Early career social science researchers: experiences and support needs
- William Locke, University of Melbourne
- Richard Freeman, UCL Institute of Education
This seminar will discuss the findings from a research study aimed at gaining an insight into the diversity of roles, opportunities and support available for early career researchers (ECRs) in the social sciences whether they currently work in the higher education sector or not.
The main objectives of the research were to:
- assess the range of experiences and circumstances of ECRs in the social sciences after completing their PhD;
- identify and assess the type and quality of support provided for ECRs, from a variety of sources, and identify good practice;
- identify the common career trajectories for ECRs in the social sciences and develop an understanding of any disparities between their career aims, expectations and reality; and
- review funding opportunities available to ECRs in the social sciences.
The researchers will outline the findings from the research; their conclusions; the recommendations they made for the ESRC, other higher education sector bodies and universities; the actions taken by the ESRC; and, finally, their experience of undertaking policy-related research for a government agency.
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Richard Freeman is a Senior Lecturer based in the Centre for Doctoral Education, UCL Institute of Education. He is Deputy Director of the UBEL ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, Academic Head for Learning & Teaching for research degrees and is programme leader for the distance-learning PhD. He is the Lead Editor of the journal Educate~ The Journal of Doctoral Research in Education. He was Secretary General of the European Federation of Psychologists Associations (2001-2009) and oversaw the introduction of EuroPsy: the European qualification standard for psychologists. His research focuses on pre-doctoral, doctoral and post-doctoral researchers and he has delivered keynote presentations in China, Australia and Europe.