Into the Postdoc-verse: building relationships across dimensions
Mon 16 Sep | 10am | Online
How does "networking" work?
How do you make a good impression that also feels authentic?
How can you make the professional relationships you build work for you?
Come join us in this world-expanding exercise, where you will get the lowdown and tips on building authentic network that extends beyond your immediate (research) circles, and practice them right away with your fellow attendees! We will also provide a space after the main session for you to build upon these new connections you've made.
We also have special 1-2-1 careers sessions that will be happening during the week, for researchers who don't have institutional career services! For more information see here.
Speakers and panellists
Dr Steve Cross
We are welcoming back the fantastic Dr Steve Cross, who will give a masterclass on building relationships and networking!
Steve has been training researchers in networking since 2015, for universities, The Royal Society, Prostate Cancer UK and more. He's also the founder of Bright Club, and the GoPotato initiative! Check him out and learn more about his work here.
Panellist - Dr Joe Fennell
Dr Joe Fennell is a Research Fellow at the Open University and independent consultant. He started out as a plant scientist before moving into remote sensing of plants, and has maintained a thread of end-user engaged research throughout his career. As an industry-funded PhD student, he had early career experience of developing end-user networks in commercial agritech. At the University of Manchester, he developed applied research collaborations with international third sector organisations, before moving to The Open University to develop the science case for a prospective UK Space Agency satellite mission, as part of a large consortium. Through these experiences, he has developed a keen interest in impact from research through maintaining long-term and effective partnerships with key organisations.
info@joefennell.org
Panellist - Dr Laura Pottinger
Laura Pottinger is a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, in cultural geography with interests in everyday forms of social and environmental activism and creative research methods. Her doctoral research considered practices of seed saving and exchange with networks of gardeners in the UK. Her current project, Making Slow Colour, works closely with textile artists, community organisations and materials scientists to understand the potentials and challenges of natural dyeing and slow making. She is also part of the Cottonopolis Collective, a network of researchers, artists and cultural institutions examining the socio-environmental legacies of Manchester's cotton; and is Co-investigator on Methods for Change, a project that showcases impactful methodologies and brings together researchers from across the social sciences and humanities.
Dr Pooja Khurana
Dr Pooja Khurana serves as Community Manager at the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA). Her academic journey spans multiple disciplines, beginning with a Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology from the Amity Institute of Biotechnology in India (2005-2009), and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from Fachhochschule Aachen in Germany (2010-2012). She received a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Fellowship for her PhD and subsequent postdoctoral research in Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, England (2013-2019), where she specialised in Stem Cells and Reproductive Biology, investigating the profound impact of environmental factors—such as maternal ageing, nutrition, and artificial reproduction—on offspring health and disease outcomes. She served as a Research Specialist in Genetics at the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi, USA (2020-2022), where she pioneered the development of egg cells from mouse skin cells to advance artificial reproduction.
Seeking to make a broader societal impact and explore a world outside Academia, Pooja dedicated herself to volunteering with various non-profits. She contributed as an editorial board member at the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA, 2022-present), served as an outreach coordinator for the sustainability think tank Global Crisis Response (2022-2023), and championed menstrual equity and period poverty as an ambassador and advisor for The Pad Project (2022-2024). She also co-founded Therapy Thursday, a virtual mental health peer support group.
As a Community Manager, Pooja cultivates a vibrant global community of over 22,000 alumni, leading career development programmes like mentorships (PEP-CV, MCAA Academy) and virtual learning initiatives (Coursera). Additionally, as a Project Officer for the EU-funded European Citizen Science (ECS) Project, she co-leads the dynamic Network of Researchers for Citizen Science (NR4CS), engaging researchers from diverse fields worldwide.