BOOST: Career Development for Researchers

BOOST has a range of opportunities. Some are targeted to particular audiences or career stages, for example PGRs and research staff, and other sessions are available to all.

We cover a broad range of topics including: 

• Professional development 
• Career planning 
• Applying for a job (both academic and non-academic) 
• Communicating your skills 
• Fellowships, grants and funding

We also run regular drop-ins to support researchers with the new narrative CV format (also known as the Résumé for Research and Innovation). Check below for the next drop-in date.

No - BOOST is a 'pick and mix' programme, meaning you can attend as many or as few sessions as you like.

You may wish to attend just one, or you may want to schedule in multiple sessions over the year. It's up to you!

That’s not a problem! Our sessions enable you to develop your skills, confidence and preparedness for any career, academic or otherwise.

7 April, 10:00-13:00, online

Competition for independent research funding is fierce. This session will explain what funders want to achieve, the application process, and share advice from awardees, reviewers and panels to help you present your proposals in a compelling way.

This session will take you through the process of applying for fellowship or other common independent research funding and help you to develop a more effective proposal and prepare for a confident performance at interview.

Specifically, we will cover:

• The purpose of independent funding
• The review and assessment process
• Constructing an effective and appropriate proposal
• Benchmarking yourself against successful applicants and applications
• Articulating your long-term research vision and leadership goals

Target audience: Researchers who:

• Have started developing their own independent research ideas
• Are thinking about or currently preparing a fellowship or independent funding proposal.

9 April, 2-3:30pm, online (Join Meeting)

Writing your CV can feel like a challenge. There are now a wide range of CV types - academic, narrative, non-academic - and it can be hard to know where to begin, or whether you're on the right track.

OD&PL offers CV drop-ins roughly every 6 weeks for researchers who want to ask questions about CVs, or who are interested in getting feedback on their CV. These drop-ins are run by Ruth Winden (Careers with Research Consultant) and Taryn Bell (Researcher Development Adviser).

To book a slot with Ruth or Taryn, use our drop-in booking sheet.

11 April, 9:30am-12:30pm, online

As a researcher, do you want to learn how to plan your career and how to make good strategic career decisions?

By the end of this workshop, you will have:

• Identified 4-5 key personal values
• Created up to three scenarios for a future career
• Created a list of individuals you can approach for additional information
• Identified non-negotiables and risk factors.

You will also be able to:

• Map your personal values onto future career scenarios in order to identify fit and potential compromises you may or may not be willing to make.
• Use future scenarios to pull out additional external factors that are important to your future career.
• Approach specific individuals in your potential future careers with specific questions that will help you better understand the fit of that path to your values and important external factors.
• Identify potential sticking points in your career decision making.
• Value the role of the conscious and unconscious in decision making.

Please note that some pre-work is required.

15 May, 2-4pm, on campus

Negotiating a job offer is a scary prospect, but it is a key skill we must learn to have a successful career.

Whether you want to stay in academia or explore new avenues, you will need to learn how to come to an agreement with a future employer when you receive your job offer. In fact, in some roles, you will be expected to negotiate. Your reluctance to do so will count against you.

In this practical session, we will:

• demystify the negotiation process
• explain what you can and can't negotiate
• help you identify your personal list of what to negotiate
• outline how to do your research and prepare for your negotiations
• explain the negotiation process
• discuss negotiation strategies so you can become a more willing, confident and successful negotiator.
• offer a role play negotiation with a volunteer so we can all see a negotiation in practice.

Participants will receive a negotiation checklist.

Please note that this session will not be recorded, due to the confidential nature of what participants might want to share in discussions.

19 May, 1-3pm, on campus

This workshop gives you a chance to reflect on your career aspirations, identify challenges, and plan actionable next steps. By leveraging Thinking Environment principles, this session provides a structured, inclusive space that fosters independent thinking and clarity. The methodology’s transformative approach is particularly suited to helping researchers explore career decisions in a collaborative yet deeply personal way.

By the end of this session, participants will:

• Have reflected on their career journey to date
• Have a tailored career plan, with specific goals, actionable steps, and timelines
• Be equipped with tools for ongoing career reflection and planning.

2 June, 1-3pm, on campus

How do you bring across what you offer in a coherent, succinct and convincing way, whether that’s on your CV, your online profiles or during interview? CAR stories are the answer.

CAR stories show how you overcome Challenges, the Action you take and the Results you create. This simple but effective method has helped hundreds of our researchers stand out during their job search and excel at interview. We will give you an overview of how to craft compelling CAR stories, provide examples, and invite you to write your first CAR story during the session.

4 June, 1-3pm, on campus

Are you worried that one day people will find out that you are not as good as they think? You are not alone! Imposter syndrome is a common fear, especially amongst high-achieving, intelligent and talented professionals. As academia is a place where intelligent, talented high-achievers congregate, it is no surprise that the imposter syndrome is such a familiar experience amongst staff in the university sector.

In this session, we will look at what imposter syndrome is, how it shows up for each of us, and what we can do to overcome this unwelcome feeling of being inadequate. You will have ample opportunities to think about your own situations when the impostor syndrome takes hold of you, identify common patterns and then go on to develop your own personal strategies to overcome this debilitating feeling.

We will do some simple but effective exercises, through writing, exploring and thinking – all in a safe and constructive environment. Please note that this is not a counselling session! Instead, the session offers a gentle and supportive approach to help us find more effective coping strategies. You can choose to work on your own or in pairs and share as much or as little as feels comfortable. To gain as much from the session as possible, join us with an open mind and plenty of curiosity to explore this phenomenon.

18 June, 1:30-4:30pm, online

Doctoral researchers need to juggle a whole host of complex tasks directly related to their PhD, from reviewing literature to data analysis, and writing. All this while perhaps teaching, building relationships, and maintaining collaborations, and having a life.

Being strategic with time allocation gives doctoral researchers the confidence that they can set and meet deadlines, create quality written material. It also promotes a health approach to work/life balance to improve wellbeing. When time is used carefully, space can be created for creativity and critical thinking, essential for creating that unique contribution to knowledge that a PhD requires.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify where their greatest personal challenges lie in managing time.
• Set goals that are motivational and achievable and be able to flexibly prioritise these as they progress through their PhD.
• Time block in a way that works for them personally, using supporting strategies that help to maintain their strategic time planning.
• Address procrastination with a range of different tactics to maintain momentum and minimise self-induced frustration.
• Recognise the impact of neurodiversity time management and the maintenance of time management methods.
• Recognise the importance of self-care in maintaining wellbeing to ensure the sustainability of the time management techniques they are using.