by EPSRC under the Inclusion Matters initiative, with matched funding from the University of Strathclyde. On Twitter: @STEMEquals Website: www.stemequals.ac.uk

More about Prosper and the PI network

Prosper is a new approach to career development that unlocks postdocs’ potential to thrive in multiple career pathways.

Based at the University of Liverpool in partnership the University of Manchester and Lancaster University, our ultimate goal is to open up the huge talent pool that exists within the postdoctoral research community, to the benefit of postdocs themselves, Principal Investigators, employers and the wider UK economy.

We’re establishing a PI network that will put you at the centre of championing postdocs and driving change in how we approach their career development.

The network gives you the opportunity to:

• Influence, pilot and shape the development of Prosper and its resources to support both you and your postdocs in their career development.

• Share knowledge and learn from colleagues across the full range of disciplines at the University of Liverpool, the University of Manchester and Lancaster University.

• Share experiences and build relationships with employer partners, opening up new networks and opportunities for collaboration.

• Raise the profile and recognition accorded to successful postdoc development at institutional level.

Who can attend?

We encourage PIs at all levels to participate, and we welcome anyone who line-manages a postdoc or hopes to employ a postdoc in the future to come along.

Find out more by visiting our webpages, emailing us at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter.