'I don't know what I want to do' is possibly one of the most frequent things careers advisers hear, and it's been in my mind for a while to write a blog post addressing this. The first step towards moving...

If you're currently starting out on a doctoral programme, you've probably got lots of things to think about: possibly getting used to a new environment, meeting supervisors and research groups, narrowing down research questions etc. But at the start of...

As part of our blog series celebrating Postdoc Appreciation Week, Dr Amy Birch, Researcher Development Manager at the University of Bath, has written a guest blog post with her reflections on Vitae Connections Week 2020 A key theme in researcher...

The second of our posts celebrating Postdoc Appreciation Week. I can still remember a talk from one of our academic staff a few years ago on his career journey. He described his journey from PhD student to postdoc to lecturer...

As this week is Postdoc Appreciation Week, we wanted to share a few posts aimed specifically at our fantastic community of Research Associates, Research Assistants and Research Fellows. We recognise the vast array of technical skills and knowledge, strengths and...

I've talked to quite a few people recently who've said they find it really hard to 'sell themselves' in applications and interviews, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts on what this actually means and some tips for making...

I first published this post in 2015, but I've given it a little refresh for 2020, based on my experience of having read many personal statements for academic jobs, and heard academic recruiters talking about what helps to make a...

As the current climate provides an ideal space (and excuse!) to listen to podcasts, I spent some time this morning listening to and reflecting on this podcast by Vitae and Taylor and Francis on the skills researchers will need in...

Dr Antoine Buchard from the Department of Chemistry shares his experience of applying for a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. 1) What is the focus of your research? The focus of my research is the synthesis of polymers, which are...

I'm aware that at this time of year some of our PhD students may be in the final stages of writing up their PhD or have recently submitted. The final stages of a PhD can be an emotional rollercoaster: the...