Early Career Researcher Academy

What is an Early Career Researcher?

We define an Early Career Research (ECR) as: 

"Anyone post-PhD (or equivalent) who is either not in a permanent position or is less than three years into a permanent academic post (excluding career breaks; i.e. has not yet passed probation). Those who consider themselves ECRs but who do not meet these criteria can also opt to join the community."

This definition captures a community in transition. ECRs are frequently exploring a breadth of career options both inside and outside academia. They are transitioning to independence, building their first research group, planning their early research strategies, taking steps towards leadership and building their international reputation and network. As such, this community requires dedicated support, training and mentorship to ensure that they choose the right career path for them, and to maximise their chances of success. Providing this support is the primary goal of the ECR Academy. 

The Three Pillars

The Academy has three main pillars to support ECRs:

Communication, engagement and events

This includes:

• The ECRWiki - a new one-stop shop information sharing site for ECRs:
  • See our ECRWiki instructions.
• A dedicated ECR mailing list
• A regular information E-mails targeted at the ECR community
• An ECR Linked-in site
• A regular ECR lunch
• Lots of ECR events that will run throughout the year

Training and mentorship

This includes a new central package of ECR training. We are also looking to set up a new mentoring programme, so please do keep an eye out for that.

Future directions

This includes events showcasing the rich variety of career pathways for ECRs both inside and outside of academia. A series of events is already running in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (FHMS), while similar events for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS) and the Faculty of Art, Business and Social Sciences (FABSS) are in planning for semester 1 of the 2025/6 academic year. So, please do keep an eye out for those!

Goals and metrics for success

The ECR Academy will: 

• Ensure that all ECRs have an effective package of training and mentorship to support their success both in and outside of academia.
• Build an effective network of ECRs in Surrey that helps to spread best-practice and encourage interdisciplinary research.
• Boost ECR happiness.
• Support growing the diversity and inclusivity of the ECR community.
• Support growing the size of the non-permanent ECR community through ECR grant and fellowship wins.
• Grow ECR impact.