Researcher precarity survey findings revealed, new publications and more new workshops including FutureProof your research career
The latest newsletter is packed with training, development, and celebration across our community.
On 13 March, we will present headline findings from our major survey on precarity and fixed‑term employment in UK higher education, outlining how contract practices affect researcher careers and offering practical recommendations for institutions, funders and policymakers. This session is for everyone with an interest in strategy, people and research environment and precarity in Higher Education, including researcher developers, HR and policy professionals. Postdocs and early career researchers are welcome to attend.
A roundtable on research culture at The National Postdoc Conference hosted by C-DICE has led to a new open‑access eLife publication highlighting uneven progress on the UK Researcher Development Concordat and calling for stronger actions to support postdocs, including protected development time, more secure contracts and better data to track culture and outcomes.
A C‑DICE networking grant awarded to Dr Yuqing Dai has led to a new ACS ES&T Air publication led by first author Dr Yizhou Su, showing that opening both windows and internal doors significantly cuts PM2.5 peaks during cooking and offers a simple, low‑energy way to improve indoor air quality.
Alongside these highlights, we’re pleased to share four new online training opportunities, delivered in collaboration with ERA, the Energy Research Accelerator, to help you hone your skills this March:
FutureProof your research career: 4 March
A practical career‑development session with Dr Naomi Tyrrell helping researchers assess their strengths, explore academic and non‑academic pathways, and use AI‑enhanced tools to confidently navigate career opportunities.
How to develop ‘real‑world’ impact with academic research: 6 March
Dr Naomi Tyrrell leads a focused workshop showing researchers how to translate their work into meaningful real‑world impact, build networks, and create a clear, actionable impact plan.
Exploring alternatives to academic careers: 12 March
Dr Naomi Tyrrell guides postdocs and late‑stage PhD students through the wide range of non‑academic career options, offering practical insights to support confident next‑step planning.
Lasting impression: creating interesting, memorable and engaging presentations: 13 March
Dr Jamie Gallagher teaches researchers how to design and deliver compelling presentations, build confidence, and communicate complex ideas in engaging and memorable ways.
And there’s still time to join the in-person How to design a workshop at Loughborough University (2 March), with expert facilitators to help you practise techniques, collaborate with colleagues, and develop the confidence to design and deliver workshops of your own. Travel grants are also available to support attendance.
And finally, if you’ve been meaning to write but meetings, emails and lab work keep winning, join the C-DICE-ERA Online writing retreat (18 February) for protected, structured focus time, with gentle goal‑setting, quiet co‑working and short breaks helping you make real progress on any writing project.
For full details and registration links, read the latest newsletter.